Future of Rotch Library begins to take shape

Task force’s initial recommendations focus on spaces for teaching, studying, and data services

By MIT Libraries on June 24, 2026 in All news

Exterior of Rotch Library at nightThis spring, the MIT Libraries and the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) convened a joint task force to imagine how Rotch Library can evolve to meet the changing needs of the SA+P and wider Institute communities.

“Libraries are transformative spaces where community, inquiry, and discovery intersect,” says MIT Libraries Director Chris Bourg. “Together with Dean Sarkis and the task force, we are co-creating a dynamic future for Rotch that can meet the needs of scholars for years to come.”

Rotch Library and the school have evolved in close partnership over many years. Rotch has long supported SA+P’s teaching, research, and studio culture, helping shape the school’s identity as a leading center for architecture, planning, and design. The current planning process was prompted by changing demands for library services and the imminent move of many SA+P units to the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse (the MET). The Institute’s recent budget reductions also call for new and innovative approaches to library spaces and services. We look forward to a new, reimagined Rotch, responsive to how library resources are going to be accessed and used in the future.

The task force, composed of MIT Libraries staff, SA+P faculty and staff, and other stakeholders, has developed a shared vision centered on four core priorities:

  • A reduced but active print collection;
  • Reimagining and expanding the GIS & Data Lab, which has seen growing demand for its resources in data management, GIS, data visualization, and statistical software;
  • Creating new, flexible, technologically supported spaces for teaching with library resources; and
  • Ensuring Rotch has excellent study spaces for students, both collaborative and individual.

The task force will collaborate with library experts, faculty, and students to shape the future of the reduced Rotch collection, imagining how it can best intersect with SA+P users at the MET, Hayden’s evolving interdisciplinary spaces, and the rich resources available through our partner libraries.

Following approval from the Provost, the task force is now moving forward with initial design work.

Rotch Library, home to architecture and planning collections, the GIS & Data Lab, the Aga Khan Documentation Center, and 24/7 study space, continues to welcome the community. See Rotch’s current staffed hours, and for up-to-date information about all library services and spaces, please see our Service Updates page.