Brown University Library buildings will be closed Saturday, May 1 and Sunday May 2 for Commencement Weekend, and Friday, May 7 for a University-appointed day off for staff.
In observance of the Quiet Period, undergraduate students will not be able to make a reservation for seating in Library buildings from Monday, May 3 through Tuesday, May 18. Reservations can be made by undergraduate beginning Wednesday, May 19.
Graduate students can continue to access Library spaces during the Quiet Period. Make a reservation.
Remote support and distant circulation will remain available during the Quiet Period.
The application for faculty study rooms at the Rockefeller Library will open on Friday, April 16, 2021. Applications will be accepted through Monday, May 17, 2021.
The following categories of need will receive priority:
Current Faculty engaged in research requiring intensive use of library resources, programs, and services that is best served on-site within the Library. For Academic Years 2021-22 and 2022-23, priority will be given to tenure-track faculty whose research has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Faculty engaged in research requiring intensive use of library resources, programs, and services that is best served on-site within the Library. For Academic Years 2021-22 and 2022-23, priority will be given to tenure-track faculty whose research has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Faculty engaged in research requiring intensive use of library resources, programs, and services that is best served on-site within the Library. For Academic Years 2021-22 and 2022-23, priority will be given to tenure-track faculty whose research has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Faculty engaged in research requiring intensive use of library resources, programs, and services that is best served on-site within the Library. For Academic Years 2021-22 and 2022-23, priority will be given to tenure-track faculty whose research has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 25 studies will be available, with occupancy starting on September 1 (campus health and safety conditions permitting). Studies may be requested for any combination of Fall, Spring, and Summer (June/July) terms, for a maximum of 11 months. All study rooms must be vacated by the beginning of August, which is reserved for cleaning and maintenance.
We anticipate informing applicants at the beginning of June.
The Library will establish a new department — Health and Biomedical Library Services — to provide more direct and focused support for Brown’s programs in medicine, public health, and biomedical sciences.
The growth of these programs in size, scientific reputation, and societal impact is transformative for Brown and requires enhanced library support for research, teaching, and learning. Establishing Health and Biomedical Library Services (HBLS) as a distinct department will increase the Library’s contributions to advancing the mission of the Division of Biology and Medicine and the School of Public Health — as well as their statewide partners in research, education, practice, and community engagement.
Further enhancing the Library’s identity as the go-to place for expert partners in education and research services, this new unit will bring enhanced focus to the specific academic and scholarly goals of the Division of Biology and Medicine (including The Warren Alpert Medical School and the Program in Biology) and the School of Public Health. HBLS will build upon existing services such as literature review support, data management, and publishing, impact, and compliance to enhance our support for the research lifecycle. In cooperation with leadership at The Warren Alpert Medical School and our clinical partners, HBLS will develop targeted outreach and education to clinical faculty and residency programs.
Planning for the new department involved close consultation with Allan Tunkel, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, and Kimberly Galligan, Executive Dean for Administration for the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown. Increased communication between the Library and the Division of Biology and Medicine and the School of Public Health will amplify the Library’s ability to nimbly adapt and respond to the rapid changes in Rhode Island’s healthcare landscape.
Erika Sevetson, who has been serving as Director of Academic Engagement for Health, Biomedical, and Physical Sciences and Medical Librarian for The Warren Alpert Medical School, will now serve as the Director of the new HBLS department. In her new role, Erika will serve on key Division of Biology and Medicine committees and leadership teams, including the Extended Leadership Group that supports Jack A. Elias, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences. She will also collaborate with the Office of Biomedical Advancement to identify opportunities for fundraising in support of information resource needs for health and biomedical sciences. The HBLS team includes Andrew Creamer (who will also continue to support programs outside HBLS), Chelsea Misquith, and Kelsey Sawyer.
From May through August 2021, the Orwig Music Building, including Orwig Music Library, will be closed for renovation. The renovation will involve installation of essential human safety equipment including wet fire suppression in every room and an upgrade to the building’s entire HVAC system.
Due to the significant amount of work being done in every space, the library stacks must be encased in a protective wrap and some library material will need to be boxed and placed in storage. Consequently, physical materials in the music library collections will be inaccessible. Purchasing of electronic materials (ebooks and similar) will continue during this time.
Please make your requests for physical music-related research and reserves materials for Summer 2021, including distance circulation and digitization requests, by April 3.
We do not yet have a specific project end date, as planning is still underway. Music material will be made available as soon as possible, once staff members are able to access the stacks and stored items in August. We will keep the community updated as the project progresses.
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.
Supporting education and research through remote consultation with the Library’s experts
These services are described in more detail below. We will continue to adapt as circumstances change, and provide updates to the campus community accordingly.
Library Town Hall
TheLibrary University-Wide Town Hall meeting from September 17, 2020 was recorded and can be found on the Library’s YouTube channel and below:
Safety Is Everyone’s Priority
Our opening plan is based on the most up-to-date, reliable safety protocols to ensure a healthy environment for our patrons and staff. It is up to all of us to keep each other healthy and safe, and we feel confident that members of the Brown community will gladly share in this responsibility so that the Library can operate safely and continue providing the services that students and faculty most need.
