North side, accessible entrance at the John Hay Library
This summer, the windows at the John Hay Library will be replaced, and there will also be smaller projects to update spaces above the first floor. As a result of this facilities work, there will be changes to the Hay’s hours and access. Please refer to the John Hay Library website for any changes to our hours and our holiday schedule.
Building-wide
May 31 – September 5
The Hay will be open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Only the first floor will be open to patrons.
July 24 – September 1
The front doors will be inaccessible (emergency exit only).
Patrons will need to use the north side, accessible entrance.
Gildor Family Special Collections Reading Room
May 29 – June 4
The special collections reading room will be closed.
June 5 – September 5
The special collections reading room will be open on this schedule by reservation only. Please see Visiting the Brown University Special Collections for information about scheduling a reading room appointment.
Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 1 – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Willis Reading Room
The Willis Reading Room will remain open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bopp, Bruhn, Lownes Rooms
The Bopp Room (3rd floor), Lownes Room (2nd floor), and Bruhn Room (2nd floor) will be unavailable from May 29 – September 5.
Classroom Requests
Please place requests for classes through the Brown University Library Instruction Request Form. Some class sessions may be held in the Special Collections Reading Room, depending on the room schedule, size of the class, and staff availability.
Third Floor
The third floor of the John Hay Library will be closed from May 29 – September 5, including the Anne S. K. Brown Military Gallery.
Brown University administration has generously planned an extended Winter Break from the close of business on Thursday, December 22, 2022 through Sunday, January 8, 2023. In order to maintain support of students, faculty, and researchers during this time, while giving dedicated library staff members well-deserved time off, the University Library will be offering limited building hours and services. Please take note of the time-sensitive services listed below so that you can plan ahead and obtain the materials you will need in advance of the break.
Please consult Library Hours for up-to-date hours for each location.
Place orders for Annex, Borrow Direct, and Holds by Dec. 20
Please place orders for materials from the Library Annex and through Borrow Directby 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 20 for pickup on Thursday, December 22. We will be unable to place items on hold during the break. Note that delivery of Borrow Direct materials may vary depending on the operations of our partner libraries.
Which locations will be open? Who can use the buildings?
The Rockefeller Library will be open (without services) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (see exceptions below) with swipe card access for current Brown ID holders only. Visitors without a current Brown ID will not be able to access the buildings. Please see the Library Hours and Locations page for details.
The John Hay Library, Sciences Library, and Orwig Music Library will be closed during the break.
Will you close completely for some days?
All University Library locations will be closed with no on-site or online services on Friday, December 23, Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24), Christmas Day (Sunday, December 25), and New Year’s Day (Sunday, January 1).
Self-checkout
Self-checkout of circulating materials will be available at the Rockefeller Library and Sciences Library during break and continuing with regular operations.
How can I get help from a library expert?
Limited support for the Brown community and researchers working on time-sensitive projects will be available on the days when we are not fully closed via email at [email protected]. Please allow 12 – 24 hours for a response.
Will Interlibrary Loan be available?
You may continue to place orders through Interlibrary Loan for electronic journal articles. Note that delivery dates and times will vary depending on the operations of our partner libraries.
Can I view special collections material?
Requests for special collections material can be made at any time through Aeon. John Hay Library staff will respond to requests that come in over break beginning the week of January 9. Thousands of items have been digitized and are available for view at any time through the Brown Digital Repository.
Who will be on-site when the buildings are open?
The Library will have security guards in the buildings when they are open by card swipe access. Please note that security guards are not Library employees. They are not able to answer research questions and cannot retrieve library materials.
Happy Holidays!
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and restful winter break from your Brown University Library!
In order to make the Orwig Music building more accessible, the door at the accessible entrance is being replaced. The work will occur from Tuesday, October 5 – Wednesday, October 6, necessitating the closure of the entrance. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and look forward to welcoming you through a more accessible door on Thursday, October 7.
The front door will remain open as usual. If you have any questions or concerns, please email [email protected]
Changes Coming to NCBI Login Accounts in June 2021
Beginning in June 2021, NCBI will no longer have a direct login option (username/password). This change is occurring to improve account security by using third-party logins. Your NCBI account is used to access MyBibliography, SciENcv, and MyNCBI.
If you currently log in to MyNCBI with a username and password, you will need to add an additional login path to your account. This will not change anything saved in your account — it will simply add different login credentials.
To update your account, first login to MyNCBI:
Then click your account name in the top right hand corner:
Click “Account settings”:
Under the “Linked Accounts” section on the following page, click “Change” to add an account. Note that the “Native NCBI” account option will no longer be available to be used as a login after the June cutover.
