Disenchantments: the Development of a Specifically Historical Model of Data Processing in the Federal Republic of Germany ; Entzauberungen: Die Entwicklung einer fachspezifischen historischen Datenverarbeitung in der Bundesrepublik

Attempts to apply the computer to historical research go back much longer than publicly perceived, a history of them is provided. At the moment the introduction of personal computers has brought the topic into the limelight. While the general interest of historians in the PC as a replacement for the typewriter is enormous, this does, however, not imply that the methodological possibilities inherent in information technology are embraced equally widely. Not the least reason for that is the almost complete lack of knowledge about the huge amount of relevant literature existing already; other reasons, rooted in the organization of historical research, are discussed. If the full potential of information technology for the historical disciplines shall be activated, systematic research in these possibilities and a more intimate type of interdisciplinary work with Computer Science will be needed.