MIT Libraries

Stone lies at the heart of Aleppo’s identity and is one of the central themes of this exhibition. The city’s white limestone shaped its streets and monuments, while generations of master stonemasons transformed it into some of the Islamic world’s finest architectural forms. This case highlights not only the beauty of Aleppo’s stone heritage, but also the importance of documenting and preserving the knowledge embedded within it. Presented side by side are the Michel Écochard and @aga.yass Yasser Tabbaa collections at AKDC/MIT. Among these studies is the Mashhad al-Dikka portal, considered by Tabbaa to be the earliest known stone muqarnas portal in Syria—and possibly the Islamic world—and first analyzed by Écochard through his pioneering study of stereotomy, the precision-cutting of stone in medieval Syrian architecture. Exhibited here, this research reveals the knowledge and craftsmanship embedded within Aleppo’s architectural heritage. “Ink, Stone, and Silver Light: A Century of Cultural Heritage Preservation in Aleppo” is open until June 4. يشكّل الحجر جوهر هوية مدينة حلب، وأحد المحاور الرئيسية في هذا المعرض. فقد أسهم الحجر الكلسي الأبيض في تشكيل شوارع المدينة ومعالمها، بينما حوّلَه البنّاؤون والنحّاتون الحلبيون عبر الأجيال إلى نماذج معمارية تُعد من الأروع في العالم الإسلامي. لا يسلّط هذا المعرض الضوء على جمال التراث الحجري في حلب فحسب، بل يبرز أيضًا أهمية توثيق المعرفة الكامنة فيه وصونها. وتُعرض هنا جنبًا إلى جنب مجموعتا ميشيل إيكوشار وياسر طباع المحفوظتان في مركز الآغا خان للتوثيق في MIT. ومن بين هذه الدراسات يبرز مدخل مشهد الدكّة، الذي اعتبره ياسر طباع أقدم نموذج معروف للمقرنصات الحجرية للبوابات في سوريا، وربما في العالم الإسلامي، والذي كان ميشيل إيكوشار أول من قام بتحليله ضمن دراسته الرائدة لتقطيع الحجر في العمارة السورية الوسيطة. ويكشف هذا البحث المعروض هنا عن المعرفة والحرفية الكامنتين في التراث المعماري الحلبي.

How about a post-it to pump you up for finals? 💪 Thanks to everyone who came by our Food for Thought study breaks and shared a note on the "Wall of Encouragement." You got this, MIT! Image description: A photo collage of colorful post-it notes stuck to a glass wall. They include notes like "Good luck with finals and thesis!!" "Meow (u got this!!)" and "Wow! You're so impressive. Have you met you? Keep going." #MITLibraries #LibraryLife #ThisIsMIT

Ever seen a book in the form of a spice jar? "Bacon's bits of broken knowledge: with Ornamenta rationalia," (2007) is an artist book by Angela Lorenz inspired by Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626). The jar has a lens in the cap, a compass on the bottom, and is filled with clay "bacon bits" in the shape of continents and imprinted with letterpress text. The artist writes about the work, "Bacon is most famous for his Essays, which are listed on the back of the label. He is considered the father of essay in English, rivaled only by Montaigne, and can be credited with popularizing the genre. Some consider Bacon a pioneer in science as well, advocating scientific method, as opposed to relying on the theories of Aristotle. He asserted the need to begin an investigation by collecting as much data as possible, upon which theories might be formed, so that science may be built upon facts obtained through experiments. Bacon is also respected for stating that there was much knowledge still to be discovered." To explore more artist books at MIT Libraries, visit the link in our bio. Image descriptions: Image 1: A spice jar sits on a table. The label reads "Bacon's bits of broken knowledge" and "with Ornamenta rationalia" and has a photo of the contents, small bits of reddish-brown clay in the shape of continents. Image 2: Pieces of reddish-brown modeling clay in the shape of continents on a table top; the clay bits are imprinted with text. Image 3: A compass attached to the bottom of a spice jar. #MITLibraries #ArtistBooks #SirFrancisBacon

Effective May 25, 2026, the National Institute of Health (NIH) will require that all data management and sharing plans (DMSPs) be submitted using a new template. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. Image description: Text reads, "NIH Data Management & Sharing Plans: Changes for 2026. New template required as of May 25, 2026. See our guide for what you need to know about the updated format. Data Management Services can help: [email protected]"

In 1930s Syria, photography became a tool for Michel Écochard to document and study historical cities and archaeological sites. Though best known as an urban planner, Écochard was also a researcher and documenter. His photographs of Aleppo and other cities later informed his restoration and planning projects. Carefully assembled into albums now preserved at AKDC, these images reveal a deep engagement with Syria’s urban fabric. Through “silver light,” photography became a tool for memory, research, and preservation. The third photograph, showing the garden of Ibrahim Hananu’s tomb, captures an early tension between tradition and modernity after political conflict had subsided—a French architect designing a garden for the tomb of a leader of the anti-French rebellion in northern Syria. Ink, Stone, and Silver Light has been extended through June 4. في سوريا خلال ثلاثينيات القرن العشرين، كان التصوير الضوئي أداةً لدى ميشيل إيكوشار لتوثيق المدن التاريخية والمواقع الأثرية ودراستها. ورغم شهرته لاحقًا كمخطّط عمراني، يُغفل كثيرًا دوره كباحث وموثّق. وقد شكّلت صوره لحلب ومدن أخرى أساسًا لأعماله في الترميم والتخطيط العمراني. جمع إيكوشار هذه الصور بعناية في ألبومات محفوظة اليوم في مركز الآغا خان للتوثيق، تكشف عن ارتباط عميق بالنسيج العمراني السوري. ومن خلال «الصورة الضوئية»، غدت الصورة أداةً للذاكرة والمعرفة والحفظ. أما صورة «حديقة قبر هنانو» فتُجسّد البدايات الأولى للصدام بين الحداثة والتقاليد بعد خفوت المواجهة السياسية: معماري فرنسي يصمّم حديقة قبر أحد قادة الثورة ضد الفرنسيين في شمال سوريا. يسرّنا الإعلان عن تمديد معرض الحبر والحجر والصورة الضوئية حتى 4 حزيران

