From Carbons to Computers: The Changing American Office

Typewriters may have been replaced by computers, rolltop desks by ergonomic workstations, and switchboards by automated voice response systems. But the high tech office of today still has much in common with its past incarnations. And, as a place where millions of Americans spend a large part of their lives, the office serves as a microcosm of the social, economic and technological changes that have taken place in U.S. history over the past 170 years. This site from the Smithsonian Institution offers a fascinating look at the evolution of the American office from the development of the first railroads in the 1830s to today's Information Age. It ranges far and wide, covering the development of office equipment as well as office organization, and providing stories, timelines, illustrations and additional resources. Carbons to Computers was designed as an educational resource for middle and high school students, teachers, and the general public, but you don't have to be a student (or even have liked social studies when you were) to find it interesting, informative and entertaining.