Henriette Avram

Henriette Davidson Avram (October 7, 1919 – April 22, 2006) was a computer programmer and systems analyst who developed the MARC format (Machine Readable Cataloging), the international data standard for bibliographic and holdings information in libraries. Avram's development of the MARC format in the late 1960s and early 1970s, at the Library of Congress had a revolutionizing effect on the practice of librarianship, making possible the automation of many library functions and the sharing of bibliographic information electronically between libraries using pre-existing cataloging standards.

Henriette Regina Davidson was born in Manhattan on October 7, 1919, to a father who was a watch material distributor and a mother who was a Philadelphia Ledger reporter. Although she never intended to become a librarian, Henriette did spend many Saturdays of her childhood reading in neighborhood stores, which, at that time, housed mini-public libraries.

Henriette Davidson dreamed of finding a cure for cancer, which was prevalent in her family. She therefore majored in pre-medicine at Hunter College. In 1941, she married Herbert Mois Avram, of the U.S. Navy. By the end of World War II, he was a decorated Lieutenant Commander who had been assigned to both the Atlantic and Pacific Theatres.

The Avrams had three children: Marcie, Lloyd, and Jay, and maintained residence in New York until 1951, when Herbert Avram took a job with the National Security Agency in Washington, D.C. Herbert Avram would also work for the CIA, eventually becoming a pioneer in the digital court reporting industry, which developed Closed Captions for television.

The couple moved first to Arlington, and later to Silver Spring. Once settled in Virginia, Avram left her life of homemaking behind. She began studying mathematics at George Washington University and joined the National Security Agency (NSA) in 1952 as one of the first computer programmers working with IBM 701.

In the early 1960s, Avram moved to the private sector working first with the American Research Bureau and later for Datatrol Corporation, a software company. Both jobs consisted of systems analysis and programming, but it was at Datatrol that Avram had her first professional experience with libraries. Asked to design a computer science library, she quickly read several library science text books in order to learn the appropriate jargon. She also hired a librarian to assist her in the design process. It was through this project that Avram was introduced to the Library of Congress Card Division Service. She also did consulting work with Frederick Kilgour, father of the Online Computer Library Center, on OCLC's first attempt at computerizing bibliographic information. In March 1965, Avram heard of an opening at the Library of Congress, and was hired as a systems analyst in the Office of the Information Systems Specialist.

Avram, considered a "librarian by achievement" by the American Library Association (ALA), owed much to the Library of Congress, about which she said, "... when I speak of and refer to it as 'the Great Library,' I do so with sincerity and appreciation for everything that I learned within those walls." Avram was often noted for her petite stature, New York accent, and indefatigable drive. She was also an adept leader. "She was able to foster a cooperative spirit among the computer specialists and librarians on her staff. In her typical fashion, she stepped into the world of libraries and learned libraries' problems, adopting them as her own."

Avram was hired in 1965 by the Library of Congress (LOC) to analyze cataloging data for computer processing. In keeping with her training at NSA, where she learned "the prime necessity of thoroughly understanding the subject before tackling the computer solution," Avram, along with two librarians, began this process by examining the information contained in a catalog record.