You can use your Brown shibboleth login, or an additional third party login such as Login.gov. If you anticipate changing organizations in the future, you may want to choose Login.gov or ORCiD. If you have NIH funding and an eRA Commons account, you should use the same login mechanism for both. Search for Brown or Login.gov, and click the result to continue configuring the login.
Your Brown University Library will be offering the following schedule of services for the end of the Fall semester:
DATES
ROCKEFELLER
SCIENCES
HAY
Wed., 11/25
All Library Buildings Close at 5 pm
Thurs. & Fri., 11/26 – 27
Thanksgiving Holiday: All Library Buildings Closed
Sat., 11/28 – Thurs., 12/10
Fall Term Hours Resume:
Study Spaces and Circulation Pickup:
Monday–Thursday: 12:30 – 10 pm
Friday–Sunday: 12:30 – 5 pm
Fall Term Hours Resume:
Study Spaces:
Monday–Thursday: 9 am – 9 pm
Friday: 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12 – 5 pm
Fall Term Hours Resume:
Willis Reading Room: Monday–Friday 9:30 am – 6 pm
Gildor Special Collections Reading Room: Wednesday and Thursday, 1 – 4 pm (by appointment)
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Fri., 12/11
Open 12:30 – 5 pm
Open 9 – 5 pm
Open 9:45 – 5 pm
Sat., 12/12 – Sun., 12/20
Circulation Pickup:
Monday–Thursday: 12:30 – 10 pm
Friday–Sunday: 12:30 – 5 pm
Study Spaces CLOSED, except Wernig Graduate Student Reading Room and assigned Carrels (same hours as above)
Study Spaces:
Monday–Thursday: 9 am – 9 pm
Friday: 9 am – 5 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12 – 5 pm
Study Spaces:
Willis Reading Room: Closed Gildor Special Collections Reading Room: Wednesday and Thursday, 1 – 4 pm (by appointment)
Mon., 12/21/20 – Sun., 1/3/21
Winter Break: All Library Buildings Closed
The major changes will be to concentrate reservable seats for individual study at the Sciences Library starting on December 12, following the end of the remote exam period for undergraduates. This is in service of safely increasing staff activity in other buildings to prepare reserves and other course materials for the Spring term. Pickup circulation will continue in the Rock lobby through December 20, and graduate students will continue to have access to the Wernig Graduate Student Reading Room and their assigned carrels during the same period.
Information about reserving seats, ordering materials, and all other core Library services is available here.
The Library staff sincerely appreciate all the expressions of support and encouragement we have received from students, faculty, and staff over the Fall term. Your patience, partnership, and good will have enabled us to carry out our most essential functions to sustain Brown’s academic mission in the safest possible manner.
With best wishes for the remainder of the term, the holidays, and a restful Winter Break.
The Library is thrilled to welcome students into our large study spaces for independent work during the Fall 2020 semester. Staff onsite will be primarily engaged in helping to keep our study spaces safe and healthy. They will not be providing in-person library services.
We are continuing to provide a robust slate of online services, detailed below. If you have any questions, you can email [email protected] (general) or[email protected] (special collections). You can also chat with a Library expert through the Ask a Librarian service. Many other services, resources, and updates can be found at library.brown.edu and here on our news blog.
Requesting Physical Materials
The Library is pleased to announce an expansion of circulation services. Materials requested will be available for pickup any time the Library is open. It is no longer necessary to make a reservation for pickup. (Reservations to study in the Library are still required.)
Current Brown faculty/instructors and students may request up to ten (10) items per week from our collections, including physical books. Materials held at the Rockefeller Library, the Library Annex, the Sciences Library, and Orwig Music Library should be requested directly through Josiah, the Library’s online catalog and picked up in the Rockefeller Library lobby. Library staff will retrieve the items and email the requestor with instructions for pickup when the items are ready. Pickup for ALL items will take place in front of the Rockefeller Library.
If you reserve space in a library, please continue to make use of Josiah (and Aeon for special collection) to request materials. Please do not enter the stacks.
Contactless Pickup — Available without Reservation during Open Hours
Materials requested for pickup will be placed in bags on carts and quarantined, untouched, for a minimum of 72 hours. The most current research tells us that 72 hours (three days) of quarantine is safe for circulating library materials.
You will be notified with the date the material will be available. Once available, the requested materials will be pre-checked out to you and placed in bins arranged by last name in the Rockefeller Library lobby. You may retrieve this material any time the Library is open — no reservation required.
