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Visiting the Library

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Visiting the Library

Planning an in-person visit to one of the Brown libraries? Please review the visiting information on these pages. Take special care to understand the guidelines for access if you are not a current Brown ID holder.

Library facilities are intended to support the educational and research purposes of Brown University and are primarily for the use of those holding current Brown IDs. Hours for visitors are limited, and we reserve the right to deny access at any time to those not holding Brown IDs.

All library users must comply with Brown University’s Student Conduct & Community Standards. 

Library facilities may not be used for commercial or paid services.

See Libraries and Hours for a complete listing of operating hours.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library

Located at 10 Prospect Street, “the Rock” houses collections for the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. It is also home to the Library’s Center for Digital Scholarship, Brown University Digital Publications, East Asian Collection, Racial Justice Resource Center, and Vincent J. Wernig Graduate Student Study Room. 

Access is limited to current Brown ID holders and consortial partners. For more information, please see the user categories below which list the types of users who are accorded access.

John Hay Library

Located at 20 Prospect Street, “the Hay” promotes research, teaching, and public engagement with Brown’s world-renowned collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives, and ephemera.  The Harriette Hemmasi Exhibition Gallery mounts exhibits of the Hay’s holdings around questions of topical interest. 

Appointments are required for use of special collections in the Gildor Family Special Collections Reading Room. Please review the John Hay Library’s Visiting information before your visit.

A Carnegie Library, the John Hay Library is open to the public during regular hours.

Sciences Library

Located at 201 Thayer Street, “the SciLi” holds materials that support study and research in the fields of medicine, psychology, neuroscience, environmental science, biology, chemistry, geology, physics, engineering, computer science, and pure and applied mathematics.

The Friedman Study Center and the Library’s Geospatial and Social Sciences Data Center (GeoData@SciLi) along with print works in STEM are in the SciLi. Brown’s Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning is also located in the SciLi. 

Access is limited to current Brown ID holders and consortial partners. For more information, please see the user categories below which list the types of users who are accorded access.

Virginia Baldwin Orwig Music Library

Located at 1 Young Orchard Avenue, Orwig supports the study, creation, and performance of music with extensive collections of scholarly literature, recorded works in a wide variety of audio and video formats, music scores, and the Walter Neiman ‘46 Archive of Sound Recordings.

The collection supports the curriculum of the Music Department and provides material for general use by the Brown community and individuals conducting research in the fields of music or theatre arts and performance studies.

Champlin Memorial Medical Library

Located in The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University at 222 Richmond Street, Champlin is an information resource center and study area. It provides online access to the Library’s extensive collection of electronic journals, textbooks, and databases, and contains no on-site physical collections.

Champlin is open only to Alpert Medical School students. 

Annmary Brown Memorial

Located at 21 Brown Street, the Annmary Brown Memorial displays the art collection acquired by General Rush C. Hawkins and his wife Annmary (née Brown) during their lifetime including exhibits of European and American paintings from the 17th through the 20th centuries, the Cyril and Harriet Mazansky British Sword Collection, as well as personal mementos of Gen. Hawkins, and the Brown family.

Currently closed for renovation.

Library Collection Annex 

Located four miles from campus, the Annex is a purpose-built facility for high-density storage, supporting regular retrieval and delivery of items to campus. Closed to patrons.

User Access Categories

All Brown alumni can obtain an Alumni Library Card for a one-time $25 processing fee. The card provides alumni with certain borrowing privileges and access to library buildings. It may be used for borrowing material held by the Brown University Library only; it does not grant access to online resources for users outside library buildings, or to interlibrary loan services.  

Alumni also have access to the Brown Alumni Library Online, a collection of more than five thousand titles including scholarly journals, business journals, news sources, and archives.

Brown ID holders may apply for a library card for their spouse/partner and dependent children. The card may be used to borrow material held by the Brown University Library and to access library buildings. To request this card, please inquire at the Rockefeller Library circulation desk.

Brown faculty members are able to appoint a proxy borrower who may borrow library items on their behalf. The proxy borrower must be a Brown ID holder. Email rock@brown.edu for more information.

Brown ID holders may sign in a guest. The Brown ID holder must accompany and leave with their guest, and is responsible for the behavior of their guest.

Individuals who are current faculty, staff or students at a consortial partner institution may be eligible for Brown Library building access and borrowing privileges.

RISD

RISD faculty, staff, and students are accorded access and borrowing privileges. A valid institutional ID must be presented at each visit.

HELIN

Brown is no longer a member of the HELIN consortium. However, faculty, staff, and students at HELIN institutions can receive access privileges at the Brown Library. A valid institutional ID must be presented at each visit. Learn more about services for HELIN members.

SHARES

Faculty, staff, and students from SHARES member institutions will be accorded library access. A valid institutional ID must be presented at each visit.

CRIARL

Faculty and staff from CRIARL member institutions may obtain access and borrowing privileges. A CRIARL card and current institutional ID must be presented at each visit.

BorrowDirect Institutions

Current faculty, staff, and students from BorrowDirect member institutions are accorded access and borrowing privileges at the Brown Library. A valid institutional ID must be presented at each visit.

American Mathematical Society (AMS) Staff

At the request of the Director of the American Mathematical Society, the Library will grant borrowing privileges to select AMS employees. The card may be used for borrowing Brown material only. Other restrictions may apply.

Rhode Island Medical Society (RIMS) Members

Current members of the Rhode Island Medical Society (RIMS) may request library access and borrowing privileges for material held by the Brown Library. RIMS membership is annual and must be requested each year.

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)

The Library’s U.S. Government Documents Collection is available to all U.S. citizens. Please contact us in advance of your visit with a list of the documents you would like to access so that we may determine if they are available, and to ensure that there will be staff to assist you.

Brown University Library Card

Anyone with a research need may purchase building access cards for specified periods at the following rates: 

  • Building access card, one year, $75.00.
  • Borrowing card, one year, $400.00. 

These cards may be used for borrowing Brown material only. Other restrictions may apply. A valid picture ID must be presented to purchase an access or borrowing card. Email rock@brown.edu for more information.

Photos and Filming

Interested in taking photos or filming at a Brown Library location? Please visit Photography and Filming Requests and be sure to fill out the form well in advance.

Brown University Library
Providence RI 02912 Main Phone: 401-863-2165 Special Collections: 401-863-2146

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