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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 3000 items) |
| Abstract | Administrative Information Services was first established in 1967 as Administrative Data Processing. Its primary function was to provide the computer equipment, personnel, and services to process administrative data for university departments. Erwin M. Danziger was its first director and served until 1989. The records of Administrative Information Services, formerly Administrative Data Processing, include reports, planning documents, correspondence, and other materials relating to data processing and computation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of particular interest are correspondence and planning documents relating to special projects designed and implemented by Administrative Data Processing for various university business and academic units, as well as correspondence detailing the office culture and morale issues during a period of massive growth and development in the field of computing. The records consist primarily of correspondence from the director, associate directors, and assistant directors. |
| Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Administrative Information Services. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: University Archives Staff, September 2008
Encoded by: Meg Tuomala, September 2008
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Related Collections
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Historical Information
Administrative Data Processing (ADP) was established by Chancellor J. Carlyle Sitterson on 12 June 1967. It developed out of a need to convert the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's accounting systems and procedures to a computerized system. Previous to ADP's formation, the computation and data processing needs of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were performed by Electronic Data Processing Systems, a section of the university's Computation Center. The Computation Center had been established in 1959 primarily to assist faculty in analyzing research data.
At its inception, Administrative Data Processing operated under the Division of Academic Affairs, and its director reported directly to the provost. Later it moved to the Division of Business and Finance and reported to the vice chancellor for business and finance. On 9 May 1996, its name changed to Administrative Information Services. Administrative Data Processing's primary function was to provide the "computer equipment, personnel, and services to process administrative data for university departments." Working with individual departments and offices, ADP would assess the need for, then purchase or develop the appropriate system to complete the needed task. ADP would also train personnel to operate the system, provide service as necessary, and document the project for the department.
One of the major issues encountered by Administrative Data Processing was budgetary constraint, especially its inability to compete with other employers in the computing industry regarding salaries for computer programmers and the resulting effects on employee retention and morale. Other issues included data security, departmental growth and logistical limitations, and keeping up with the overall computing needs of a large American university.
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Scope and Content
The records of Administrative Information Services, formerly Administrative Data Processing, include reports, planning documents, correspondence, and other materials relating to data processing and computation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of particular interest are correspondence and planning documents relating to special projects designed and implemented by Administrative Data Processing for various university business and academic units as well as correspondence detailing the office culture and morale issues during a period of massive growth and development in the field of computing. The records consist primarily of correspondence from the director, associate directors, and assistant directors.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Reports, 1966-1998.
Arrangement: Arranged in three subseries and then chronologically within those series.
This series contains annual, monthly, and miscellaneous reports for Administrative Data Processing and Systems and Procedures, one of the divisions within ADP.
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Subseries 1.1. Annual Reports, 1966-1984.
Arrangement: Chronological.
This subseries contains Administrative Data Processing's annual reports. Reports detail the organizational and administrative developments of ADP for each fiscal year, including personnel reports, budgets, equipment specifications, systems projects, future plans, and organizational charts. Also noted are special achievements of ADP staff members, publications, articles, and reviews that are of special interest to ADP, speeches written by staff members, and notes on seminars or special courses led or taught by ADP staff. Of particular interest is a mention of President Richard M. Nixon's visit to ADP on 11 September 1968.
| Box 1 |
Annual Reports, 1966-1984 |
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Subseries 1.2. Monthly Reports, 1966-1998.
Arrangement: Chronological.
This subseries contains Administrative Data Processing's monthly reports. Reports summarize the plans of the individual groups or sections of ADP as well as personnel information and hiring plans.
| Box 1 |
Monthly Reports, 1966-1996 |
| Box 2 |
Monthly Reports, 1997-1998 |
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Subseries 1.3. Miscellaneous Reports and Surveys, 1966-1987.
Arrangement: Chronological.
This subseries contains miscellaneous reports and surveys compiled by Administrative Data Processing and, in one instance, by the Computation Center.
| Box 2 |
Miscellaneous Reports and Surveys, 1966-1987 |
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Series 2. Planning, 1978-1991.
Arrangement: Chronological.
This series contains various planning documents developed by Administrative Data Processing. Included are data processing plans and objectives reports for years 1982-1991, as well as two administrative computer systems flowcharts dated April 1978 and September 1987.
| Box 2 |
Planning, 1978-1991 |
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Series 3. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1966-1994.
Arrangement: By type, then chronologically.
This series contains Administrative Data Processing's correspondence, arranged by format, then chronologically. Most correspondence in this series is internal, largely in the form of memos. Correspondence with other business and academic offices and units at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is also included, notably the Office of the Provost, the Alumni Association, the Office of the University Registrar, Student Stores, North Carolina Memorial Hospital, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the Graduate School, Payroll, the Library, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance. Also included is the director's correspondence with computing equipment suppliers such as IBM and UNIVAC, the Triangle Universities Computation Center (TUCC), the Orange County Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), and other data processing organizations and centers. Subjects of note include outside contracting performed by ADP and the Umstead Act, ongoing acquisitions of computer hardware and software, data security, and computer crime, publicity documents, organizational growth and space issues and the move to the 440 West Franklin Street office, the director's critique of comparatively low computer programming salaries at the university and his desire to improve them, awards won by Erwin M. Danziger, the director of ADP, and general office climate and morale issues.
This series also contains documents relating to the 1984 peer review of ADP conducted by the Special Interest Group on University Computer Centers (SIGUCCS) and documents describing the programs and services offered by APD to the university community and general public. Items of particular interest include an undated publicity brochure, a document titled "What does ADP do?," and a draft of an article written for the University Gazette, dated November 1986. This series also includes a file, titled Administration Application Projects, relating to special computing projects performed by Administrative Data Processing for various departments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of special interest are correspondence, notes, and reports documenting the Student Information Services (SIS) project, as well as projects completed for Student Stores, the School of Dentistry, and Financial Accounting. This file also contains correspondence initiating the development of the university's electronic mail policy and presence on the World Wide Web.
| Box 2 |
Correspondence, 1966-1994 |
| Box 3 |
Memos, 1970-1989 |
Peer Review, 1984 |
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Administrative Application Projects, 1982-1995 |
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Series 4. Photographs, 1980s.
This series contains color and black-and-white photographs, along with negatives, of the employees, computing equipment, and offices of Administrative Data Processing. Of special interest are photographs of Erwin M. Danziger, director of ADP from its formation in 1967 to 1989. The photographs are mostly undated but seem to be from the 1980s.
Image Folder P-40265/1-3
P-40265/1P-40265/2P-40265/3 |
Photographs |
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Items Separated