344:(IFLA) in 1969. A year later, Avram became Chief of MARC Development Office at LC. She continued to head the MARC and RECON projects, but was also responsible for all of the automation involved with LC's processing activities. Her duties further expanded when she became the Director of the Network Development Office in 1976. She was then in charge of coordinating library networking and bibliographic resources and standards at both the national and international levels. In addition, she became chair of the LC Network Advisory Committee, a position which she held for over a decade. At this time she was also chair of the IFLA Working Group on Content Designators, which used the ISBD to develop the international version of MARC format known as
356:, acquisitions, overseas operations, and development of networking and automation planning. This position lasted for six years. In speaking of her decision to remain with LC, despite other, more lucrative opportunities, Avram said, "I stayed because I loved the place, the people, and the challenge." When she retired from LC in 1992, Avram was the Associate Librarian for Collections Services. Her staff of seventeen hundred was responsible for acquisitions, cataloging, preservation, collection development, overseas operations, network and automation planning, and processing and servicing special format materials.
316:
Avram was often noted for her petite stature, New York accent, and indefatigable drive. She was also an adept leader. "She was able to foster a cooperative spirit among the computer specialists and librarians on her staff. In her typical fashion, she stepped into the world of libraries and learned libraries' problems, adopting them as her own."
384:
through the years, from the initial
Planning Memorandum Number Three, which resulted from that first catalog card analysis at LC, to MARC 1 (as the format was subsequently named after the MARC Pilot System, November 1966-October 1967), and eventually to MARC 21, the format that is used today. Avram is the author of the book,
315:
Avram, considered a "librarian by achievement" by the
American Library Association (ALA), owed much to the Library of Congress, about which she said, "... when I speak of and refer to it as 'the Great Library,' I do so with sincerity and appreciation for everything that I learned within those walls."
335:
Pilot
Project, which concluded in June 1968; she directed the MARC Distribution Service, which began in March 1969; and she began the RECON Pilot Project, which was never completed. The RECON Project was a plan to convert retrospective materials to MARC format. Because this project was not embraced
319:
Avram was hired in 1965 by the
Library of Congress (LOC) to analyze cataloging data for computer processing. In keeping with her training at NSA, where she learned "the prime necessity of thoroughly understanding the subject before tackling the computer solution," Avram, along with two librarians,
383:
MARC, in her words, is "an assemblage of formats, publications, procedures, people, standards, systems, equipment, etc., that has evolved over the years stimulating the development of library automation and information networks ... nationally and internationally." MARC has had many incarnations
351:
By 1980 Avram was directing a staff of seven hundred in the
Processing Department of LC. In her position as the first Director for Processing Systems, Networks and Automation Planning, she was responsible for networking, automation activities, and bibliographic products and services. When Avram
407:
standard in 1973. Largely due to her efforts, MARC is now used as the basis for library automation and bibliographic communication throughout the world. Avram was also one of the original planners of the Linked
Systems Project. In this role, she was "tireless in spreading the gospel of using
290:
In the early 1960s, Avram moved to the private sector working first with the
American Research Bureau and later for Datatrol Corporation, a software company. Both jobs consisted of systems analysis and programming, but it was at Datatrol that Avram had her first professional experience with
327:
would be needed for each piece of information, and there were millions of items in the catalog, in hundreds of different languages. She also studied ALA rules and LC filing rules to learn all that she could about bibliographic control. When Avram had thoroughly examined every aspect of the
336:
by LC, retrospective conversion has taken place across the country, rather than as a nationwide coordinated effort. Avram said, "This failure has severely impacted all libraries." She also called lack of support for RECON the "single most disappointing experience" of her career.
291:
libraries. Asked to design a computer science library, she quickly read several library science text books in order to learn the appropriate jargon. She also hired a librarian to assist her in the design process. It was through this project that Avram was introduced to the
427:
After
Herbert, her husband of sixty-four years, died in their home on January 15, 2006, Henriette relocated to Florida. She died of cancer at Miami's Baptist Hospital on April 22, just three months after the death of her husband. She was 86 years old. Avram once said,
31:
339:
Avram became a part of the development of the
International Standard for Bibliographic Description for Monograph Publications (ISBD(M)) when she attended an International Meeting of Cataloguing Experts sponsored by the
408:
international standards to link databases housed on disparate computer systems." Though she never intended to be a librarian, Avram became a "towering figure in library automation and bibliographic control."
