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About Us > Annual
Reports
MIT Libraries
Annual Report FY 2001-2002
Director, Libraries
In the natural life cycle of healthy organizations there are, from time
to time, years that stand out as truly extraordinary. Just as the month
of June in New England produces furious growth and dramatic flowering
in our region’s gardens, so too are there times in the life of an
organization when everything seems to come into bloom at once. The litany
of accomplishments in the MIT Libraries during FY 2001/2002 suggests that
this fiscal year was such a year. The months were remarkable not only
for the sheer volume of positive progress, but also for the fact that
change took place on so many different dimensions.
The detailed reports that follow this introduction provide ample evidence
of the exceptional achievements that characterized the work of the Libraries
during FY2001/2002. Even more notable, however, was the degree to which
that work represented phenomenal progress toward the strategic goals established
for the Libraries in 1999. This strategic
plan, now in its fourth year of guiding the direction and priorities
of the Libraries, has continued to provide a productive, effective framework
for improving library services and operations.
Overview
Almost no aspect of the MIT Libraries’ organization escaped dramatic
progress in FY2001/2002. If the staff of the Libraries seem a bit breathless
there is good cause, as the following representative activities illustrate.
With targeted support from the provost, academic deans, and friends,
the Libraries’ traditional and digital collections were strengthened
in both emerging and existing areas of educational and research interest
to MIT.
A new library management system was successfully launched, accompanied
by a sufficiency of effort, angst, and aggravation. While there is much
still to do to capitalize on the full potential of the Aleph system, the
choice remains sound and the opportunities exciting. Even as substantial
effort went into implementing the new library management system, additional
information technology tools were developed and enhanced to serve the
networked MIT community.
The Libraries also attended to their collection stewardship responsibilities,
with particular regard to the Institute Archives, the government documents
depository program, the collections in Building 14 (Hayden Libraries),
and the demands and constraints of off-site storage management. Thanks
to the generosity of an anonymous donor, work was begun on a modern preservation
center – a first for the MIT Libraries.
Construction projects happily consumed a considerable amount of time
and energy throughout the year. Progress toward improved Libraries facilities
for MIT students and faculty has been sorely needed and is heartily welcomed.
Following last summer’s Institute investment in compact shelving
in the basement of Building 14, FY2001/2002 saw investments in a 24-hour
study space for the Hayden libraries, improved security and working environments
for Archives and Special Collections, improved quarters for Technology
Systems staff, and the development of facilities to house the new donor-supported
contemporary preservation program.
As always, Libraries’ staff were the power train that moved the
Libraries forward in their phenomenal progress. Although the Libraries
bid fond farewell to several senior staff who moved onward and upward
in their careers, truly exceptional senior staff were recruited to fill
their shoes, and equally exceptional staff were retained. Internal promotions
continued to recognize the wonderful talent within the Libraries ranks.
Nina Davis-Millis provided highly capable interim leadership of the Public
Services directorate. James Mullins was promoted to the position of Associate
Director for Administration effective as of September 1st. Mary Cabral
accepted the position of Assistant to the Director in January. Following
a nationwide search, Steven Gass was selected to become Associate Director
for Public Services and promoted to that position in May 2002. After a
similarly ambitious search, MacKenzie Smith joined the MIT Libraries as
Associate Director for Technology, effective January 22nd. MacKenzie hit
the ground running, and under her leadership enthusiasm about the importance
and utility of the Libraries’ research agenda, and especially the
DSpace project, grew by leaps and bounds
Strengthening Infrastructure and Relationships
Because the individual reports of the respective directorates detail
and reflect upon progress toward strategic objectives of the Libraries
during FY2001/2002, this report will focus largely on the Libraries’
efforts to strengthen the infrastructure and working relationships so
critical to long-term success.
The first of these efforts was directed toward working within the Institute’s
larger planning activities to develop a much-needed long-range facilities
plan for the MIT Libraries. In June 2001 the Libraries’ senior administration
began a series of meetings with the senior staff of the Institute’s
Planning Office to identify and discuss the viability of a variety of
potential sites for a new, combined science and engineering library facility.
During the fall and winter, under the auspices of the Faculty Committee
on the Library System, detailed research was conducted to document the
needs of the MIT Libraries and to benchmark those needs against the status
of libraries among MIT’s peer institutions.
With the May 2002 publication of the report of the Faculty Committee
on the Library System entitled MIT
Libraries: Meeting Critical Needs for the 21st Century, and the report’s
positive reception within MIT’s faculty and administration, more
detailed planning became possible. A provost-initiated program committee
is expected to be formed in the near future. That committee will be charged
with identifying program priorities and making recommendations for sites
for a new library to combine science and engineering resources and services.
Planning for the renovation of the Humanities Library is expected to follow
thereafter.
