fonds F0047 - Information Technologies fonds.

Prior to the University of Calgary gaining autonomy from the University of Alberta in 1966, the University of Alberta, Calgary maintained two computing units which operated independently of one another: the Computing Centre, servicing academic departments (used mainly by the Mathematics Department), and the Data Processing Department, which serviced administrative departments, concentrating almost exclusively on data related to student registration and course scheduling.

On 1 July 1966, the two units merged into one -- the Data Centre – which reported to the Vice-President (Academic). T. Ross Jewell served as Data Centre manager, with managers of three sections under him: operations, system and application programming, and administrative systems. The Centre's facilities were located on the fourth floor of the library and its services were available to all members of the university free of charge. Lectures and courses were given by members of the Data Centre staff and schedules were used to manage computer usage among the university faculties.

In 1968 a GFC subcommittee (SIRET) recommended that a Department of Administrative Systems be formed, reporting to the Vice-President (Business). Ed Nowakowsky became the new Department head and supervisor of those Data Centre staff involved in administrative system design, programming and operations. The Department had responsibility for data control and computer operations, systems development and maintenance, data entry, office automation, and micro/mainframe consulting. All university units had access to these services to support their administrative responsibilities.

In 1969 the Data Centre was rebranded as the Department of Computer Services. It moved into new facilities in Science IIIB and, under the leadership of a Director, organized its activities into three principal groups (operations, programming services, and information services) to support the teaching and research needs of the university. By 1970, the centre was being used for funded research; charges were instituted the following year and by 1973 the department was located in the Mathematical Sciences building. In 1980, the department’s name was changed to the Department of Academic Computing Services (ACS). Dr. R. E. George was director of ACS from 1981-1989.

In 1988 the Division of Information Services was formed, with responsibility for the leadership, co-ordination and general administration of those units which provided institutional support in the areas of information services and technologies – Academic Computing Services, Administrative Systems, Communications Media, the Microstore, University Archives, University of Calgary Press, and University Libraries. In 1989 University Computing Services (UCS) was formed by bringing together Academic Computing Services, Administrative Systems, Communications Media and the Microstore under the leadership of Larry Sinkey as Acting Director. In 1990, SuperComputing Services was integrated into Academic Computing Services and was rebranded as High Performance Computing. SuperComputing Services had come into existence in 1985 when the CYBER 205 supercomputer was installed at the University of Calgary.

In 1998 the Division of Information Services was reorganised into three smaller units: Information Resources Group and Information Technologies Group each with Directors who reported to the Vice-President (Academic), and the Learning Commons with a Director who reported to the Vice-President (Research). The Information Technologies (IT) Group, under Director J. Morven Wilson, included the university's academic and administrative computing services and network support, the Microstore and some of the services and personnel which were formerly a part of Communications Media. In 2003, Harold Esche became the Acting Director of IT. In 2004, his title became Chief Information Officer. Vaughn Ravenscrof was appointed CIO in 2010; Michael Ranelli in 2013; Jerome Beaudoin in 2017; D’Arcy Moynaugh in 2018; and Brock Kahanyshyn in 2019.

The responsibilities of Information Technologies include: Core business application development services; Com/Media; desktop technology; publications & documentation; web & email services; Microstore; network services; general information services; client services; academic systems services; systems services (business); and operations services.