It would take an exceptional opportunity to lure someone from Stanford, where the streets are lined with palm trees nearly 50 feet tall and the temperatures rarely dip below 60 in February, to MIT, where the streets are lined with snow banks nearly as tall, and the temperatures rarely rose above freezing this February. The chance to lead the MIT Libraries and provide oversight to the MIT Press, during this time of enormous change in higher education and in scholarly communication, is exactly that kind of opportunity.

Thanks to the visionary and strategic leadership of Ann Wolpert, the commitment and talents of library staff, and the support of our friends and donors, the MIT Libraries are in an excellent position to play a leadership role in developing a model for great research libraries supporting new forms of scholarship, teaching, and learning. As I spend time over the next several months talking with and listening to people from every corner of the MIT community, I’ll be paying special attention to the unique role MIT plays in the lives of individuals, and the role the Institute can and will play in inventing the future of higher education. I hope you’ll get to know me a bit through my profile in this issue, and I look forward to getting to know many of you and learning about your thoughts and aspirations for the future of the MIT Libraries.

Early in March, we welcomed our Visiting Committee, a group of dedicated alumni, supporters, friends, and advisors to MIT and the Libraries. We are privileged to have Xerox CEO Ursula Burns serving as chair of the MIT Libraries Visiting Committee – you can learn more about Ursula and her support of MIT and the Libraries in this issue of Bibliotech.

Also in this issue, we highlight the creativity and expertise of the Lewis Music Library and staff who support music education at the Institute. You can also learn more about our efforts to preserve materials from Officer Sean Collier’s memorial, read about our diversity initiatives, and find information about our upcoming exhibit and events. I hope you enjoy the spring issue of Bibliotech, and that you will contact me directly with your ideas and comments.

Chris Bourg, PhD
Director of the Libraries
617–253–5297
cbourg@mit.edu
@mchris4duke
chrisbourg.wordpress.com