491:
341:
209:
reporter. Although she never intended to become a librarian, Henriette did spend many
Saturdays of her childhood reading in neighborhood stores, which, at that time, housed mini-public libraries.
609:
328:
bibliographic record, "she translated what she learned into a set of fields ... bearing a name (the tags), handling instructions (the indicators), and parts (the subfields)."
715:
307:
information. In March 1965, Avram heard of an opening at the Library of Congress, and was hired as a systems analyst in the Office of the Information Systems Specialist.
1043:
1026:
545:
368:, is the method by which paper-and-ink card catalogs were converted to computer catalogs. This automated library systems, in turn greatly enhancing the feasibility of
1068:
1088:
404:
1078:
469:
439:
Though proud of her accomplishments, Avram's famous drive never quit. "We must not sit back and be satisfied, though," she said, "there is much more to do."
1108:
507:
786:
539:
1098:
929:
436:
Her energetic, diplomatic leadership and remarkable contribution to automation and bibliographic control are proof that she achieved this goal.
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235:
The Avrams had three children: Marcie, Lloyd, and Jay, and maintained residence in New York until 1951, when Herbert Avram took a job with the
1113:
913:
400:
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832:
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to make it a national standard. Not content with earning the national standard in 1971, Avram continued lobbying until MARC became an
527:
421:
331:
Avram's title at LC changed to Assistant Coordinator of Information Systems in 1967. In this position, she continued to direct the
727:
432:
I'd like to be remembered as a good manager, as having done something that was significant in this world, of service to others.
1103:
1083:
300:
187:
of many library functions and the sharing of bibliographic information electronically between libraries using pre-existing
517:
679:
570:
482:
463:
396:
276:
205:
86:
523:
365:
352:
became the Assistant Librarian for Processing Services three years later, her staff doubled. She was now in charge of
264:
833:"Henriette D. Avram: Close-Up on the Career of a Towering Figure in Library Automation and Bibliographic Control"
503:
1989 Distinguished Executive Service Award from the Senior Executives Association Professional Development League
449:
474:
1980 Achievement in Library and Information Technology Award from Library and Information Technology Association
280:
236:
798:
937:
478:
268:
232:, he was a decorated Lieutenant Commander who had been assigned to both the Atlantic and Pacific Theatres.
1008:
Fineberg, G.M. (1992). Portrait of a pioneer: Henriette Avram left indelible mark on library profession.
956:
1063:
1058:
497:
417:
883:
The MARC pilot project: final report on a project sponsored by the Council on Library Resources, inc
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377:
292:
176:
149:
1044:
Listing of items either authored or edited by Henriette Avram and held at the Library of Congress
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909:
886:
369:
296:
658:
372:
and paving the way for networking capabilities. Avram was a key figure in the revolution of
240:
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on October 7, 1919, to a father who was a watch material distributor and a mother who was a
161:
133:
252:
248:
188:
164:
153:
424:, where Henriette often arranged for Library of Congress officials to be guest speakers.
649:
Pattie, Ling-yuh W. (Miko) (11 May 1998). "Henriette Davidson Avram, the Great Legacy".
345:
332:
221:
157:
97:
82:
751:
Gilman, T. (2017). Academic librarianship today. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
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304:
225:
180:
168:
108:
48:
229:
217:
175:. Avram's development of the MARC format in the late 1960s and early 1970s, at the
960:
1017:
Selected published work of Henriette Davidson Avram: An annotated bibliography.
452:
Citation in Cataloging and Classification from the American Library Association
320:
began this process by examining the information contained in a catalog record.
395:
In order to ensure that MARC would be adopted nationwide, she worked with the
353:
272:
184:
30:
975:
535:
1992 Meritorious Service Award from the American National Standards Institute
862:
Australian Library and Information Association (2006). "She made her MARC".
