{"id":40088,"date":"2025-06-16T09:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/?p=40088"},"modified":"2026-02-20T09:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:04:00","slug":"discover-the-art-of-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/discover-the-art-of-books\/40088\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the art of books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What happens when books become art? When pages fold into sculptures, when bindings tell stories, and when the very concept of &#8220;reading&#8221; transforms into a multi-sensory experience? MIT Libraries is excited to introduce our new<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.mit.edu\/bookarts\"><b>book arts research guide<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014your gateway to discovering the fascinating world where literature meets visual art.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_40089\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40089\" class=\"wp-image-40089\" src=\"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-200x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Artists\u2019 book with blue background and varied cut strips of wave-like white paper displayed on a tabletop.\" width=\"250\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-624x936.jpeg 624w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-12-scaled.jpeg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-40089\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artists\u2019 book Ocean Wave by Thomas Parker Williams on display at the Books and Bites spring 2025 showcase. Photo credit: Lydia Brosnahan<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>More than just books<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Artists&#8217; books exist at the exciting intersection of printmaking, photography, poetry, experimental narrative, visual arts, graphic design, and publishing. They challenge our assumptions about what books can be, inviting readers to touch, unfold, and interact with stories in completely new ways. These aren\u2019t books to read passively &#8211; they\u2019re experiences that engage all the senses and invite you to think differently about information, storytelling, and art.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our collection includes everything from Ed Ruscha&#8217;s iconic<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/mit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01MIT_INST\/ejdckj\/alma990001099490106761\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every Building on the Sunset Strip<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to cutting-edge 3D-printed books and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01MIT_INST\/ejdckj\/alma9935717211506761\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Augmented Reality artists&#8217; books<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">created by marginalized voices, and<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/archivesspace.mit.edu\/repositories\/2\/resources\/1335\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">indie tarot decks<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that blur the lines between divination and design.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What you&#8217;ll find in the book arts research guide<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>12<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">years of collecting<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>100+<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">unique works<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>\u221e<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">creative possibilities<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The book arts research guide serves as your comprehensive resource for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Discovering our collection:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Browse curated selections in the guide for easy exploration, and learn how to discover them in Search Our Collections<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Finding materials:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Locate supplies and spaces for creating your own book arts<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Connecting with community:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Learn about workshops, events, and maker resources<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Understanding history:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Explore how MIT&#8217;s collection grew through collaborative efforts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hands-On Learning at MIT<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We believe in <\/span><b>tactile, alternative forms of research<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve created grab-and-go maker backpacks, host biannual<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.mit.edu\/booksandbites\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Books and Bites<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">events, and integrate artists&#8217; books directly into classroom learning. This isn&#8217;t just about looking at art\u2014it&#8217;s about making it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Built by community, for community<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This research guide represents more than a decade of passionate collecting by MIT Libraries staff, from Lorrie McAllister and Lareese Hall&#8217;s foundational work to recent additions by Kai Alexis Smith, Gwendolyn Colla\u00e7o, Emilie Hardman, Anna Boutin-Cooper, and Rebecca Bramlett. We&#8217;ve intentionally sought diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible (DEIA) creators and marginalized makers, ensuring our collection reflects the full spectrum of contemporary book arts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The guide itself embodies our collaborative spirit. Created by Kai Smith and Rebecca Bramlett with input from across the MIT Libraries collaborators, it&#8217;s designed to grow and evolve with the Libraries&#8217; strategic directions and the MIT Community\u2019s interests and needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Ready to explore?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you&#8217;re an art student looking for inspiration, an engineer curious about alternative design approaches, or simply someone who loves the intersection of creativity and technology, the book arts research guide has something for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_40091\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40091\" class=\"wp-image-40091\" src=\"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"An interactive artists' book display at Books and Bites spring 2025 Showcase on a light wood table featuring various educational materials and artifacts. The centerpiece is a tall, orange and black display artists\u2019 book with woven strips of paper. In front of it is a blue accordion-folded artists\u2019 book, and another part of the same book with a white background arranged in a star shape.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-624x416.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-40091\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interactive artists&#8217; book Ul&#8217;nigid&#8217; Rhiannon Skye Tafoya (left) and Boxed in? What Where Why by Insiya Dhatt (center to right) on display at Books and Bites spring 2025 Showcase featured for visitors to explore and learn from hands-on. Photo credit: Lydia Brosnahan<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Questions?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have questions about the collection?<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/hyperlink\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Want to suggest an acquisition?<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Curious about hosting a workshop? Our team is passionate about sharing these unique art forms with the MIT community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contact <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.mit.edu\/profiles\/kaias\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kai Alexis Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (Architecture and Planning Librarian) or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.mit.edu\/c.php?g=176063&amp;p=1160148#s-lg-box-wrapper-37393117\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rebecca Bramlett<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (Instruction &amp; Outreach Archivist) to learn more about integrating book arts into your coursework, research, and\/or creative practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discover how books can be art, art can be books, and both can transform the way you think about creativity, information, and storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What happens when books become art? When pages fold into sculptures, when bindings tell stories, and when the very concept of &#8220;reading&#8221; transforms into a multi-sensory experience? MIT Libraries is excited to introduce our new book arts research guide\u2014your gateway to discovering the fascinating world where literature meets visual art. More than just books Artists&#8217; books exist at the exciting intersection of printmaking, photography, poetry, experimental narrative, visual arts, graphic design, and publishing. They challenge our assumptions about what books can be, inviting readers to touch, unfold, and interact with stories in completely new ways. These aren\u2019t books to read [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"subtitle":"MIT Libraries launches comprehensive book arts research guide","is_event":false,"calendar_url":"","calendar_id":"","calendar_image":"","pauthor":"Kai Alexis Smith","urgent":true,"notes":"There's a lot that needs to be cleaned up in this post - the images look awful in the preview. Part of it is the offset text in the middle (\"12 years of collecting,\" etc) - if I include the images as part of the text (with the text wrapping around), it looks even worse. One solution would be to use just one of the images. Another is to do something else with the offset text in the middle? I understand what Kai is trying to convey, but I'm not sure if Wordpress can do that (see her draft on Google drive: https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1f4GFYfH1sPeMD8hrWBqPSSCkFFQ-JocGiFtLjSNxQzU\/edit?tab=t.0). <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nYour copy editing and layout changes are always spot-on, so I trust whatever decisions you make. Thank you so much!","featuredListImg":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-scaled_657x256_acf_cropped.jpeg","homeImg":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-scaled_111x206_acf_cropped.jpeg","listImg":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/2025_Artfinity_Books-and-Bites_-Exploring-Technovernacular-Creativity_Credit_Lydia-Brosnahan-05-scaled_323x111_acf_cropped.jpeg","homepage_post_title":"Discover the art of books","featuredArticle":"false"},"categories":[10,239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10","category-architecture-planning"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40088"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40172,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40088\/revisions\/40172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraries.mit.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}