ACM Opens First 50 Years Backfile

April 7, 2022

ACM has opened the articles published during the first 50 years of its publishing program. These articles, published between 1951 and the end of 2000, are now open and freely available to view and download via the ACM Digital Library.

ACM’s first 50 years backfile contains more than 117,500 articles on a wide range of computing topics. In addition to articles published between 1951 and 2000, ACM has also opened related and supplemental materials including data sets, software, slides, audio recordings, and videos.

“We at ACM are especially proud to make this announcement now as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our organization,” said ACM President Gabriel Kotsis. “ACM has published many of the foundational works by pioneers of the computing field, and we are delighted to share this treasure trove with the world. And in doing so, we take another large step in our evolution to become a fully open access publisher.”

Making the first 50 years of its publications and related content freely available expresses ACM’s commitment to open access publication and represents another milestone in our transition to full open access within the next five years.