The records were donated to the Charles Babbage Institute by the World Information Technology Services Alliance (WISTA), March 2001.
Access to the collection is unrestricted.
The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).
International Y2K Cooperation Center Records (CBI 153), Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
The year 2000 date conversion (Y2K) was a result of how dates were entered into computers. In the early years of computer programming, disk space was very expensive. To save space, dates were shortened to the last two digits of the year, e.g. 1968 would be entered as 68. It was assumed that the century would fall within the 1900s. At the turn of the new century, this flaw could cause computers to read dates as 1900, instead of 2000, resulting in a variety of computer malfunctions.
The International Y2K Cooperation Center (IY2KCC) was established at the behest of national Y2K coordinators from over 120 countries when they met at the First Global Meeting of National Y2K Coordinators at the United Nations in December 1988. IY2KCC established an office in Washington, D.C. in March 1999. Funding was provided by the World Bank and Bruce W. McConnell was appointed as director.
IY2KCC's mission was to "promote increased strategic cooperation and
action among governments, peoples, and the private sector to minimize adverse
Y2K effects on the global society and economy." Activities of IY2KCC were
conducted in six areas:
IY2KCC closed down in March 2000.
Historical note taken from "Statement of Bruce W. McConnell, Director, International Y2K Cooperation Center, Before the Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, United States Senate, July 29, 1999."
The collection contains the materials of the International Y2K Cooperation Center (IY2KCC), assembled during the year leading up to the year 2000 date conversion (a.k.a. Y2K). Includes country reports, newsclippings, country questionnaires, country telephone directories, background materials on Y2K and IY2KCC, audio visual materials, conference reports and presentation, sector reports, and papers of Bruce W. McConnell, director of IY2KCC.
There is quite a bit of overlap between the files. Researchers looking for materials to any one country's approach to Y2K would find relevant materials in sector reports; newsclippings; country and regional information; reports, presentation and papers; and audio visual materials.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Includes reports on Y2K history and references and resources regarding Y2K. Also includes materials on the founding and purpose of IY2KCC, list of steering members, and information on the YES Corps.
Includes guides, readiness information, how to's and tool kits.
Also includes copy of the book
Collected by a clipping service.
Includes newspaper articles, news releases, publications, web sites, and promotional materials.
Includes agendas, meeting reports, conference presentations and statements, as well as publications of meetings and conferences on Y2K.
Materials gathered by countries and submitted to IY2KCC. Includes presentations, pamphlets and papers. Arranged by region and then alphabetically by country.
Includes meeting minutes, pamphlets, presentations, planning guides and conference reports of specific countries and regions. Arranged by region.
Test of GSW - Used for training. Filed alphabetically.
Reports from UN Millennium Event Tracking System (METS).
Includes DVDs, VHS tapes, and CDs of presentations and materials on Y2K.