Image shows three scholars bending over books on a table, examining them closely

Using the Library

Research at the John Carter Brown Library can happen at the library or online.

Planning Your Research Visit

The John Carter Brown Library welcomes all researchers to consult our collections in the W. Duncan MacMillan Reading Room.

The reading room is open Monday through Thursday, 10 am - 12:45 pm and 2 pm - 4:45 pm; and Friday, 10 am - 12:45 pm. You can check for closing dates here.

Reading tables are reserved for researchers consulting our collections, and appointments are required for all research visits. Please plan to create an appointment in advance of your arrival at the library. Because seating is limited, same day appointments may not be available.

Researchers must first create a JCB Research Account to request material for consultation and make appointments.

1. Create a JCB research account

Please create a JCB Research Account before your visit. You will use this account to schedule appointments and request materials for consultation.
When you arrive for your first research appointment, we will verify your information and request to see a form of valid government-issued photographic identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. A Brown University id card will also be acceptable.
Please review our information about the procedures and policies for handling materials at the JCB. By registering for a research account, you agree to comply with these policies.

2. Find materials

JCB collections can be searched in BruKnow, the online catalog of Brown University. We suggest starting your search from the JCB Search Home on our website, where we have optimized the search bar and provided tips for locating materials held at the JCB.
Some areas of the collection–including most manuscripts, prints, and some printed books–are not yet fully represented in the online catalog. Onsite card catalogs and finding aids are available at the library to help you locate and request these materials.
Archival collections, such as the Brown family business records (ca. 1735-1914) and the John Russell Bartlett papers (ca. 1832-1886) can be researched through printed finding aids, or increasingly, through the Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online database (RIAMCO).
Our research and reference services staff are available and happy to assist you with any questions about our resources.

3. Request materials

Requests to consult materials at the library are submitted through your JCB Research Account. You can request materials directly from the online catalog (recommended), or you can enter the information about the item you wish to consult directly into a New Request form (this is necessary for items described in the card catalog and for archival material).
Appointments are required to submit requests. If you do not yet have an appointment, or are unsure of when you will visit the library, please select “Save Request for Later” rather than “Submit Request.”
We ask that you place requests at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment, as we may not be able to make material available for same day requests. Materials may be held for multiple appointments.

Request from the online catalog record

Click on “Request-Access” in the “Get it” area of the record for the item you wish to consult.

You will be prompted to sign in to your JCB Research Account.
From the New Request drop down menu, select Request from Library Catalog. This will open a request form with the relevant information imported from the online catalog record

The most important information we need in the request form is the title of the item and the call number. Please check to see that this information has been imported into your request.
To help locate the precise item you need, you can add information about specific copies or volumes. This information is usually found in the Local Note in the Details section of the online catalog record, and can be added to the Call Number field of the request form, or in the Additional Information/Questions field in the Request Information section of the request form.

For example, from the information in this online catalog record:

You can specifically request copy 1, and locate it within this large multi-volume set of miscellaneous publications.
Create an appointment for consulting the item, link the item to an existing appointment or select “Save for Review” to save for later scheduling.

Please note: Requests that are saved for review will not be placed on hold until an appointment has been made.

Request directly from your JCB Research account:

Log on to your JCB Research account.
Select Create a New Request from the New Request menu on the toolbar.
Enter the relevant information into the blank request form. Generally, this will be the title, call number, and author, if known.

Create an appointment for consulting the item, link the item to an existing appointment or select “Save for Review” to save for later scheduling

Please note: Requests that are saved for review will not be placed on hold until an appointment has been made.