Over the next dozen
years, HP, IBM, and Apple donated over 7 million dollars in computer equipment, thus enabling
the School to evolve to the very sophisticated computing environment it enjoys today.
One of the most important developments during this period of very rapid change was the beginning of a collaboration between the Management Library and Anderson Computing Services (ACS). Just as the Management Library had undergone significant change during the 1980s and 1990s, Anderson Computing Services also changed dramatically during this time.
Computing at the Management School began in 1957 when IBM built the Western Data Processing Center (WDPC) which provided computing access not only for UCLA, but also for 21 western states and Mexico. Professor Clay Sprowls of the business school served as the original WDPC director. During the late 1960s the center moved to the Math-Sciences building and became the foundation of the Office of Academic Computing (OAC) and the computing facility became the North Node, providing punched card access to the computational services provided.
In 1980 Jason Frand became the director of the Management School's computing services group.
He was responsible for bringing the Management School into the interactive time-sharing
computing age which occurred in 1982 when the School once again obtained its own computer
with a significant equipment grant from Hewlett Packard of an
HP3000/44 system. With
this computer, online access to databases and bibliographical material first became available
with SCIMP (Scandinavian Index to Management Periodicals). A year later the Management School
introduced its first microcomputers and set up a lab of HP125 systems. Over the next dozen
years, HP, IBM, and Apple donated over 7 million dollars in computer equipment, thus enabling
the School to evolve to the very sophisticated computing environment it enjoys today.
A hallmark of Computing Services over the past 15 years has been its focus on user
training and support. Extensive introductory and advanced training workshops, directly
linked to classroom course assignments, are offered throughout the year. Jointly developed
library-computing workshops have been offered for the past five years. In 1988, all faculty
and staff began using the homegrown mail system, AGSMail, and it quickly became an essential
support for communication between faculty, students, and staff. In the Fall of 1995 the
Anderson Web page was introduced (http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/), breaking new ground in
Web page design for business schools with its focus on people (rather than an index of topics)
and including a graphic illustrating how the Anderson School connects people to the world.
The Management Library was one of the very first areas within the Anderson School to be
included in the School's Web page development.
