Flowcharting Templates

Introduction

In the years following World War II, electronic computer makers and users developed techniques for programming of the newly invented devices. Fledgling manufacturers sought to communicate possible uses of their machines to customers and to train people to program them. To assist in these endeavors, they used special diagrams called flow charts. By the mid-1950s, such efforts had generated a new drawing instrument, the flowcharting template, a plastic rectangle with the symbols needed to draw flow charts cut out of it.

Resources

Nathan Ensmenger, “The Multiple Meanings of a Flowchart,” Information & Culture 51, no. 3 (August 2016), pp. 321–51.

Thomas Haigh, Mark Priestley, and Crispin Rope, ENIAC in Action: Making and Remaking the Modern Computer, Cambridge: MIT Press (2016) esp. 74-79, 204-206. This article discusses charts made for the ENIAC computer.

Grace M. Hopper, The Calculation of Extended Insurance, Philadelphia, 1950. A photocopy of this document is in the collection of unprocessed computer documentation at the National Museum of American History. It uses flowcharts to describe the UNIVAC I computer.

Robert J. Rossheim, “Report on Proposed American Standard Flowchart Symbols for Information Processing,” Communications of the ACM  6, no. 10 (October 1963), pp. 599-604.

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Univac Remington Rand Flowcharting Template

This translucent plastic template has sixteen symbols cut out of it, as well as four indentations along the edges. The top and bottom are marked off in six inch scales which are not subdivided. The symbols are not labeled. A mark at the bottom left reads: UNIVAC.
Description
This translucent plastic template has sixteen symbols cut out of it, as well as four indentations along the edges. The top and bottom are marked off in six inch scales which are not subdivided. The symbols are not labeled. A mark at the bottom left reads: UNIVAC. A mark at the bottom right reads: Remington Rand.
The UNIVAC division of Remington Rand was created in 1950. In 1955, Remington Rand merged with Sperry Corporation to form Sperry Rand. The template shows symbols not used at UNIVAC in 1950. It is the earliest presently in the collections.
References:
Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corp., Subsidiary of Remington Rand, Flow Chart Symbols, Philadelphia, 1950.
The Programmer, vol. 3 #2, March-April, 1956, cover. This was a publication of Remington Rand. An image shows this template.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
maker
Remington Rand Univac
ID Number
1996.3015.02
catalog number
1996.3015.02
nonaccession number
1996.3015

Electrodata Division of Burroughs Flowcharting Template

This plastic template has ten flow chart symbols. A scale of inches divided to sixths is on the right, a scale of inches divided to tenths on the left, a scale of inches divided to twelfths at the top, and a scale of inches divided to sixteenths at the bottom.
Description
This plastic template has ten flow chart symbols. A scale of inches divided to sixths is on the right, a scale of inches divided to tenths on the left, a scale of inches divided to twelfths at the top, and a scale of inches divided to sixteenths at the bottom. A mark reads: ElectroData (/) DIVISION OF BURROUGHS.
Burroughs purchased Electrodata in 1956 and began selling the Electrodata Datatron 220 in the following year. Trade literature indicates that the Electrodata Division of Burroughs continued until at least 1960.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1957
maker
Electrodata Division of Burroughs
ID Number
2005.0055.11
accession number
2005.0055
catalog number
2005.0055.11

IBM X24-5884-5 Auto-translator and Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic instrument is colored white around the edges, with a grid of black lines and twenty-eight cutout regions. Across the top is a scale of alphabetic interpreter type spacing. Across the bottom is a scale of card columns and mark sensing.
Description
This clear plastic instrument is colored white around the edges, with a grid of black lines and twenty-eight cutout regions. Across the top is a scale of alphabetic interpreter type spacing. Across the bottom is a scale of card columns and mark sensing. On the right is a scale of card volume. On the left is a scale relating to end printing. A mark on the object reads: IBM DIAGRAMMING TEMPLATE (/) X24-5884-5.
The flowcharting template fits in a yellow paper envelope, which has explanations for the symbols. It refers to IBM document C20-8008.
Also received in this envelope is a red and white plastic chart labeled: AUTO-TRANSLATOR Programmer's Aid for Translating Between (/) Machine Code And Actual Addresses For IBM 1401/1440/1460 Computers. Another mark on the chart reads: Copyright 1964. A third mark on it reads: ARCHER INDUSTRIES
Reference:
IBM, Reference Manual. Flow Charting and Block Diagramming Techniques, White Plains, IBM, 1959, esp. p. 4. This is IBM document C20-8008, dated September, 1959.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959, 1964
maker
IBM
ID Number
1996.3015.05
catalog number
1996.3015.05
nonaccession number
1996.3015

