Libraries Launch Institute-wide Reading Program
MIT Reads, which launched this semester, is an Institute-wide program that aims to build community and foster understanding through a series of shared reading and discussion events. All MIT students, staff, faculty, and affiliates are invited to read and discuss book selections, which will be made available at a discount for students and staff by the MIT Press Bookstore. For the 2016–17 academic year, books and discussions will explore the theme of diversity and inclusion. The first title, selected in partnership with the Gender Fluidity Group and LBGT@MIT, is Redefining Realness, Janet Mock’s memoir of growing up multiracial, poor, and trans in America. For more information, visit libraries.mit.edu/mit-reads
A Spirited Crossing
On May 7, the Libraries and the MIT Press joined the MIT community in recreating the Institute’s historic move to Cambridge at the Crossing the Charles parade and contest. Competing alongside an 8-foot, 200-pound brain, a robotic cheetah, and a floating Great Dome, the Libraries’ entry—featuring an oversized book and laptop, rippling fabric “river,” and a boisterous group of staff— snagged the Beaver Spirit Award for school spirit.
A “Who’s Who” of Science Through the Libraries’ Lens
As the Institute celebrated its Cambridge centennial, the Libraries’ Rare Books Program offered a closer look at the famous names that have graced Killian Court for 100 years. The “Big Names on Campus” blog profiles the scientists whose names are inscribed on MIT’s buildings and examines their connections to the Libraries’ collections. Discover MIT’s copies of works by Galileo, Linnaeus, or Daguerre, and consider what other names might be included if the carvings were planned today. Visit mitnames2016.tumblr.com
MIT to Co-host Digital Preservation Conference
MIT Libraries and Harvard Library will be co-hosts of the 2018 International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPres), the premier international conference on the preservation and long-term management of digital materials. The Libraries’ lead for Digital Preservation, Nancy McGovern, will co-organize the event. “This is a recognition of the ongoing leadership role that MIT Libraries plays in the digital preservation community and of the impact of Nance’s leadership in this area,” says Associate Director for Collections Greg Eow.
New from the MIT Press: The Distracted Mind
Most of us will freely admit that we are obsessed with our devices. We pride ourselves on our ability to multitask— read work email, reply to a text, check Facebook, watch a video clip. Talk on the phone, send a text, drive a car. Enjoy family dinner with a glowing smartphone next to our plates. We can do it all, 24/7! Never mind the errors in the email, the near-miss on the road, and the unheard conversation at the table. In The Distracted Mind, Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen —a neuroscientist and a psychologist— explain why our brains aren’t built for multitasking, and suggest better ways to live in a high-tech world without giving up our modern technology.
Read more about The Distracted Mind, and browse MIT Press’s entire Fall 2016 catalog.