An Ethnography of the MIT Libraries

An Ethnography of the MIT Libraries

I chose to explor two of MIT’s libraries, the Lewis Music Library and the Hayden Library. This is not all of the libraries that MIT has to offer, but they represent the range: Lewis is specifically targeted to music and has resources to that effect, whereas Hayden is much larger and serves many different purposes.

Technologies

• Large TV displays behind the checkout counter announcing events.
• Question-and-Answer easels with markers to collect community feedback.

• Computers that can be used to search the collection as well as behave as Athena workstations.

• Computers for listening to and recording audio media.

• Corkboards announcing community events, courses, and programs.

Use of Space

Although not this trip, I often see students napping in the various libraries. And I believe that enough people use them as meeting spaces for group work that the group work rooms were created and dedicated to that purpose. In the upper floors of Hayden, bookshelves have been dismantled but reading desks remain. Most visitors seemed to be using digital resources.

The overall impression that I have of the spaces is of quiet concentration. There is very little intentional noise, and the spaces feel welcoming. Many students visit the libraries in an effort to inspire themselves to get work done – the environment feels dedicated to that purpose. The flipside of this is an implicit/explicit discouragement of social interaction in the main areas. But, the libraries hold open community events and have dedicated spaces for group work.

Demographics

Mostly students. I saw one professor in the Lewis music library, and a few adults in Hayden who may have been students or professors, I couldn’t tell. Everyone seemed to be affiliated with MIT. Although the libraries have no admission or identity check at the entrances, those entrances do not advertise themselves to the public.

Lewis has a entrances to a courtyard and hallway inside an MIT Building. The exterior entrances to those buildings do not advertise its presence.

Hayden has an entrance from the same MIT building that holds Lewis, as well as a publically accessible entrance from the river drive. But this is not an easy entrance to use for members of the public in general, as there is little parking to be found, and it is not a common area. In addition, although the library name is visible, it’s hard to read and so it’s not clear that it’s open.

Indeed, the main doors discourage “trespassing”, although MIT does allow anyone to walk in to its buildings during the day.