The John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection contains pamphlets, reports, journal articles, correspondence, software and hardware documentation, and other written material as well as more than 500 monographs and serials which are individually cataloged. The individually cataloged items are identified in the NC State University Libraries catalog as part of the John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection; they are not included in this description. The collection dates range from 1891 to 1987, but the bullk of the material is from 1940-1965. Notable authors and organizations represented include Carlo Arcelli, the Association for Computing Machines (ACM), Yehoshua Bar-Hillel, Robert J. Baron, Gordon Becker, Harry Blum, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Walter M. Elsasser, George E. Forsythe, General Electric, J. K. Hawkins, Hewlett-Packard, Alston S. Householder, International Business Machines (IBM), William Karush, Felix Klein, Clifford J. Maloney, Jacob Marschak, Franco Modigliani, Frederick Mosteller, Ulric Neisser, W. V. Parker, Hans Reissner, Remington Rand, Inc., and Heinz Von Foerster. Topics covered include aeronautics, artificial intelligence, biology, biometrics, communications, computer science, electrical engineering, immunology, information retrieval, linguistics, logic, machine translation, mathematics, statistics, and technocracy. The majority of the material is written in English, though German, French, and Russian are also represented.
John Ptak was the proprietor of J. F. Ptak Books, Maps, and Prints in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The store specialized in used, rare, and antiquarian manuscripts, reprints, journals, maps, and prints in mathematics and the sciences.
Most materials are in
John Ptak was the proprietor of J. F. Ptak Books, Maps, and Prints in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The store specialized in used, rare, and antiquarian manuscripts, reprints, journals, maps, and prints in mathematics and the sciences.
The John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection contains pamphlets, reports, journal articles, correspondence, software and hardware documentation, and other written material as well as more than 500 monographs and serials which are individually cataloged. The individually cataloged items are identified in the NC State University Libraries catalog as part of the John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection; they are not included in this description. The collection dates range from 1891 to 1987, but the bullk of the material is from 1940-1965. Notable authors and organizations represented include the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Carlo Arcelli, Yehoshua Bar-Hillel, Robert J. Baron, Gordon Becker, Harry Blum, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Walter M. Elsasser, George E. Forsythe, General Electric, J. K. Hawkins, Hewlett-Packard, Alston S. Householder, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), William Karush, Felix Klein, Clifford J. Maloney, Jacob Marschak, Franco Modigliani, Frederick Mosteller, Ulric Neisser, W. V. Parker, Hans Reissner, Remington Rand, Inc., and Heinz Von Foerster. Topics covered include aeronautics, artificial intelligence, biology, biometrics, communications, computer science, electrical engineering, the history of computing, history of science, immunology, information retrieval, linguistics, logic, machine translation, mathematics, physics, statistics, and technocracy. The majority of the material is written in English, though German, French, and Russian are also represented.
This collection is arranged in five series: Articles, Reports, Journals, and Pamphlets; Correspondence; Commercial Pamphlets and Instruction Manuals; Other Papers; and Oversize Diagrams. All five seriesa are organized alphabetically.
The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
[Identification of item], John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection, RBC 00006, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of John F. Ptak, 2002 (Accession no. 2002-0025); Gift of John F. Ptak, 2017 (Accession no. 2017.0003)
The John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection also includes more than 500 monographs and serials which are cataloged individually. They are identified in the NC State University Libraries catalog as part of the John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection. To find these materials, please search the catalog for individual titles or for the keywords "John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection".
Processed by Anna R. Craft, 2006 November 1; updated by Rachel Jacobson, 2015 March
Encoded by Anna R. Craft, 2006 November 1; updated by Rachel Jacobson, 2015 March; updated by Gwynn Thayer, 2017 January
The collection is organized into five principal series:
The John Ptak Computer Science articles, reports, journals,and pamphlets series contains printed material focusing on computers, mathematics, and the sciences, dating from 1891 to 1987. It is primarily made up of articles and reports written and published between 1940 and 1965.
15 archival boxes
Monographs 3167, 4336, 4681, 4712, 4976, 5029, 5125, 5132, and 5183
The John Ptak Computer Science correspondence series contains letters written between 1900 and 1966. Writers include Curtis J. Maloney and Hans Reissner.
1 archival box
The John Ptak Computer Science commercial pamphlets and instruction manuals series contains software and hardware documentation and sales lists from various companies dating from 1936 to 1972. The bulk of the material is from IBM, though material from companies such as General Electric and Hewlett-Packard is also represented.
1 archival box
The John Ptak Computer Science other papers series contains printed and handwritten material. Dated material ranges from 1913 to 1962; many papers are undated.
1 archival box
The John Ptak Computer Science oversize diagrams series contains approximately 60 diagrams depicting computer circuits and processes. These documents are undated and arranged in the order in which they were received.
1 archival box
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111
Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], John Ptak Computer Science Book Collection, RBC 00006, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.