RCA Electronic Data Processing Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic flowcharting template has a grid of lines marked on it., with some line segments darkened to assist in aligning the symbols on a flowchart. Many of the twenty-six symbols are labeled.
Description
This clear plastic flowcharting template has a grid of lines marked on it., with some line segments darkened to assist in aligning the symbols on a flowchart. Many of the twenty-six symbols are labeled. A scale of printer spacing runs from 0 to 90 across the top and a scale of card volume runs from 0 to 450 on the left. The white paper envelope holding the template explains many of the symbols. A mark on the bottom right reads: ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING RCA (/) 28-00-108. A reference mentioned on envelope is: RCA EDP Manual, Flow Charting Standards for Information Processing, 97-05-001.
RCA sold computers from 1958 until 1971. It had embraced the flow chart [sic] as a tool of industrial design by 1960.
Reference:
RCA Engineer, vol. 6, #4, December 1960-January 1961. This issue of the magazine includes several flow charts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
ca 1965
maker
RCA Corporation
ID Number
1996.3015.01
catalog number
1996.3015.01
nonaccession number
1996.3015

IBM 20-5884-3 Flowcharting Template

Flow charts could describe accounting machines as well as computers. This clear plastic rule is colored white around the edges. It has a grid of lines drawn in the background, with twelve symbols cut out. Across the top is a scale for 402-403 type bar spacing.
Description
Flow charts could describe accounting machines as well as computers. This clear plastic rule is colored white around the edges. It has a grid of lines drawn in the background, with twelve symbols cut out. Across the top is a scale for 402-403 type bar spacing. Across the bottom are scales of mark sensing and card column numbers. Along the left is a scale of line spaces. Along the right is a scale of punching positions. The IBM 402 and IBM 403 were IBM accounting machines that sold from the late 1940s into the mid-1960s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
maker
IBM
ID Number
1996.3015.04
catalog number
1996.3015.04
nonaccession number
1996.3015

Honeywell Electronic Data Processing Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic flowcharting template also has a seven inch scale of equal parts along the bottom divided to tenths, a three inch scale on the right side divided to sixths, a 6 7/8" scale along the top divided to eighths, and a scale of card volume along the left side that run
Description
This clear plastic flowcharting template also has a seven inch scale of equal parts along the bottom divided to tenths, a three inch scale on the right side divided to sixths, a 6 7/8" scale along the top divided to eighths, and a scale of card volume along the left side that runs from 0 to 400. The twenty-one holes in the template are not labeled. A mark reads: Honeywell (/) Electronic Data Processing.
The Electronic Data Processing Division of Honeywell was in business under that name from at least 1961 through 1971. The symbols used suggest that the template dates from before 1966.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1962
distributor
Honeywell
maker
Honeywell Inc.
ID Number
1998.3104.02
nonaccession number
1998.3104
catalog number
1998.3104.02