Join the MIT Libraries for a study break May 12 at Rotch and Dewey and May 13 at Hayden. Drop by 2:30-4pm for snacks, inspiration, and self-care. No registration necessary. Image description: A post-it note with the message "You can do it!!" is stuck on a wall. Text reads: "Food for Thought. May 12: Rotch & Dewey. May 13: Hayden. 2:30-4pm. Have a snack, leave some kind words on our Wall of Encouragement, and grab a self-care gift bag (while supplies last)."

We're celebrating World Accordion Day with a look at one of our most spectacular artist books. "The Actual Accordion Book" by Peter Thomas and Donna Thomas (2014) is a one-of-a-kind book made from a Hohner student accordion. The images and text panels were inserted into the bellows to create the pages. The images are photographs of accordion players from Peter's photo collection that have been hand colored by Donna. The text pairs the history of the accordion instrument with a history of the accordion book. "The Actual Accordion Book," Peter Thomas and Donna Thomas, 2014. To explore more artist books at MIT Libraries, visit the link in our bio. Image descriptions: Image 1: An artist book in the form of a vintage Hohner accordion sits on a table. Image 2: The artist book opened, with colored photographs visible inside the bellows. Image 3: A video panning across the open bellows of the accordion, showing colored photographs of people playing accordions #MITLibraries #ArtistBooks #WorldAccordionDay

Have you created a map with MIT-owned data? Submit a poster for our Geospatial Data Visualization Contest! One graduate winner and one undergraduate winner will each receive a cash prize of $500. See details at libguides.mit.edu/gis Image description: Two women sit at computer workstations in the MIT Libraries' GIS & Data Lab.

As students make their own history in 2026, a digital exhibit from the MIT Libraries Department of Distinctive Collections and the Women@MIT initiative highlights and celebrates moments in campus life in 1876, 1926, and 1976. "Spirits, Goblins, and Gnurds" looks at campus demographics, Dorm Goblins, Circuses, the great sculpture debate, and the state of coeducation over the decades. Gymnasium, 1876 - Courtesy of the MIT Museum #MITLibraries #MITLibraryLife #MITHistory #MITStudentLife #AroundMIT #SpiritsGoblinsAndGnurds #ThrowbackThursday

UPDATE: New date for Rotch Library fire safety system testing. The library, including the 24/7 study space, will close at 6pm Thursday, April 30, and reopen at 4pm on Friday, May 1. The GIS & Data Lab and Aga Khan Documentation Center will be closed on May 1. Image description: Photo of the interior of Rotch Library. Text reads: "UPDATE: Note new dates; Rotch Library temporary closure. Information Desk and 24/7 study space close at 6pm on April 30, reopen at 4pm on May 1. GIS & Data Lab and Aga Khan Documentation Center closed May 1"

These poems, written to protest the sonic boom in relation to super sonic transport from the 1960s-1970s, were recently used in an urban planning class that was discussing the role of sound in urban and city planning. The Citizens League Against the Sonic Boom was founded on March 9, 1967, by Dr. William A. Shurcliff, physicist and senior research associate at the Cambridge Electron Accelerator, and Professor John T. Edsall, Harvard biochemist. The purpose of the League was to oppose sonic boom and to halt the construction of all commercial supersonic transports, both in the United States and abroad. The Citizens League Against the Sonic Boom collection (1967-1978) documents the attempts of a small, grass-roots citizens’ movement to sway public opinion and influence the decision-making process of Congress. The collection consists of correspondence, newsletters, fact-sheets, reports, books, articles, clippings, pamphlets, bibliographies, and photographs. Image descriptions: Image 1: A typewritten poem reads "Will the supersonic transport, with its smashing sonic boom, Put an end to peace and quiet on our trip from womb to tomb? While executives at Boeing shout 'just see our profits growing', will our people face disaster midst the broken glass and plaster? The SST saves travelers time, at trifling [crossed out] extra cost, For him there is a saving - only our country is lost." Image 2: A paper with "Telegram to Senator Eugene McCarthy" written at the top, followed by a poem: "Booming, screaming/Fuming, streaming/Giant Doomsbird of a dark age/Sears my brain with white hot sounds/Steals my life's breath/And leaves me gasping and prone/On a cement plain. Vote not on the SST and save the aardvark." #MITLibraries #MITDistinctiveCollections #MITDDC #SonicBoom

This Wednesday, April 29, Rotch Library, including the 24/7 study space, will close at 6pm for fire safety system testing. The library will reopen at 4pm on Thursday, April 30. The GIS & Data Lab and Aga Khan Documentation Center will be closed on April 30, reopening on May 1. Image description: Photo of the interior of Rotch Library. Text reads: "Rotch Library temporary closure. Information Desk and 24/7 study space close at 6pm on April 29, reopen at 4pm on April 30. GIS & Data Lab and Aga Khan Documentation Center closed April 30. Rain date: May 1"