The ALA's "Library-21" exhibit at the Seattle World's Fair, 19621
The American Library Association's "Library-21" exhibit at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair (pictured above) included a state-of-the-art Sperry-Rand UNIVAC Solid State 90 computer. Visitors could experience the power of computerization when they submitted questions to a librarian, who would search for answers stored in the UNIVAC's database.1
Today, technological innovation has brought us everything from smart watches to artificially intelligent thermostats. In 2015, the MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System make available a wide range of electronic resources to all Massachusetts residents to access from their local libraries, schools, or home computers. Libraries around the world help patrons traverse the digital divide with free access to computers, the Internet, and electronic online resources.
And a fun communications fact: in 1962, the only way to reach the Division of Library Extension was by writing to Division offices at 200 Newbury Street in Boston or by picking up the phone and dialing Copley 7-96502.
What else happened in 1962?
References:
1. digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu [link].
2. Division of Library Extension newsletters, 1962.
3. www.upi.com [link].
4. www.allmusic.com [link].