Sprague’s Logic Symbols for Use with Unicircuit Integrated Circuits

This rectangular yellow translucent plastic flowcharting template has a rule six inches long divided to thirty-seconds of an inch along the top edge, and a rule ten centimeters long divided to millimeters along the bottom edge. Twenty-one holes represent flowcharting symbols.
Description
This rectangular yellow translucent plastic flowcharting template has a rule six inches long divided to thirty-seconds of an inch along the top edge, and a rule ten centimeters long divided to millimeters along the bottom edge. Twenty-one holes represent flowcharting symbols. A mark along the top reads: LOGIC SYMBOLS for use with UNICIRCUIT INTEGRATED CIRCUITS. A mark at the lower left reads: ASP 376. A mark next to this one reads: SPRAGUE (/) THE MARK OF RELIABILITY.
The trademark UNICIRCUIT was first used in commerce by Sprague Electric Company Corporation of North Adams, Massachusetts, in December 1962 and granted December 31, 1963. The mark on the object indicates that the trademark had been registered. The holes on the template are only partially those proposed by subcommittee S3.6 of the American Standards Association and released in 1965.
The donor, Philip Krupen (1915–2001), was a physicist who graduated B.S. from Brooklyn College in 1935, worked on the development of the proximity fuse during and after World War II, earned a master's degree in physics from George Washington University, and spent a total of thirty-eight years working for the U.S. government before he retired in 1973.
This template is similar but not identical to one shown in the catalogue for RapiDesign, Incorporated, of Burbank, California in 1963. It had their model number 541.
References:
TESS, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Registration 0762224.
Accession File.
Robert J. Rossheim, “Report on Proposed American Flowchart Symbols for Information Processing,” Communications of the ACM, vol. 6 #10, October, 1963, pp. 599-604.
RapiDesign, Inc., Drafting Templates Catalogue No. 70, Burbank, California, 1963, p. 16.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1964
maker
Sprague
ID Number
1986.0790.08
accession number
1986.0790
catalog number
1986.0790.08

IBM X-20-8020 Flowcharting Template

This rectangular blue-green flowcharting templatet has a scale of inches divided to tenths at the top and a scale of inches divided to eighths at the bottom. Twenty-five holes representing various logical operations are cut in the plastic.
Description
This rectangular blue-green flowcharting templatet has a scale of inches divided to tenths at the top and a scale of inches divided to eighths at the bottom. Twenty-five holes representing various logical operations are cut in the plastic. A white paper sleeve has definitions of the symbols on it. The device is meant for use in conjunction with a worksheet with IBM number X20-8021. A mark on the object reads: IBM FLOWCHARTING TEMPLATE FORM X20-8020. A mark on the envelope reads in part: Have you considered using IBM’s System/360 Flowchart (/) Program? The IBM System/360 was announced in 1964 and sold from 1965. The donor of this template, Terry M. Sachs, was trained to program the IBM System/360.
Reference:
IBM, IBM Data Processing Techniques - Flowcharting Techniques, White Plains, NY: IBM, ca 1963.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
IBM
ID Number
1995.3023.01
nonaccession number
1995.3023
catalog number
1995.3023.01

Bunker-Ramo Corporation Computer Diagarmming Template (Flowcharting Template)

This translucent green flowcharting template has a grid of black lines, with twenty-four symbols cut out of it. Three additional cutouts are along the edges. Symbols are not labeled. A six-inch scale along the bottom of the template is divided to sixths of an inch.
Description
This translucent green flowcharting template has a grid of black lines, with twenty-four symbols cut out of it. Three additional cutouts are along the edges. Symbols are not labeled. A six-inch scale along the bottom of the template is divided to sixths of an inch. One along the top is divided to tenths of an inch. Text on the template reads: COMPUTER DIAGRAMMING TEMPLATE. Further text reads: THE BUNKER-RAMO CORPORATION.
Bunker-Ramo Corporation formed in 1964 as an electronic information-handling company, joining together the electronics system and products division of the Martin-Marietta Corporation, the Teleregister Corporation, and the computer division of Thompson Ramo Wooldridge. One early achievement of the company was a bibliographic system known as RECON developed for NASA. In 1981, the firm was acquired by Allied Corporation.
This template closely resembles one shown in a 1963 catalog of RapiDesign, Inc. of Burbank, California. It sold at the time for $2.50
References:
William Mitchell, “The Genesis of NASA RECON,” The History and Heritage of Scientific and Technological Information Systems, ed. W. Boyd Rayward and Mary Ellen Bowden, Medford, NJ: Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2004, pp. 228-245.
Robert J. Cole, “Allied Pays $358 Million for Bunker,” New York Times, May 12, 1981, p. D1.
RapiDesign, Inc., Drafting Templates Catalogue No. 70, Burbank, California, 1963, p. 14.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
Bunker-Ramo Corporation
ID Number
1996.3015.03
catalog number
1996.3015.03
nonaccession number
1996.3015

