Image of an open book on a reading room table next to a lamp

Reading Room

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.
Please note any changes to hours or library closings when preparing for your visit.


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.

Reading Room Appointments

You will be asked to schedule an appointment when you place requests. You can also schedule appointments for an upcoming research visit before you decide which materials you will need to consult.

  • Sign in to your JCB Research Account and select Appointments from the menu bar.
  • Click “New Appointment” to open the scheduling tool.
  • Open dates will be shown as available on a calendar. Select a date for your research visit.
  • The JCB offers two research shifts, Monday - Thursday and one research shift on Friday. Use the “Appointment Time” drop down menu to select either the morning or afternoon shift.
  • A separate appointment is required for each shift, even for the same day.
  • You can assign a name to the appointment for your own reference.
  • Clicking “Available to proxies” will enable other researchers that you have requested to function as proxies to your account to place requests for and see information about this appointment. Please contact the reading room staff for more information about designating proxy researchers.
  • Click “Create Appointment.”
  • Appointment requests are not finalized until an appointment confirmation email has been received.

Request Materials

To request materials, first-time users must create a JCB AEON account. Users place requests through this online circulation system.


Brown id holders can request materials directly from the online catalogue. Researchers without a Brown id can log into their JCB AEON account, select “New Request,” and enter the information from the online catalogue into the form provided. Additional information about searching the online catalogue is available at the JCB Search Home.


To search for materials, please visit JCB Online Catalogue (BruKnow).


Users will not find the print collection, the manuscript/codices collection, or the archive collection in the online catalog. These materials, and a small portion of the printed book collection (about 10 to 15%), are accessible only through the Library’s onsite card catalogs and print resources.


Our larger manuscript 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).


Over 15,000 maps, illustrations, and political cartoons are available at LUNA Image Archive, and over 75,000 books, images, maps, and more can be found at Americana, the JCB's digital portal.


Please contact jcb-contact@brown.edu with questions about requesting material that is not represented in the online catalogue.