373:
324:
200:
172:
487:
1986 Appreciation Award from the National Central Library of Taipei, Taiwan
1016:
662:
890:
284:
71:
213:
1036:
Library of Congress-Network Development and MARC Standards Office. "
283:(NSA) in 1952 as one of the first computer programmers working with
67:
492:
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
244:
216:, which was prevalent in her family. She therefore majored in
532:
1992 Distinguished Service Award from the Library of Congress
1037:
764:
Intner, Sheila S. (March 2007). "The Passing of an Era".
610:"Henriette D. Avram, Modernizer of Libraries, Dies at 86"
295:
Card Division Service. She also did consulting work with
951:
Causey, Mike (Jan 8, 1990). "Raise for Special-Raters".
468:
1979 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year from the
976:"Henriette Avram Receives Honorary Life Membership"
831:Rather, Lucia J.; Wiggins, Beacher (October 1989).
781:
779:
716:"MARC her Words: An Interview with Henriette Avram"
714:Rather, Lucia J.; Wiggins, Beacher (October 1989).
271:. Once settled in Virginia, Avram left her life of
129:
114:
104:
92:
78:
56:
37:
21:
1040:" Library of Congress. (accessed March 21, 2008).
885:. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. p. 1.
416:After retirement, Avram and her husband moved to
212:Henriette Davidson dreamed of finding a cure for
160:(Machine Readable Cataloging), the international
1027:Taking a Fresh Look at Standards and Conformity.
546:American Library Association Honorary Membership
179:had a revolutionizing effect on the practice of
430:
342:International Federation of Library Association
247:, eventually becoming a pioneer in the digital
16:American computer programmer and system analyst
405:International Organization for Standardization
228:, who was enlisted in the Navy. By the end of
603:
601:
599:
597:
595:
593:
591:
470:Association of College and Research Libraries
8:
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824:
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820:
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816:
709:
707:
705:
703:
701:
699:
697:
695:
693:
538:1993 Honorary Doctorate of Science from the
1015:Grinstein, L.S., & Yarmish, R. (1990).
571:"Henriette D. Avram; Transformed Libraries"
508:National Information Standards Organization
303:, on OCLC's first attempt at computerizing
540:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
513:1990 John Ames Humphrey/Forest Press Award
275:behind. She began studying mathematics at
29:
18:
674:
672:
651:Cataloging & Classification Quarterly
564:
562:
148:(October 7, 1919 – April 22, 2006) was a
1010:Library of Congress Information Bulletin
980:Library of Congress Information Bulletin
759:
757:
644:
642:
640:
638:
636:
634:
632:
630:
797:(8): 70. September 1997. Archived from
558:
1069:20th-century American women scientists
243:Herbert Avram would also work for the
199:Henriette Regina Davidson was born in
1089:Librarians at the Library of Congress
420:. The couple remained active through
401:American National Standards Institute
7:
1079:George Washington University faculty
1020:Information Technology and Libraries
747:
745:
930:"MARC Creator Henriette Avram Dies"
908:. Washington: Library of Congress.
1109:American women computer scientists
906:MARC, its history and implications
386:MARC, its history and implications
14:
528:Rochester Institute of Technology
516:1990 Professional Award from the
1099:Librarians from New York (state)
936:. April 26, 2006. Archived from
787:"They Won! and Did It ALA's Way"
569:Schudel, Matt (April 28, 2006).
974:Lamolinara, Guy (August 1997).
301:Online Computer Library Center
1:
1074:Deaths from cancer in Florida
608:Fox, Margalit (May 3, 2006).
518:Special Libraries Association
100:(Machine Readable Cataloging)
1114:American computer scientists
904:Avram, Henriette D. (1975).
680:"Obituary: Herbert M. Avram"
490:1987 Honorary Fellow of the
483:American Library Association
464:Southern Illinois University
397:American Library Association
277:George Washington University
171:and holdings information in
87:George Washington University
524:Doctorate of Humane Letters
366:MAchine-Readable Cataloging
1130:
455:1974 Federal Women's Award
263:The couple moved first to
251:industry, which developed
1094:American women librarians
1033:. November/December 2006.