Burroughs Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic flowcharting template has over thirty symbols cut out of it. Scales relating to the design of punch cards are on the left side and the bottom, a scale of inches divided to tenths is at the top, and scales of sixths and eighths of inches are on the right edge.
Description
This clear plastic flowcharting template has over thirty symbols cut out of it. Scales relating to the design of punch cards are on the left side and the bottom, a scale of inches divided to tenths is at the top, and scales of sixths and eighths of inches are on the right edge. A paper envelope explains the symbols. A mark on the object reads: B. The logo is one that Burroughs Corporation first used in commerce in 1947 and registered in 1969. Another mark reads: THE FLOWCHART TEMPLATE CONTAINED IN THIS ENVELOPE 9/0 IS A SERVICE OF BURROUGHS CORPORATION. . . . Another mark on the envelope mentions Burroughs computers E103, B205, B220, B260, B270, B251, and B5000. This combination of products dates the template to roughly 1965.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
maker
Burroughs Corporation
ID Number
2005.0055.14
accession number
2005.0055
catalog number
2005.0055.14

Flowcharting Template, Bell System

This clear plastic flowcharting template has a rectangular grid of lines marked in the background and twenty-nine flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. A scale of ten inches divided to tenths runs across the top.
Description
This clear plastic flowcharting template has a rectangular grid of lines marked in the background and twenty-nine flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. A scale of ten inches divided to tenths runs across the top. A scale of eighths of an inch, numbered from 1 to 30, runs along the right side. A scale of sixths of an inch, numbered from 1 to 23, runs along the left side. Along the bottom is a scale labeled: ALPHABETIC INTERPRETER TYPE SPACING. Divisions are slightly less than 1/8 of an inch and run from 1 to 60. A mark reads: BELL SYSTEM (/) 38-Y-3991A.
The template fits in a tan paper envelope marked: FLOWCHARTING (/) TEMPLATE.
This device dates from 1965-1966, when the donor worked as a programmer at Western Electric. He writes: "My first assignments were using an IBM 1620, replaced in late 1965 by an IBM 1130. My first applications created paper tapes to control component insertion machines (manufacturing equipment that automatically mounted discrete components on circuit boards). I was programming in FORTRAN and 1620 assembler language. When my programs didn’t work correctly, the insertion machine would mis-position, not matching the components (transistors, resistors, capacitors) to the predrilled holes in the circuit boards. The machine would then methodically, without hesitation, smash the components into the boards, creating minor havoc and small piles of trash. Those experiences were an interesting combination of disappointing, entertaining and scary. But I quickly learned and improved."
Reference:
Electronic message, August 22, 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1966
maker
Bell
ID Number
2014.3067.09
nonaccession number
2014.3067
catalog number
2014.3067.09

Burroughs Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic template has some thirty flowcharting symbols (it is unclear whether the three small circles along the bottom in fact are for flow charts).
Description
This clear plastic template has some thirty flowcharting symbols (it is unclear whether the three small circles along the bottom in fact are for flow charts). A scale of inches divided to twelfths is on the left, a scale of inches divided to tenths of an inch at the top, and a scale of inches divided to sixteenths at the bottom. Marks are in red, including a logo that reads: B Burroughs. The logo combines two that Burroughs Corporation first used in commerce in 1947 and registered in 1969.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1966
maker
Burroughs
ID Number
2005.0055.12
accession number
2005.0055
catalog number
2005.0055.12

Burroughs Flowcharting Template

This blue-green plastic flowcharting template has over twenty flowcharting symbols.
Description
This blue-green plastic flowcharting template has over twenty flowcharting symbols. Scales relating to the design of punch cards are on the left side and the bottom, a scale of inches divided to tenths is at the top, and scales of sixths and eighths of inches are on the right edge. A mark on the object reads: B Burroughs. The logo combines two that Burroughs Corporation first used in commerce in 1947 and registered in 1969. Another mark reads: FLOWCHART (/) TEMPLATE (/) Conforms to (/) U. S. A. Standard (/) X3.5-1966 (/) 1031457 (/) Made in U. S. America. A new X3.5 standard for flowcharting templates was introduced in 1970.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-1970
maker
Burroughs
Burroughs Corporation
ID Number
2005.0055.13
catalog number
2005.0055.13
accession number
2005.0055

