Extended Winter Break

Brown University administration has generously planned an extended winter break from the close of business on Friday, December 22, 2023 through Sunday, January 7, 2024. 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.

Annex and Holds

Please place orders for materials from the Library Annex by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19 for pickup by/on Friday, December 22. We will be unable to place items on hold during the break.

Which locations will be open? Who can use the buildings?

The Rockefeller Library will be open (without services) January 2 – 5, 2024 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. Self-checkout of circulating materials will be available at the Rockefeller Library.

Please see the Library Hours and Locations page for details. 

Will you close completely for some days?

All University Library locations will be closed with no on-site or online services from Saturday, December 23 through Monday, January 1. Orwig Music Library will also be closed on Friday, December 22.

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 rock@brown.edu. 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 8. Thousands of items have been digitized and are available for view at any time through the Brown Digital Repository.

Who will be on-site?

From January 2 – 5, security guards will be at the Rockefeller Library when it is 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.

Contractors conducting facilities related work may also be on-site.

Happy Holidays

Best wishes for a peaceful and restorative break!