In this issue of Bibliotech, we highlight two recent initiatives that perfectly encapsulate the role and opportunity of research libraries today. Each reflects the increasingly data-intensive and computational nature of our work, while also highlighting the unique power of libraries to bring people together across disciplines.

The inaugural MIT Prize for Open Data was conceived not only to recognize MIT researchers who make their data openly available to others, but also to connect open data practitioners and advocates across the Institute. As gratifying as it was to reward these 10 outstanding research projects at our Open Data @ MIT event, it was equally invigorating to see all the conversation and connections sparked that afternoon.

Creative coder Andreas Refsgaard’s artist residency at Lewis Music Library was not only an exploration of the artistic potential of machine learning, it drew people from across MIT’s schools to engage in playful experimentation. It celebrated libraries as a place for creativity and community.

As ever, I’m grateful that you are a part of our community. New programs like these would not be possible without your generosity and support of our vision. Together we celebrate the power of Libraries to enable groundbreaking research and creative collaboration at MIT and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Bourg, PhD
Director of Libraries