Tools of the Trade

My profession throughout my life was that of a legal secretary. It has been both interesting and amazing to witness how office equipment has evolved over my 59 years in this occupation.

Tools of the Trade, by Decade

1950s

• Manual Typewriters – The primary tool for all correspondence.
• Mimeograph & Spirit Duplicators – Produced bulk copies.
• Rotary Dial Telephones – Standard desk communication.
• Dictation Machines – Using wax cylinders or early magnetic tape.
• Adding Machines – Mechanical devices for accounting.
• Filing Cabinets – The paper empire of every office.
• Punch Clocks – Employee timekeeping.

1960s

• Electric Typewriters – Faster, smoother typing.
• Xerox Copy Machines – Revolutionized document duplication.
• Telex Machines – Sent typed messages across networks.
• Early Mainframe Computers – Adopted by large corporations.
• Slide Projectors – Visuals for office presentations.

1970s

• Word Processors – Began replacing typewriters.
• Fax Machines (early models) – Documents transmitted by phone line.
• Pocket Calculators – Replaced adding machines.
• Magnetic Tape Dictation Machines – More reliable than earlier models.
• Microfilm & Microfiche Readers – Storage and research tools.

1980s

• Personal Computers (IBM, Apple) – Entered the workplace.
• Dot-Matrix Printers – First office printers.
• Fax Machines (mainstream use) – Quick document transfer.
• Cordless Phones – Early mobility.
• Electronic Typewriters – Still widely used alongside computers.

1990s

• Desktop PCs (Windows, Mac) – Became office standard.
• Laser & Inkjet Printers – Faster, higher quality printing.
• Email & Internet Access – Changed communication forever.
• Portable Laptops – Early adoption in offices.
• CD-ROMs & Floppy Disks – Common storage formats.

2000s

• High-Speed Internet – Enabled global collaboration.
• Smartphones & BlackBerry Devices – Mobile access to email and work.
• Multifunction Printers – Printing, scanning, faxing in one.
• Digital Projectors – Replaced overhead projectors.
• USB Drives – Became the portable storage standard.

2010s

• Cloud Computing – Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.
• Tablets (iPads) – Used for meetings and presentations.
• Video Conferencing Tools – Skype, then Zoom.
• Wireless Devices – Printers, keyboards, headsets.
• Smartboards – Interactive whiteboards for presentations.

2020s–Present

• AI Tools & Virtual Assistants – Drafting, scheduling, transcription.
• Cloud-Only Workspaces – Google Workspace, Microsoft 365.
• Video Conferencing Platforms – Zoom, Teams as the standard.
• Remote Collaboration Tools – Slack, Trello, Asana.
• Smartphones with Office Apps – A full mobile office.
• Ergonomic & Smart Devices – Standing desks, smart conference rooms.

Things sure have changed.  Way back then, in the late 1950s, when it all started for me, here is what I had to deal with.

We used a copy machine that was a wet process.  The copy would come out wet, and we actually had to hang the wet copy on the vent in the closet door, allowing the air to let it dry.  Imagine doing many copies this way.

Another copy machine that was used was called a stencil machine.  There was an 8 ½ x 14, blue material that went around a drum.  This would keep going around, making copies of however many sheets of paper you wanted.  In order to make any corrections, you would actually use a little brush and paint over the area.  You would let it dry and then type over it for the correction.

All legal documents had to be typed with five copies.  There was the original and four sheets of paper with carbon paper in between each sheet.  If an error was made, erasing had to be made on each sheet by placing a scrap of paper between each sheet and erasing the error.  You could only do this a very few times, as the carbon paper would not work on more than two sheets.

I had worked for most of my learning on a manual typewriter.  I was able to do at least sixty-five words on this machine and had no desire to change over to an electric one.  Well, I got harassed to change over to electric while in high school, and I must say I could never go back.  Typewriters are now a thing of the past; we now have computers that do just about everything but clean the house.  It has a better memory and knowledge than one hundred people together.

I had to do all the office bookwork by hand.  There have been times when I actually felt I could do it better and faster by hand.  By the time you figure out the different programs that you need to use, you realize that you used to do it much faster and better before.  This is not what everyone wants to hear, but in my experience, I swear this is how it feels.

I am now retired and actually miss the challenge all the mechanical devices offer.  It’s been a fun and educational ride, and I would do it all over again.  (A do over)

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