The MIT Science Fiction Society (or MITSFS) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a student organization which maintains and administers a large publicly accessible library of science fiction, fantasy, and science fantasy books and magazines.
In 1950, the club was instrumental in microfilming Astounding Science Fiction , leading to it becoming a recognized student organization in 1951. In 1961, Anthony R. Lewis became Librarian, and the library growth began in earnest. With the Stratton Student Center opening in 1965, the Society moved out of the old Walker Memorial building to the new building. At about the same time, Erwin Strauss compiled a science fiction index for periodicals from 1951 to 1955, called The MIT Science Fiction Society's Index to the S-F Magazines 1951 - 1965. MIT rules barred the Society from publishing the book because student organizations were prohibited from commercial activity, so Strauss published it himself under the same title.
In 1965, MITSFS joined with the UMass SFS [1] and others, including Hal Clement, [2] in forming the "Boston Science Fiction Society", holding the first Boskone convention. In 1967, NESFA arose from the ashes of that group, and brought the WorldCon to Boston in 1971. In the mid-1970s, the MIT Libraries started partially funding acquisition of newly published books. [3]
In 1972, the widow of respected Golden Age editor John W. Campbell donated her husband's personal set of Astounding Science Fiction. [4] Campbell had almost finished an MIT physics degree, but transferred to Duke University to avoid a German language requirement, and then pursued a lifetime career in writing and editing science fiction.
Guest speakers at meetings of the Society have included Hugo Gernsback (whose 1963 address to the Society has been published as "Prophets of Doom"), Frederik Pohl, John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Hal Clement, and Larry Niven, and more recently John Scalzi and Charles Stross. The Society was instrumental in the first Boskone science fiction convention, in NESFA founding, and in the Noreascon in 1971, among others. The World Science Fiction Society, which sponsors the Hugo awards, is still located in Cambridge.
Some past members include Durk Pearson, Rick Norwood, Al Kuhfeld, Bill Sarill, Whit Diffie, Geoffrey A. Landis, Erwin Strauss, and Guy Consolmagno. The Society has been mentioned in Laurence M. Janifer's The Counterfeit Heinlein: A Gerald Knave Science Fiction Adventure. [5]
Science fiction is an important literary genre to many members of the MIT community. [6] The first computer game, Spacewar! , was developed at Project MAC by Steve Russell, Martin "Shag" Graetz, Wayne Wiitanen, and other fans of the Lensman series. [6]
The Society is informal in its operations, but has developed an elaborate pseudo-hierarchy with officer titles such as "Skinner", "Lord High Embezzler", and "Onseck". [7] [3] However, actual theft and vandalism are regarded as serious crimes, and strict security rules have developed to protect the collection, such as requiring that all backpacks, permanent markers, and pens be left at the library entrance. [8]
A MITSFS seal has been developed, which is a further modification of the modernized version of the MIT Official Seal. The figure on the left wears something resembling a space helmet on his head, and the figure on the right brandishes what looks like a ray gun. The latter figure may also have three legs. [9]
The greatest ongoing challenge for MITSFS is finding sufficient physical space for its tightly packed and ever-growing library collection. [10] [11] More than 45,000 books are crammed into less than 1,700 square feet (160 m2) of space, and at times, portions of its collection must be stored offsite in a warehouse. [3]
The over 60,000 [10] [3] volumes constitute the "world's largest open-shelf collection of science fiction"; [12] although the Eaton collection of the University of California, Riverside is larger, [13] that collection is not on open shelves. According to MITSFS, the library once included "over 90% of all science fiction ever published in English", although a profusion of self-publishing now may have outdistanced it. [10] The library is freely available for browsing by the public, as well as for borrowing by members. Membership is open to anyone who pays the modest dues and agrees to abide by the rules. [10] [14]
The library is financially supported by membership dues, and by MIT's Association of Student Activities funding board. [15] The catalog of the library may be searched online through the PinkDex. [16] Some of the library's contents include full runs of Astounding Science Fiction and other American science fiction magazines, and full or nearly full runs of the major American fantasy magazines. It has first editions of The Lord of the Rings , editions in French and German of The Hobbit , all of the paperback versions of the series, CDs of the series, copies of all of Tolkien's related works, and so on. In fantasy, it has all of the Harry Potter books, with some also in German and Russian.
