Henriette D. Avram, 86; Librarian Put the Card Catalog on the Computer
Henriette D. Avram, whose far-reaching work at the Library of Congress replaced ink-on-paper card catalogs and revolutionized cataloging systems at libraries worldwide, died April 22 of cancer at Baptist Hospital in Miami. She was 86.
The practical effect of her complicated mathematical formulations was to make library collections more readily accessible to scholars and the public. Her work greatly expanded interlibrary loan programs throughout the nation and allowed people to sit at computers and look through automated card catalogs at libraries everywhere.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. May 4, 2006 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday May 04, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 58 words Type of Material: Correction
Avram obituary: The obituary in Tuesday’s California section of Henriette D. Avram, who computerized the library card catalog system, said she was 86 but listed her year of birth as 1917, which would have made her 88 or 89. Biographical records are inconsistent, but many give her birth date as Oct. 7, 1919, which would make her 86.
After working at the National Security Agency early in the Computer Age, Avram joined the Library of Congress in 1965. With no background in library work, she was assigned to develop the library’s first automated cataloging format.
Combining two complex fields, computer programming and intricate cataloging practices, she and a small team completed the MARC Pilot Project -- for Machine Readable Cataloging -- in 1968. The system quickly became the preferred format for libraries throughout the country and, ultimately, around the globe.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington praised her as “a pioneer of the Information Age at the Library of Congress.”
A 1989 article in American Libraries magazine said she “launched a revolution in libraries” and was “one of the century’s most influential library leaders.”
Avram designed a mathematical code using cataloging numbers, letters and symbols to denote different elements, or fields, of bibliographic information. The result was a system that could be shared among libraries, greatly increasing access to their materials and reducing the legwork needed to find them.
“That was a major milestone in the library community,” said Beacher Wiggins, Avram’s former assistant and the Library of Congress’ current director for acquisitions and bibliographic access. “It’s fair to say it was a monumental transition for librarianship, not just for cataloging.”
Avram’s innovations enabled libraries to exchange information more quickly and in greater depth. Interlibrary loans grew more common, as people could instantly learn where documents and other items were housed.
Born in 1917 in New York City, Avram had recently moved to Florida from her home in California, Md.