Comments on: A History of Index Cards and Tabs

By: Pawyi Lee

Pawyi Lee — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:18:00 +0000

Help! Wikipedia’s article Index_card lacks a History section! I posted a request there for Expert Attention, linked this blog to its Discussion page, and am now appealing here. An anecdote from IBM’s history for which I have no cite: When IBM leased out main-frames, many companies flocked to get them. Many smaller companies then went bankrupt before IBM recovered its costs. They subsequently determined too many employees spent too much time juggling reams of computer print-outs, at the expense of the bottom line. IBM determined that companies with fewer than 500 employees benefited more from a few well-designed forms than from a main-frame spewing reams of print-outs, so bought out a maker of forms, lock, card-stock and barrel. Form sales contributed only trivial amounts to IBM’s bottom line, but loses from busted leases declined significantly. (Juggling mountains of printouts did not cause the US to lose its war in Vietnam, but did make a significant contribution.)

By: Pawyi Lee

Pawyi Lee — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Wikipedia’s Index_card article lacks a History section, so this is a plea for Help from an Expert! An anecdote for which I have no reference goes back to the era when IBM leased computers to companies, many of which went bankrupt long before IBM recovered its costs. Analysis of the problem disclosed that too many employees had been juggling way too many computer printouts to get profitable work done. Analysts determined that, with fewer than 500 employees, companies were better off using well-designed forms (and index cards.) IBM promptly bought a forms company, lock, card-stock, and barrel, to solve the problem. (Juggling voluminous print-outs was not the sole cause of US defeat in Vietnam, but it certainly contributed.)

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:17:32 +0000

I’m amused that filing cabinets once came with consultants to show you how to use them…

Now if only online/digital library catalogs could be as easy to use as the old card cabinets (which make excellent home decorating objects de arte). Of course, I’m the daughter of a librarian, so I may be a bit biased.

By: Roger

Roger — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:48:09 +0000

Incredible article – thanks for the info! Since a part of my job now is to oversee a cadre of file clerks, I found myself wondering if perhaps it’s still possible to have consultants come out and provide training on that pesky alphabetical order thing.

By: nutmeag

nutmeag — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:31:53 +0000

I was just thinking as I was reading this article that it’s hard to believe someone actually got these ideas out there into the public (i.e. wow, this is technology?). When I come up with knew ways of making my job easier, I don’t think about telling others. I generally figure it won’t help anyone else. I should begin to rethink that . . .

Awesome article, Higgins.

By: adrienne

adrienne — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:32:54 +0000

I’m with Rachel. And, to answer your question (when was the last time you thought of either of those as technologies?), never.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:06:10 +0000

Even though I am a direct service worker in a homeless shelter I do have a clerical aspect to my job. One of my duties on the overnight shift is to record the attendance for up to 200 homeless people each night. We do not have a computer so I mark each person that is present on cards which I keep alphabetically in file boxes. I shudder to imagine what my task would be like if card tabs had not been invented. You never think of something that is so pervasive and useful as having been invented. Thanks for letting me know who to be grateful to.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:19:55 +0000

This is the nerdiest thing I have ever read. I absolutely love it.