881:Avram, Henriette (1968).
139:
122:
42:Henriette Regina Davidson
28:
323:A separate mathematical
281:National Security Agency
237:National Security Agency
146:Henriette Davidson Avram
224:. In 1941, she married
434:
183:, making possible the
1104:People from Manhattan
1084:Hunter College alumni
663:10.1300/J104v25n02_05
1025:Hillmann, Diane I. "
940:on October 15, 2014.
498:Joseph W. Lippincott
418:California, Maryland
370:interlibrary lending
953:The Washington Post
801:on 22 December 2017
726:(9). Archived from
686:. January 22, 2006.
575:The Washington Post
390:Library of Congress
388:, published by the
378:information science
311:Library of Congress
293:Library of Congress
206:Philadelphia Ledger
177:Library of Congress
150:computer programmer
934:American Libraries
837:American Libraries
791:American Libraries
720:American Libraries
614:The New York Times
479:Melvil Dewey Medal
460:Honorary Doctorate
422:St. Mary's College
226:Herbert Mois Avram
156:who developed the
915:978-0-8444-0176-8
443:Awards and honors
297:Frederick Kilgour
259:Career beginnings
143:
142:
124:Scientific career
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462:of Science from
299:, father of the
255:for television.
241:Washington, D.C.
134:Computer science
63:
33:
19:
1129:
1128:
1124:
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1119:
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1049:
1048:
1038:MARC Standards.
1005:
1003:Further reading
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684:Washington Post
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279:and joined the
267:, and later to
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253:Closed Captions
249:court reporting
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154:systems analyst
96:Developing the
85:
79:Alma mater
74:
65:
61:
52:
51:, United States
46:
45:October 7, 1919
44:
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24:
23:Henriette Avram
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1031:Technicalities
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766:Technicalities
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657:(2–3): 67–81.
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522:1991 Honorary
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222:Hunter College
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93:Known for
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83:Hunter College
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66:
64:(aged 86)
60:April 22, 2006
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730:on 2014-10-22
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450:Margaret Mann
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374:librarianship
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109:Herbert Avram
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59:
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49:New York City
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36:
32:
27:
20:
1030:
1019:
1009:
988:. Retrieved
983:
979:
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952:
946:
938:the original
933:
924:
905:
899:
882:
876:
867:
863:
857:
845:. Retrieved
843:(9): 855–859
840:
836:
803:. Retrieved
799:the original
794:
790:
769:
765:
732:. Retrieved
728:the original
723:
719:
683:
654:
650:
617:. Retrieved
613:
578:. Retrieved
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394:
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230:World War II
218:pre-medicine
211:
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198:
145:
144:
123:
62:(2006-04-22)
1064:2006 deaths
1059:1919 births
195:Early years
191:standards.
158:MARC format
98:MARC format
1053:Categories
1022:, 9, 7-32.
990:15 October
847:15 October
805:15 October
734:15 October
619:14 October
553:References
412:Retirement
354:cataloging
273:homemaking
189:cataloging
185:automation
961:140177542
481:from the
392:in 1975.
325:algorithm
265:Arlington
201:Manhattan
173:libraries
957:ProQuest
580:16 March
399:and the
165:standard
115:Children
346:UNIMARC
285:IBM 701
72:Florida
959:
912:
889:
864:InCite
510:Fellow
364:MARC,
214:cancer
130:Fields
105:Spouse
870:: 13.
544:1997
526:from
506:1989
500:Award
496:1988
477:1981
458:1977
448:1971
376:into
68:Miami
992:2014
986:(13)
910:ISBN
891:3690
887:OCLC
849:2014
807:2014
736:2014
621:2014
582:2013
360:MARC
333:MARC
167:for
162:data
152:and
57:Died
38:Born
659:doi
287:.
245:CIA
239:in
220:at
1055::
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70:,
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118:3
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