Chris Bourg named vice provost and Barbara K. Ostrom (1978) Director of the MIT Libraries
As director, Bourg has focused on digital access, open and equitable scholarly publishing, and expanded support for data-intensive research.
MIT Provost Anantha Chandrakasan announced that Chris Bourg, who has been the director of the MIT Libraries since 2015, will now serve as vice provost. Barbara K. Ostrom, who established the position in 1978, will continue as the Libraries' director. Chandrakasan praised the gift from Ostrom, which ensures the libraries' mission of accessing knowledge and information remains vital in the digital age.
Bourg highlighted Ostrom's contribution by noting their shared experience in ROTC during their undergraduate years. Bourg has led the libraries in embracing digital access, open scholarly publishing, and data-intensive research, adapting to AI advancements. She co-chaired the Working Group on Scholarly Content and Generative AI and participated in the Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training.
Bourg has also championed open scholarship, founding the Center for Research on Equitable and Open Scholarship and co-chairing the 2017 MIT Ad Hoc Task Force on Open Access. Her leadership has resulted in MIT cancelling a journal contract with Elsevier, canceling costs for the Institute. Under Bourg's guidance, the libraries underwent renovations and launched MIT Reads, a program promoting empathy and belonging at MIT.
Bourg has held various roles in academic libraries and served on several boards and committees focused on open science and reproducibility.
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