IBM X20-8020-1 Flowcharting Template U/M 010

This blue-green plastic template has twenty-six holes, with an underlying grid of lines. Along the top is a scale of inches divided to tenths of inches. Along the bottom is a scale of inches divided to eighths of inches.
Description
This blue-green plastic template has twenty-six holes, with an underlying grid of lines. Along the top is a scale of inches divided to tenths of inches. Along the bottom is a scale of inches divided to eighths of inches. A mark on the template reads: FLOWCHARTING TEMPLATE X20-8020-1 U/M 010. Another mark reads: IBM.
The blue and white paper sleeve explains the symbols used. A mark in pencil on it reads: R. Brill. The envelope also touts the IBM System 360 Flowchart Program.
This flowchart and its sleeve are shown in a 1969 IBM publication.
Reference:
IBM, IBM Data Processing Techniques, Flowcharting Techniques, White Plains, New York: IBM, 1969, esp. p. 3, 7.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969
maker
IBM
ID Number
1996.3015.06
catalog number
1996.3015.06
nonaccession number
1996.3015

ICL Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic template has fourteen holes in it. A scale of tenths of an inch across the top has 57 divisions (i.e. it is 5 7/10” long), and a scale of sixths of an inch along the left side has twenty-three divisions (i.e. it is 3 5/6” long).
Description
This clear plastic template has fourteen holes in it. A scale of tenths of an inch across the top has 57 divisions (i.e. it is 5 7/10” long), and a scale of sixths of an inch along the left side has twenty-three divisions (i.e. it is 3 5/6” long). Scales of centimeters are across the bottom and along the right side. A mark on the template reads: ICL. Another one reads: CES. A third one reads: NCC DATA PROCESSING STANDARDS.
The template was distributed by the English firm ICL and, according to the accession file, was used by Dr. Shaw in the 1960s. The British firm of ICL or International Computers Ltd. was formed by a 1968 merger. The forms shown on the template are those advocated by the National Computer Center in Manchester, England, in a 1977 report.
Born in England, Mildred Shaw graduated from the teacher’s college at the University of London in 1966, obtained a B.Sc. in mathematical sciences, and then took an M. Sc. in computer science, graduating in 1972. She became the Coordinator of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Middlesex Polytechnic (then Trent Park College) in London. She obtained her Ph.D. in psychology from Brunel University in 1978. In 1984, she moved to Canada, first teaching at York University in Toronto and then becoming a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calgary.
References:
Accession file.
National Computing Centre Ltd., Data Processing Documentation Standards, Manchester, England, 1977.
Robert Hadden Mole, “Mildred Shaw: A Core Constructivist,” Constructivist Chronicle, vol. 3, #1, Winter, 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969-1977
maker
International Computers Ltd
ID Number
1998.3092.01
nonaccession number
1998.3092
catalog number
1998.3092.01

IBM GX20-8020-1 UM/010 Flowcharting Template

This blue-green plastic template has twenty-six holes in the shape of flowcharting symbols, with an underlying grid of lines. Along the top is a scale of inches to tenths; along the bottom is a scale of inches to eighths. The blue and white paper sleeve explains symbols used.
Description
This blue-green plastic template has twenty-six holes in the shape of flowcharting symbols, with an underlying grid of lines. Along the top is a scale of inches to tenths; along the bottom is a scale of inches to eighths. The blue and white paper sleeve explains symbols used. A mark on the template reads: FLOWCHARTING TEMPLATE. Another one reads: GX20-8020-1 U/M 010 (/) Printed in U.S.A. A mark on the envelope reads: (12-70). Further text there indicates that the form of the template conforms to 1970 ANSI standards, as well as International Organization for Standards (ISO) standards.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
IBM
ID Number
1997.3099.05
nonaccession number
1997.3099
catalog number
1997.3099.05

