The upcoming partial renovation of Hayden Library is a longawaited project that has the potential to transform the way students, faculty, and staff use library space at MIT. A key part of our vision for the redesign is creating spaces that are welcoming to a diverse range of users and that invite creativity and inquiry.

So much of what we do is an invitation to our communities — to explore and contribute to knowledge, to partner with us, and to be part of a conversation. Digitizing 100 rare works newly available in the public domain is a call for creators to use and build on this content. Through our new research initiative, we’re inviting colleagues like Philip Cohen to help inform a more open and equitable scholarly ecosystem. In the new Hayden, we envision welcoming more installations like last fall’s The Laughing Room and The Control Room, which raised compelling questions about artificial intelligence, humor, humanity, and public and private space. A library is a space for quiet and concentration; it is also a venue for provocative and important conversation.

I cannot wait to welcome you to the new Hayden in 2020. Until then, I hope you consider your visit to any MIT library an open invitation to explore freely, learn passionately, and create the future.

All my best,