Please do not clean or disinfect library materials. It would likely damage the item(s) and is not necessary given the precautions Library staff are taking.
Requesting Special Collections
The John Hay Library will digitize special collections material for research and teaching needs. Requests from current Brown faculty and graduate students will be prioritized. Other requests will be fulfilled as time allows. This service is limited to members of the Brown community. To make a request, email [email protected] or fill out the request form.
Brown University graduate and undergraduate students and faculty: the Special Collections Reading Room opened on an appointment-only basis on September 23, 2020, Wednesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments must be made at least one week (5 business days) in advance so that staff can adequately prepare materials.
Requesting Course Reserves and Course Packs
Faculty members should continue to use Online Course Reserves Access (OCRA) to request materials for course reserves and course packs. Once received, the Library will make the reserves available to students through the course site in Canvas.
If you are using a course pack from a previous semester, the Library will make the content available in Canvas and/or OCRA. Email [email protected] to initiate this process.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) for physical materials will not resume until a later phase, and (by agreement with our Ivy-plus partners) no earlier than September 1. We will continue to accept and fill ILL requests for articles and book chapters that are available electronically, which will be sent to patrons via email. We will also continue searching for electronic versions of requested books.
Requests for Digital Material
Contact us at the following email addresses to request items, ask research questions, and connect with a Library expert:
As a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many of the Library’s content providers have expanded Brown’s access to digital content in order to support online research, learning, and teaching. In addition to the 2 million+ digital books and journals available through the Library’s subscriptions, we are excited to share many additional resources from our partners.
How Long Will Requests Take?
All requests may take up to seven days. Quarantine protocols for handling physical materials will make requests for rush or expedited delivery less feasible for the time being.
Faculty and Student Support
We are providing online services, including research consultations and instruction. Subject librarians can be reached by email and on chat, which is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Not sure who to ask? Email most questions to [email protected] and email questions about special collections to [email protected].
Please return physical materials to the Rockefeller Library, through the book return drop located to the left of the front doors.
You can keep the items in your possession until you are able to return to campus. This includes items obtained through Borrow Direct, easyBorrow, and ILLiad. Fines and late fees will be waived.
Safe Staffing
To protect the safety of staff and patrons, we are operating at minimum staffing levels with modified workflows to allow for social distancing and quarantine of materials. We will add staff and increase service levels as public health guidance allows.
As a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many of the Library’s content providers have expanded Brown’s access to digital content in order to support online research, learning, and teaching. In addition to the 2 million+ digital books and journals available through the Library’s subscriptions, we are excited to share many additional resources from our partners.
Faculty and Student Support
We are providing online services, including research consultations and instruction. Subject librarians can be reached by email and on chat, which is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Not sure who to ask? Email most questions to [email protected] and email questions about special collections to [email protected].
You can request access to digital material! Contact us at the following email addresses to request items, ask research questions, and connect with a Library expert:
Faculty members should continue to use Online Course Reserves Access (OCRA) to request materials for course reserves and course packs. Once received, the Library will make the reserves available to students through the course site in Canvas.
If you are using a course pack from a previous semester, the Library will make the content available in Canvas and/or OCRA. Email [email protected] to initiate this process.
Returning Physical Material
Graduating students are urged to return physical materials to the Rockefeller Library, through the book return drop located to the left of the front doors. Other students may also drop off materials at the Rock, or you can keep the items in your possession until you are able to return to campus. This includes items obtained through Borrow Direct, easyBorrow, and ILLiad. Fines and late fees will be waived.
The following Brown University Libraries will close at 12 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2020 to allow Library staff to attend our annual winter celebration:
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
John Hay Library
Sciences Library (Friedman Study Center will remain open)
The library has scheduled an update and associated maintenance for the library catalog software on Tuesday, March 26 beginning at 10 am. This will require approximately eight hours of downtime for the library catalog and services tied to the software API. We chose this date to reduce the number of faculty, staff, and students affected by downtime.
We don’t expect the system to be down for more than eight hours, but we will send out an update should that time be extended for any reason. This update from version 3.4 to 4.2 will bring the library to the current release of this software and should resolve many outstanding issues.
Services interrupted include:
Requesting/paging items from any library or the Library Annex will be delayed
Patron records may not immediately reflect item returns and checkout
BorrowDirect requests will not work, but ILLiad will remain online
Classic Josiah will be down. Patrons will still be able to search ‘New’ Josiah though item availability information will not populate
Any link using josiah.brown.edu from Canvas, syllabi, various content management systems, or other communications will not work during downtime
Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to improve services and facilitate world-class, innovative research.