When you come to the Library,please
Wear a mask over your mouth and nose at all times
Maintain social distance
Sit in your reserved seat only
Sanitize your study space when you arrive and before you leave
Orwig Music Library will be closed to users until further notice. Orwig materials will continue to be available by request.
The cafés in the Rock and SciLi will be closed until further notice. You may bring a personal water bottle. We ask that no food is brought into the libraries unless medically necessary.
When will the Library be open?
Library spaces opened to graduate and medical students on Wednesday, September 16.
Undergraduates are welcome in Library spaces as of Monday, October 5.
Reservations can be made up to one week in advance.
Graduate and medical students may reserve carrels on a monthly basis. Alternating sides of each carrel will be used on different days of the week. To apply, fill out the LibraryCarrel Request for Graduate Students form.
To maximize the availability of limited library seating for students, we ask that faculty and staff continue making use of online services and pickup circulation and leave seats and carrels available for the students.
Requests for materials will continue to be made through Josiah, the online catalog, for general collections, and through Aeon for special collections materials.
All requested materials will be retrieved by staff for contactless pickup. More information.
For everyone’s safety, we ask that patrons do not enter the stacks.
How do I get help?
Library staff are standing by online to help students and faculty. Please use the Ask a Librarian service for questions and to get research support. You can also email [email protected] (general) and [email protected] (special collections) with questions.
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.
Special Collections: Wednesday and Thursday 1 – 4 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Spaces with reserved seating available:
Willis Reading Room (first floor) – Opens September 16
Gildor Family Special Collections Reading Room (first floor) – Opens September 23 to graduate and medical students; opens October 7 to undergraduate students
Orwig Music Library is currently closed. Orwig materials are available by request through Josiah.
Reservations
study space Seating
The web-based LibCal reservation system is available now for seating starting on September 16 for graduate and medical students and October 5 for undergraduates.
Please make a reservation before going to a library.
Please make only one reservation per day to allow for equitable access to the limited number of de-densified seats. Seat reservations are for two-hour blocks of time with a half hour in between.
Carrel reservations will be made on a monthly basis, using alternate sides of each carrel on different days of the week to ensure safe distancing.
Once you place a reservation, you will receive a confirmation email. When you go to the library for your confirmed time, please bring a printout of the confirmation or be able to show it on an electronic device. Queue up outside, maintaining six feet of space with others in line. A security staff member will check your reservation confirmation before you will be allowed to enter the building.
We ask that patrons bring only a personal water bottle into Library buildings.
graduate and medical student Carrels
Graduate and medical students can make a reservation for a carrel using the Library Carrel Request for Graduate Students form. Reservations are for one month at a time. Carrel use will be on an alternating schedule to ensure safe distancing between carrels.
Clean In / Clean Out
We ask that all patrons clean your designated area when you arrive and before you leave, using provided disinfectant wipes.
Faculty, visiting scholar, and staff use of library space
We ask that faculty and staff allow students only to reserve seating and carrels in the libraries. We will continue to provide digital delivery and distant circulation of materials for faculty and visiting scholars.
Faculty members with individual Faculty Studies will receive a Faculty Study Card via email. Please print the card, queue at the Rock, show the guard the card, and proceed to your study. You will need to bring the printout of this card with you each time you go to the Rock to access your study.
Graduate Teaching Assistant rooms
Graduate TA’s may also access a limited number of small study/collaboration rooms to conduct your online sections. Registration is required through 25Live. Please follow all safety protocols including Clean in / Clean out.
Classes in Library Spaces
At this time, the only classes scheduled to be held in Library spaces will be on floors of the Sciences Library that are managed by other campus units. Students will be asked to identify themselves as members of the class upon entry to the building.
Library Materials and Services Requesting Library Materials
Requests for materials will continue to be made through Josiah, the online catalog, for general collections, and through Aeon for special collections materials.
Contactless Pickup and Digital Delivery
All requested materials will be retrieved by staff for contactless pickup. For everyone’s safety, we ask that patrons do not enter the stacks. If materials are available digitally, they will be delivered to you via email.
There are a number of videos on the Library’s YouTube channel that provide information about how to use the Library, conduct various aspects of research, and more.
This Is Your Library
You belong here. While these are extraordinary times, we know the Brown community is also extraordinary. We will rise to the challenges of this pandemic, work together, support each other, and succeed with each other. We are grateful to the many students and faculty who have let us know how important the Library is to your academic work and experience at Brown. We are proud of our staff members who have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to support Brown’s academic mission and who will be both onsite and at home, ready to help you and collaborate with you on your research journey — this semester, in 2021, and beyond. We are here for you. This is your Library.
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.
Energy efficient LED light bulbs are being installed in all light fixtures throughout Library buildings.
This effort to increase our energy efficiency is in direct alignment with Brown’s mission to cut campus greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2025 and to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2040.
The work will begin at the Rockefeller Library on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.
Thank you for your patience while this work is being done.
The interlibrary loan system ILLiad, which the Library relies on to fulfill patron requests for certain materials from other libraries, will be unavailable starting the afternoon of Wednesday, April 3, and running through the following day. Service is expected to be restored by Thursday afternoon.
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.
