Welcome
The Brutalist Library: Rereading Its Legacy and Reimagining the Future symposium will explore the significance, technical challenges, and future adaptation strategies of the modernist public library. The event will feature three panels: Historians discuss the evolving role of libraries in the digital age and their spatial needs, Librarians discuss the evolving role of libraries in the digital age and their spatial needs, and Architects address technical challenges and innovative solutions for renovating iconic structures. We will also offer tours of the UMass Boston campus and the JFK Library, and an open discussion between attendees and panelists.
The UMass Boston campus master plan and recent renovations of existing campus buildings, including the Healey Library, offer a unique opportunity to elevate the role of public architecture and how it adapts to the changing context of academia. By fostering dialogue among faculty, librarians, historians, and members from allied professions such as architects, engineers, contractors, along with the broader campus community and the general public. The symposium aims to create a dynamic, cross-disciplinary conversation among all participants on how we may celebrate, conserve, and provide stewardship for our modernist and brutalist buildings for now and in the future.
For more information on getting to UMass Boston: Click here.
Registration Rates
Symposium Attendees Rates
- Early Bird Fee (By October 10, 2025): $95.00 (includes lunch)
- Regular Fee (October 11 - October 20, 2025: $135.00 (includes lunch)
- AIA Continuing Education Units Fee: $25.00
Regional Universities Faculty and Students Rate**
- Early Bird Fee (By October 10, 2025): $75.00 (includes lunch)
- Regular Fee (October 11 - October 20, 2025): $95.00 (includes lunch)
UMass Faculty and Students Rate**
- Registration Fee: Free*
*Note: UMass faculty and students who wish to attend, must click here and fill out the online form to complete your registration.
**UMass & regional universities students and faculty must provide a valid university/college email address during registration and provide a valid university/college ID at the door.
How To Register
To register, click Register Now above! You will then be prompted to login to Iris Registration; the secure online system being used to manage registration for this event. Click "Sign Up" to create an account using your email address and a password of your choice. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at registration@umass.edu.
Registration is accepted on an individual basis. If you need to register multiple attendees, click Register Now, create an account, and complete a registration for the first attendee (proceeding through the payment selection page). Once that registration is completed, click Home in the top toolbar to be brought back to the registration summary screen. Next, click Create Additional Registrations. If you have a large group you would like to register, please email us at registration@umass.edu for assistance.
Cancellation Policy: Attendees canceling their registration before the close of business on Friday, October 17, 2025 will receive a full refund of their fees less a $60.00 cancellation processing fee and any administrative fees. All cancellations must be in writing. Telephone cancellations will not be accepted unless they are immediately followed by a letter of cancellation by email at registration@umass.edu.
Payment Options
Payment is accepted during registration via our online payment gateway by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover credit or debit card. If you are having any trouble submitting payment, or completing your registration, please contact us at registration@umass.edu so we can assist you!
For more information, visit the symposium website here!
Program Schedule at a Glance
8:00 - 8:30am: Registration - Campus Center, Point Lounge
8:30 - 8:45am:Welcome - Campus Center, Ballroom
8:45 - 10:15am:Panel 1: Designing the Brutalist Library, Campus Center, Ballroom
10:15 - 10:30am:Break - Campus Center, Point Lounge
10:30am - 12:00pm:Panel 2: Adapting the Brutalist Library - Campus Center, Ballroom
12:00 - 1:00pm:Lunch - Campus Center, Point Lounge
1:00 - 2:30pm: Panel 3: Envisioning the Brutalist Library - Campus Center, Ballroom
2:30 - 3:30pm:Tours & Discussion - Campus Center, Ballroom
Panel Descriptions
Panel 1: Designing the Brutalist Library
Chair: Timothy M. Rohan, PhD., UMass Amherst
Panelists: Sarah Horowitz, Ph.D. candidate, Boston University; Mary Anne Hunting, Ph.D., Independent Scholar; Kristina Wilson, Ph.D., Clark University
The panel will discuss the history of architects’ design of libraries and the development of design criteria in collaboration with their clients. In the past, H.H. Richardson and the firm of McKim, Mead and White designed notable libraries in New England and beyond. But who designed the Brutalist libraries of the post-World War II college campus, and what were their aims? How did they accommodate the growing enrollments of postwar campuses and expanding collections of books and other materials? Why did architects and clients turn to Brutalism and typologies such as the skyscraper when they designed new libraries for the college campuses of the postwar period?
Panel 2: Adapting the Brutalist Library
Chair: Stephanie Walker, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Boston
Panelists: Curtis Brundy, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Amherst; Nancy Godleski, Dean of University Libraries, UMass Dartmouth; UMass Lowell; Sonia Pacheco, Librarian, UMass Dartmouth
Adapting the Brutalist Library will examine the challenges faced by librarians in the 21st century. Libraries collaborate with users, faculty, staff, and students to adapt building programs to meet modern needs and expectations. Given the supportive role that libraries play for their campus and the general public, librarians are striving to optimize space to conserve collections while providing services to all their constituents. The library acts as a nexus of campus services, serving as a third place and resilience hub for the campus and the community. This panel offers the opportunity to better understand the evolving role of libraries in the present digital age and their spatial needs.
Panel 3: Envisioning the Brutalist Library
Chair: Ann Beha, FAIA, Founder of Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects
Panelists: Robert Carroll, AIA, Senior Associate, Annum Architects; Cliff Gayley, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, William Rawn Associates Architects; David Gingerella, Vice Chancellor for Administration & Facilities, UMass Dartmouth; Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Senior Campus Planner & Architect, UMass Amherst; Richard Yeager, Director of Planning & Facilities Information Systems, UMass Lowell
Mid-century modern academic libraries vary in size, structure, and design in accordance with the place and public institutions they serve, and reflect the character and strategic programs for which they were built. This panel will describe efforts to adapt small, medium, and large academic libraries with creative solutions that support future library programming, demonstrate innovative funding strategies, and address technical challenges with human-centered and sustainable design solutions.**
Open Discussion Description
Open Discussion b/w Panelist and Attendees
Moderator: Ann Beha, FAIA, Founder of Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects
This session encourages all speakers to an open dialogue among architects, librarians, historians, and users of brutalist libraries, aiming to promote understanding and interdisciplinary collaboration. By fostering active listening and engagement, the discussion seeks to explore how past, present, and future perspectives can converge to envision the adaptation of historically significant spaces.
Tour Descriptions: TBA
For Symposium Related Questions
Visit the Symposium Website: click here.
For Registration or Payment Related Questions
Contact the UMass Conference Services at 413-577-8102 or registration@umass.edu