Control Data Corporation Flowcharting Template Form 10124300

This clear plastic flowcharting template has spaces representing twenty-four flowcharting symbols, labeled appropriately. It fits in a blue paper envelope which explains the meaning of the symbols. A mark on the front of the template reads: CONTROL DATA (/) CORPORATION.
Description
This clear plastic flowcharting template has spaces representing twenty-four flowcharting symbols, labeled appropriately. It fits in a blue paper envelope which explains the meaning of the symbols. A mark on the front of the template reads: CONTROL DATA (/) CORPORATION. A mark on the envelope reads: FLOWCHART TEMPLATE (/) Form 10124300 (/) The symbols shown on this jacket conform to (/) American National Standard X3.5 – 1970 . . . . This final mark gives a rough date for the object.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Control Data
ID Number
2012.3058.01
nonaccession number
2012.3058
catalog number
2012.3058.01

IBM GX20-8020-2 Flowcharting Template

This rectangular turquoise plastic flowcharting template has twenty-six symbols cut out of it. The top edge has two four-inch scales, one divided to eighths of an inch and the other to tenths of an inch.
Description
This rectangular turquoise plastic flowcharting template has twenty-six symbols cut out of it. The top edge has two four-inch scales, one divided to eighths of an inch and the other to tenths of an inch. The bottom edge also has two four-inch scales, one divided to twelfths of an inch and the other to fifteenths of an inch. The left side has a scale nine centimeters long divided to millimeters.
A mark reads: GX20-8020-2 U/M 010 [/] PRINTED IN U.S.A. Another mark reads: IBM. A third mark reads: FLOWCHARTING TEMPLATE.
Text on a plastic container explains that the symbols conform to international standards and follow the 1970 system of American National Flowchart Symbols.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
maker
IBM
ID Number
1997.3099.03
nonaccession number
1997.3099
catalog number
1997.3099.03

Flowcharting Template, Staedtler-Mars ADPS Flow Chart Symbols

This green plastic template has sixteen holes, with an underlying grid of lines. A scale of inches to tenths is along the top, while a scale of inches to eighths is along the bottom. The right edge has a scale of inches to sixths.
Description
This green plastic template has sixteen holes, with an underlying grid of lines. A scale of inches to tenths is along the top, while a scale of inches to eighths is along the bottom. The right edge has a scale of inches to sixths. A mark on the left side reads: STAEDTLER-MARS (/) MIL-STD 682A. It also reads: ADPS FLOW CHART SYMBOLS (/) TEMPLATE DRAFTING MX-3983/G. It also reads: 977 (/) 111DP. It reads at the top left: made in U.S.A.
The template is in a plastic envelope which is clear on one side and white on the other.
Staedtler is a German drawing instrument firm which began making pencils in 1835. It established an American subsidiary in New Jersey in 1953, and has subsequently moved that corporate office to California.
The Staedtler-Mars logo on the bottom left corner of the template is that used by the company between 1973 and 2001.
This template closely resembles one shown in a 1963 catalog of the California firm of RapiDesign, Inc. as its No. 545 MIL-STD 682A. The catalog price was $2.50, the size .03" x 8" x 3 1/2",
Reference:
RapiDesign, Inc., Drafting Templates Catalogue No. 70, Burbank, California, 1963, p. 16.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-1997
ID Number
1997.3099.06
nonaccession number
1997.3099
catalog number
1997.3099.06

IBM GX20-1971-0 UM/010 Flowcharting Template

This rectangular clear green plastic template has nineteen symbols relating to flowcharting and structured programming cut out of it. These are explained on the paper sleeve.
Description
This rectangular clear green plastic template has nineteen symbols relating to flowcharting and structured programming cut out of it. These are explained on the paper sleeve. The template has a nine inch scale, divided to tenths of an inch, across the top, a nine inch scale divided to eighths of an inch across the bottom, a three inch scale divided to twelfths of an inch on the right, and a scale nine centimeters long divided to millimeters on the left. A mark on the right reads: HIPO. Another mark reads: GX20-1971-0 UM/010. Another mark reads: IBM.
HIPO (Hierarchy plus Input Process Output) was a design aid and documentation technique developed by IBM in the 1970s.
Reference:
Edward C. Yourdon, “Users Want too Much from HIPO: Yourdon,” Computerworld, vol. 19, #22, May 31, 1976, p. 24.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1975
maker
IBM
ID Number
1997.3099.04
nonaccession number
1997.3099
catalog number
1997.3099.04

Staedtler Professional Data Processing Template (Flowcharting Template)

