Special Collections

Computing before computers: Leslie J Comrie, FRS (1893-1950)

Comrie was a pioneer of numerical methods for science and engineering before computers. He produced mathematical tables and developed advanced mechanised methods for calculations based on punched cards and the calculators of the day. Our archive contains notes, papers and his substantial collection of mathematical tables associated with his computation company Scientific Computing Service Ltd. The Scientific Computing Service was the first scientific computing bureau, founded in 1937 in 23 Bedford Square, London.

See an introduction to the Comrie Collection by Mary Croarken here:

22.8 M Croarken, Introduction to the Comrie Collection at Swansea University

Theory of programming

Our particular interest in programming and software development has attracted a number of gifts of archives. We have received substantial collections of notes, articles and books from professors of computer science:

Taken together the archives cover much of the development of modern programming languages with an emphasis on formal methods for semantics, specification and verification. Our archive covers many authors and collaborative projects. In addition, it contains invaluable informal publications such as the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science.

Development of computing education in schools and universities.

The Collection contains general reports on curricula in computer science and the debates surrounding them, newsletters and guides for teachers, and some oral histories by teachers and subject advisors on the early emergence of computing education in south Wales. In addition, it contains an archive mapping computing education at Swansea University, including examination papers, lecture courses, student handbooks, and publicity material.

Big data comes to Wales: DVLA and other data centres.

The Collection contains some unpublished government reports on the origins and specification of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre in the 1960s, and some oral histories.

Computers and early automation in the steel industry. 

The demands of the steel industry for data and computation means that steel companies purchased and made pioneering use of early computers. Probably, the first computer in Wales was the Ferranti Pegasus bought to design the new Abbey Steel Works in Port Talbot. The Collection has manuals and oral histories associated with this machine. In addition, there is material concerning innovative software to manage stock and customer orders.

Computer and information security. 

The Collection contains artefacts, guides, books and conference proceedings on computer security starting in the 1970s, including a complete run of the hacker magazine 2600.

Human-Computer interaction.

The computers, devices and software in the Collection possess a range of interfaces. There are printed materials, including Interfaces from the British Computer Society Special Interest Group on HCI.