Research assistance

We support the teaching and research of the history and theory of architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design, visual culture, and conservation, as well as the practice of architecture, in Muslim societies. Contact us for research assistance or for instruction in using our resources.

Subject expertise

AKDC staff offer expertise across various academic disciplines, as well as Digital Humanities, Digital Scholarship, and the study, documentation, and preservation of material and visual culture across Muslim societies.

We have compiled a research guide, Art & Architecture of the Islamic World.

Suggest a purchase

AKDC acquires books and other resources for the library’s general circulating collections in areas related to the built environment of Muslim societies. These include resources related to the study of art and architecture, design, conservation, and environmental studies, as well as in adjacent fields such as history. If you are a member of the MIT community and have a suggested book, journal, database, or other purchase for a course or research project in our area of focus, please contact us with your suggestion. We acquire general library resources in all formats and languages

Collection access

Unless bound by access restrictions, AKDC’s archives, rare books, and art objects are available to the public and open for research through the MIT Libraries’ Department of Distinctive Collections Reading Room. A selection of finding aids that describe collections at the box and folder level are available through MIT’s ArchivesSpace and can be used to request boxes for certain collections. Select digitized items from our collections are also available online via Archnet and in DOME. More extensive information about our distinctive collections and means of access can be found on our Collections page.

The description, rehousing, and digitization of our collections is an ongoing and ever-evolving task. Some collections are not fully represented in finding aids, while others do not yet have finding aids. Reaching out to AKDC staff is often the best first step for researchers. If you aren’t finding what you’re looking for online, please contact us at akdc@mit.edu and we’ll help you find relevant materials.

For members of the MIT community on campus, AKDC staff are also happy to meet in person in our offices, located in Rotch Library. Please reach out to akdc@mit.edu to make an appointment.

Image reproductions

We offer high-resolution reproductions of many images for educational and scholarly use and for publication. Please contact us at akdc@mit.edu for more information.

Materials donation

We welcome the donation of relevant materials and collections. Please read the information about donating materials on the Distinctive Collections website, and either fill out the donation form on that page or contact us directly at akdc@mit.edu with any questions.