A second set of efforts revolved around the importance of assuring continuous
staff training and effective organizational structures. Changing technology
creates demands for new library services and new ways of delivering services,
and library staff members must have both the skills required to work in
such new environments, and an organization that effectively supports their
work.
As the MIT Libraries have gained practical experience with an information
technology intensive service environment, it has become increasingly clear
that staff skills must be continuously enhanced and extended. To this
end, in FY2001/2002 the Libraries’ travel policies were reviewed
and revised to insure that budgeted funds are used wisely and equitably.
Likewise, during the year a significant sustained effort was applied to
insure that Libraries staff were adequately trained in the use of the
new library management system. Attention was also paid – and will
continue to be paid – to creating an ergonomically appropriate environment
for Libraries staff.
The MIT Libraries have long been noteworthy for their ability to operate
an agile organization. Perhaps because service has always been a high
priority, reorganization and realignment seem to come more easily to the
intelligent and dedicated staff of these Libraries. The staff of the MIT
Libraries are also admirably motivated to collect and utilize relevant
data in their decision processes. Indeed, over the years, many of the
Libraries’ most constructive organizational changes have originated
in the very staff groups and departments that would be most directly affected
by the recommended change.
In the spirit of this tradition, a number of reviews of the Libraries
organizational and service delivery structure were undertaken in FY2001/2002.
Reviews initiated during the year included the Reference Visioning Project;
a review, reconfiguration and realignment of systems and technology support;
a project to rethink instruction and orientation activities; and a new
approach to providing reserve reading support for the Science and Humanities
Libraries. In April 2002, following a careful analysis, the Institute
Archives became a department of Collections Services reporting to the
Associate Director for Collections Services. A DSpace Implementation Team
studied and made recommendations regarding the Libraries’ necessary
organizational response if we are to be successful at operating DSpace
as a stable service to the MIT community.
The third group of infrastructure/relationship efforts in this fiscal
year addressed the importance of partners and supporters to library initiatives.
In FY2001/2002 the Libraries resource development activities made great
strides in building effective relationships within the Institute. The
proof of this achievement was manifest in the number and size of proposals
being requested, and of gifts being designated to the Libraries as the
year progressed. Among the more noteworthy programmatic initiatives of
the year were the Honor with Books program, which broke new ground in
presenting gift options to families of MIT undergraduates, and the numerous
opportunities presented to the Libraries to discuss the excitement of
a contemporary library with Institute development staff, alumni/ae groups,
and MIT Clubs.
The DSpace project presented a substantive opportunity for the MIT Libraries
to collaborate formally with the MIT Press. Over 100 MIT Press out-of-print
books in digital form have been added to DSpace. By tracking usage statistics
MIT Press will be able to determine the level of interest that exists
for these books.
Acknowledgements
The Libraries were privileged in FY2001/2002 to continue their participation
in such important Institute activities as the Council on Educational Technology
and the Information Technology Architecture Group. The DSpace team and
Libraries Steering Committee deeply appreciated the continued engagement
of Hewlett Packard Company in the Libraries’ research program, and
greatly valued the opportunity to work closely with the exceptional Hewlett
Packard staff who came to MIT to collaborate on this partnership.
The MIT Libraries were also most grateful for the ongoing support and
interest of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the DSpace project, and
for the enthusiasm for the DSpace project that emerged from within the
leadership of Cambridge/MIT Institute. As always, Academic Computing and
Information Systems were enthusiastic and capable collaborators in furtherance
of the Libraries mission and goals. For the Libraries’ progress
in physical planning and renovation activities, thanks go to a host of
MIT staff and administrators. The Libraries’ ambitious facilities
improvement program would surely have sputtered and stalled without the
support of the Institute’s space planning, campus planning, facilities,
and construction management groups.
The MIT Libraries are indebted to many groups and individuals, both inside
and outside the Libraries, for a year of tremendous progress. Much has
been accomplished, and there is much still to do. It is a rare privilege
to work with such capable colleagues to provide library support to students
and faculty of the caliber found in every discipline and department at
MIT.
Finally, this report would not be complete without acknowledging the
steadfastness of the MIT Libraries staff in the wake of the devastating
events of September 11, 2001. Despite their personal fears and concerns,
the staff of the MIT Libraries found strength in one another and in their
commitment to providing a safe and sympathetic environment for the MIT
community in a time of great anxiety. Thanks to the staff of the Libraries,
our facilities remained open and our work went on, providing MIT students
with a stable and secure space to think, study, and re-imagine normalcy.
I am personally proud to work with such a caring, committed staff.
-- Ann J. Wolpert
More information about the MIT Libraries can be found on the World Wide
Web at http://libraries.mit.edu/
webmaster@libraries.mit.edu
This page was last updated on
08/09/07
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