MIT Libraries

MIT Libraries
Name	MIT Libraries
Established	1862
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Type	Academic library system
Collection size	Over 5 million items
Director	Chris Bourg
Website	libraries.mit.edu

MIT Libraries is the library system of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supporting the research, teaching, and learning mission of the institute. Its collections and services are distributed across several subject-specialized libraries and facilities on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The system is recognized for its leadership in digital library development, commitment to open access, and stewardship of significant historical collections in science and technology.

History

The origins of the library system trace back to the founding of MIT in 1861, with a small collection established in 1862. Its early growth was shaped by the institute's focus on the laboratory method and engineering education under presidents like Francis Amasa Walker and Karl Taylor Compton. A major milestone was the 1916 move from Boston's Back Bay to the current Cambridge campus, designed by architect William Welles Bosworth. The post-World War II era, influenced by the Vannevar Bush report Science, the Endless Frontier, saw massive expansion of collections and the construction of dedicated library buildings, including the Hayden Library and the Barker Engineering Library.

Collections and services

The system holds over five million print volumes and provides access to millions of electronic resources, including journals, databases, and datasets. It operates several distinct branch libraries, such as the Lewis Music Library, the Dewey Library for Management and Social Sciences, and the Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning. Key services include extensive research support, interlibrary loan through networks like the Boston Library Consortium, and specialized data management consulting. The Document Services department provides course reserves and digitization for the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative.

Facilities

The main humanities and science collection is housed in the renovated Hayden Library, part of the Charles Hayden Memorial Library building. The Barker Engineering Library serves as a central hub for engineering disciplines. Other significant facilities include the Aga Khan Documentation Center within the Rotch Library, and the Institute Archives and Special Collections reading room in building 14N-118. The system also manages the MIT Press Bookstore and the storage facility known as the Harvard Depository in partnership with Harvard University.

Digital initiatives and open access

A pioneer in this arena, the libraries founded DSpace, an open-source digital repository platform, in conjunction with Hewlett-Packard Labs. It administers MIT's institutional repository, which preserves and provides open access to scholarly work by the MIT community. The libraries are a founding supporter of the Open Access Publishing Fund and were instrumental in the development of the MIT Framework for Publisher Contracts. They also contribute to global efforts like the Open Library of the Humanities and provide hosting for the Directory of Open Access Journals.

Special collections and archives

The Institute Archives and Special Collections (IASC) holds the institutional records of MIT and rare, unique research materials. Notable holdings include the personal papers of figures like Norbert Wiener, Harold Edgerton, and Katharine Dexter McCormick. The collections feature seminal works such as Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica and the archives of the Radiation Laboratory. The Lewis Music Library maintains special collections in areas like electronic music, including scores by John Cage and materials from the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies.

Governance and organization

The libraries are led by the Director of Libraries, a position held by Chris Bourg, who reports to the Provost of MIT. Advisory bodies include the Committee on the Library System, with faculty representation from schools like the MIT Sloan School of Management and the School of Engineering. The system employs over 150 staff and librarians, organized into units such as Collections, Research, and Learning. It collaborates extensively with other MIT units, including the MIT Press, the MIT Museum, and the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing.

Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology Category:Academic libraries in Massachusetts Category:Library systems in the United States