This clear green plastic template has thirty-five holes on a background grid of lines. A scale of inches divided to tenths is along the top edge, a scale of inches divided to sixths along the right edge, and a scale of inches divided to eighths along the bottom edge.
Description
This clear green plastic template has thirty-five holes on a background grid of lines. A scale of inches divided to tenths is along the top edge, a scale of inches divided to sixths along the right edge, and a scale of inches divided to eighths along the bottom edge. Cuts in the left edge provide a template for drawing large brackets. A mark in the bottom right corner reads: STAEDTLER (/) 977 (/) 112 (/) professional DATA PROCESSING (/) template (/) made in U.S.A.
Staedtler is a German drawing instrument firm which began making pencils in 1835. It established an American subsidiary in New Jersey in 1953, and has subsequently moved that corporate office to California.
The Staedtler logo on the bottom left corner of the template is that used by the company between 1973 and 2001.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1975
ID Number
1998.3095.01
nonaccession number
1998.3095
catalog number
1998.3095.01

Digital Educational Services Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic rectangular template has thirty-one flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. In addition a scale of tenths of inches across the top is numbered to 90. A "card count" scale along the right side is numbered from 100 to 700.
Description
This clear plastic rectangular template has thirty-one flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. In addition a scale of tenths of inches across the top is numbered to 90. A "card count" scale along the right side is numbered from 100 to 700. A scale of sixths of an inch, numbered from 1 to 30, is along the left side. Along the bottom is a scale of millimeters numbered from 0 to 250.
The template fits in a tan paper sleeve that explains the meaning of the symbols. The front of the sleeve has an address label directed from Digital Equipment Corporation to Mr. David Studebaker, Marketing Director, Digital Systems House, Batavia, IL.
According to the donor: "I was a minor partner in Digital Systems House from July 1976 through March 1984. We became a Digital Equipment Corporation reseller in 1977 or 1978. I became Sales & Marketing Director in about 1978 through about 1981 or 1982."
Reference:
Electronic message, August 22, 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
1978-1982
maker
Digital Equipment Corporation
ID Number
2014.3067.10
nonaccession number
2014.3067
catalog number
2014.3067.10

Office of Personnel Management Jiffy Template 203 Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic template has eight-inch scales on the top and bottom. The top scale is divided to eighths of an inch, the bottom one to tenths of an inch. Twenty labeled flowcharting symbols are cut out of the space in between.
Description
This clear plastic template has eight-inch scales on the top and bottom. The top scale is divided to eighths of an inch, the bottom one to tenths of an inch. Twenty labeled flowcharting symbols are cut out of the space in between. A mark at the bottom right reads: JIFFY (/) TEMPLATE 203. A mark on the bottom left reads: Center for Information Management and Automation (/) OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT. A mark on the top right reads: Conforms to (/) ANSI (/) X3.5-1970. Distributed as a giveaway by a branch of the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management.
Collected at Government Computer Expo 85 in Washington, D.C.
References:
Accession file.
American National Standards Institute, Flowchart Symbols and Their Usage in Information Processing, ANSI X3.5-1970, ANSI, 1970.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985
ID Number
1985.3088.04
nonaccession number
1985.3088
catalog number
1985.3088.04

Logic Template, LAN Technology

This light green plastic rectangular template has thirty-seven flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. In addition it has a scale of inches across the top, numbered from 0 to 8 and divided to eighths of an inch.
Description
This light green plastic rectangular template has thirty-seven flowcharting symbols arranged in four rows. In addition it has a scale of inches across the top, numbered from 0 to 8 and divided to eighths of an inch. It has a scale of inches, divided to sixths of an inch, along the left side. Along the bottom is a scale of inches divided to tenths of an inch.
The template is packed in clear plastic with a paper backing.
A mark on the object reads: LAN (/) TECHNOLOGY (/) THE TECHNICAL RESOURCE FOR NETWORK INTEGRATORS.
According to the donor: "My wife Karen and I founded Studebaker Technology in 1980 and I joined the business in 1984. We became involved with personal computer networking in about 1988. I believe I acquired the template in the 1988 to 1990 time frame. I think it was a promotional item".
Reference:
Electronic Message, August 22, 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1990
ID Number
2014.3067.11
nonaccession number
2014.3067
catalog number
2014.3067.11

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