The collection is physically located in MIT's Julius Adams Stratton Student Center at 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2017, the library was usually open 7 days a week, though Monday hours were curtailed or occasionally dropped, and summer hours were reduced. In 2020 through 2022, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on public access to campus caused major cutbacks of hours. [9]
In February 2023, a burst pipe in the Student Center caused flooding in the Library (dubbed the “Aquapocalypse” in MITSFS terms), causing the loss of over 1000 books. As a consequence, all the remaining dead tree materials (books, magazines, fanzines, and Society records) were to be packed up and sent for professional freeze-drying preservation and storage while the building was repaired and renovated (in particular, for the abatement of damaged asbestos tiles). Renovation work had already been scheduled to start in the building around January 2023, with the entire building to be emptied and renovated over the summer of 2023; the building was still scheduled to open for the fall semester. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]
The Librarians-in-Exile continued to meet online. As of November 2024 [update] , the MITSFS Library collection has been moved back into the building, but regular opening hours are yet to be announced.
Harry Clement Stubbs, better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre. He also painted astronomically oriented artworks under the name George Richard.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and science.
Erwin S. Strauss is an American author, science fiction fan, noted member of the MITSFS, and filk musician, born in Washington, D.C. He frequently is known by the nickname "Filthy Pierre". He was injured descending a stairway at SMOFcon 41in December 2023, and in January 2024 announced his retirement.
Mesklin is a fictional planet created by Hal Clement and used in a number of his hard science fiction stories, starting with Mission of Gravity (1954). Alongside the novel's original 1953 serialization in Astounding Science Fiction, Clement published an essay titled "Whirligig World" detailing the process of designing the planet to have the properties he wanted. The idea came from an object that was at the time believed to exist in the 61 Cygni system, and which might represent an extrasolar planet.
John Stewart Williamson, who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, one of several called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term genetic engineering. Early in his career he sometimes used the pseudonyms Will Stewart and Nils O. Sonderlund.
Judith Josephine Grossman, who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be widely influential in those roles.
Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ, is an American research astronomer, physicist, religious brother, director of the Vatican Observatory, and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
The New England Science Fiction Association, or NESFA, is a science fiction club centered in the New England area. It was founded in 1967, "by fans who wanted to do things in addition to socializing". NESFA is currently registered as a non-profit literary organization under IRS section 501(c)(3).
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard-copy periodical format or on the Internet. Science fiction magazines traditionally featured speculative fiction in short story, novelette, novella or novel form, a format that continues into the present day. Many also contain editorials, book reviews or articles, and some also include stories in the fantasy and horror genres.
The White Dragon is a science fantasy novel by Irish writer Anne McCaffrey. It completes the original Dragonriders trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series, seven years after the second book. It was first published by Del Rey Books in June 1978.
NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. The NESFA Press primarily produces three types of books:
Glass and Amber is a 1987 collection of short stories and essays by American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. The book was published by NESFA Press to commemorate Cherryh’s appearance as the Guest of Honor at Boskone 24, a science fiction convention. Only 1,000 copies were printed, and each is individually numbered on the copyright page. The first 250 numbered copies were autographed by Cherryh and sold in slipcases. Some of these were also signed by Barclay Shaw, the cover artist.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology occupies a 168-acre (68 ha) tract in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The campus spans approximately one mile (1.6 km) of the north side of the Charles River basin directly opposite the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
With the growth of science fiction studies as an academic discipline as well as a popular media genre, a number of libraries, museums, archives, and special collections have been established to collect and organize works of scholarly and historical value in the field.
The 21st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Discon I, was held on 31 August through 2 September 1963 at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., United States.
The 29th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Noreascon I, was held on 2–6 September 1971 at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
The 47th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Noreascon 3, was held on 31 August–4 September 1989 at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Boston Park Plaza, and the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
The 54th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as L.A.con III, was held on 29 August–2 September 1996 at the Hilton Anaheim, Anaheim Marriott, and the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, United States.
Grey Lensman is a science fiction novel by American writer E. E. Smith. It was first published in book form in 1951 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 5,096 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1939. Grey Lensman is the fourth book in the Lensman series and the second to focus on the adventures of Lensman Kimball Kinnison.
Once More* With Footnotes is a book by Terry Pratchett, published by NESFA Press in 2004 when he was the Guest of Honor for Noreascon Four, the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention. It contains a mixture of short stories, articles, introductions to other books, and speeches, including his first published short story, "The Hades Business".
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