Accession Number: 2004.134.49.57
Description: Black and white glossy; photo compilation shows how the IBM 709 computer translates English into braille. The woman at top left is typing words from the standard-print text in English into an IBM Printing Card Punch to produce punch cards. The punch cards are then fed into the IBM 709, which converts the text into braille. It prints a linear translation on paper with braille and English underneath it, making it easy to proofread. The bottom right photo shows two men--the one on the left (John Siems, APH Data Processing) is holding a metal embossing plate and the one on the right (Robert Haynes, APH Data Processing Supervisor) is holding a paper translation--sitting at the IBM 709. The top right photo shows someone proofreading the computer translation. After correction, the cards are placed in a stereograph, which automatically embosses the metal plates with braille. The bottom left photo shows a man feeding the punch cards into a Printing Card Punch next to a stereograph.
Medium: Photographic Paper
Print Size: 8" (h) x 10" (w)
Date: ca. 1964
Photographer: Unidentified
History/Provenance: In 1957 APH began a research project with IBM to produce braille using computer technology. The system was fully operative by the fall of 1964. By 1972, APH had 22 key-punch operators on staff. The operation eliminated manual stereograph machines. It reduced the translation of a 300-page book from six days of work by a skilled braille translator to one hour by an ordinary key-punch operator.
Credit Line: (see provenance)
Subjects: Transcription Braille
