Avram, Henriette D., 1919-2006

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. She majored in pre-medicine at Hunter College. In 1941, she married Herbert Avram, with whom she had three children. In 1951, Herbert took a job with the National Security Agency, and the family moved to Arlington, Va., and later Silver Spring, Md. In Virginia, Henriette studied mathematics at George Mason University, and in 1952 took a role with the National Security Agency as a computer programmer. In the early 1960s, she worked at the corproations American Research Bureau and Datatrol Corporation, where she studied library science concepts in the process of developing a computer science library. In 1965, she was hired at the Library of Congress as a systems analyst, analyzing cataloging data for computer processing. In the late 1960s, she directed the MARC pilot project, and after it the MARC Distribution Service. She continued to advance through the Library of Congress until her retirement in 1992 as Associate Librarian for Collections Services. After her retirement, Henriette and Herbert Avram moved to California. After Herbert's death in 2006, Henriette moved to Florida. She died in Miami on April 22, 2006.