| John Hay Library | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 20 Prospect Street,Providence,Rhode Island, United States |
| Type | Academic |
| Established | November 1910; 115 years ago (1910-11) |
| Architect | Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge |
| Branch of | Brown University Library |
| Collection | |
| Size | 3 million |
| Other information | |
| Website | library |
TheJohn Hay Library (known colloquially asthe Hay) is the second oldest library on the campus ofBrown University inProvidence, Rhode Island, United States. It is located on Prospect Street opposite theVan Wickle Gates. After its construction in 1910, the Hay Library became the main library building on campus, replacing the building now known as Robinson Hall. Today, the John Hay Library is one of five individual libraries that make up the University Library.[1] The Hay houses the University Library's rare books and manuscripts, the University Archives, and the Library's special collections.[2]
By the early 1890s, Brown's 1878 library building had become insufficient in housing the university's growing collection. In 1906, Andrew Carnegie contributed $150,000 (equivalent to $5.25 million in 2024) towards the construction of a new library building. At Carnegie's request, the library was named in honor of his late companion Secretary of StateJohn Hay (Class of 1858).[3][4]
The building was constructed to a design by the Boston architectural firm ofShepley, Rutan and Coolidge in theBeaux-Arts style. The structure was initially intended to be built of limestone, though was ultimately constructed of white marble quarried inDorset, Vermont. The library was opened on September 24 and dedicated on November 10, 1910.[4]
In 1939, a new wing was constructed to the north of the original building.[5] The addition was designed byCoolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott in the Georgian style and constructed of red brick. As part of the renovation, the main reading room was split into three areas by bookshelves.[3]
TheJohn D. Rockefeller Jr. Library became Brown's main library in 1964, with the John Hay Library retaining the university's special collections. The library provided temporary quarters for the Physical Sciences Library until theSciences Library was built in 1971. The John Hay Library was completely renovated and rededicated on September 21, 1981. A major renovation of the library headed bySelldorf Architects began in 2013.[6] The building was closed on June 1, 2013, and reopened in Fall 2014.[5] The renovation reconfigured the library's main floor, doubled the exhibition space, and returned the main reading room to its original design.[5]
The Library houses Brown's Special Collections division, including those materials that require special handling and preservation. Although many of the items in Special Collections are rare or unique, a majority of the materials are part of large subject-oriented collections which are maintained as discrete units. Altogether, Special Collections consists of over 250 separate collections, numbering some 2.5 million items.
Notable collections include:
Other notable items include aShakespeareFirst Folio, the first two editions of Copernicus'sDe Revolutionibus (1543, 1566), a copy ofGiambattista Vico’sThe New Science (1730) annotated by the author,King George III’s copy ofThomas Jefferson’sNotes on the State of Virginia, a first edition ofLeaves of Grass inscribed byWalt Whitman andOscar Wilde (1855),T.S. Eliot's copy ofThe Great Gatsby (1925), and 27Mesopotamian clay tablets and cones.[14][15][9]
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The John Hay Library is well known for its collection ofanthropodermic books (books bound in human skin).[16] The Hay acquired the books in the 1960s as gifts from two alumni, at least one an avid book collector. The books were not originally bound in human skin, but were instead rebound for private collectors in the 19th century.[17] The library has four such human-skin books:
These books are not on display to the public and are treated as human remains.[18]
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The University Archives serves as the institutional memory of the university by collecting, preserving, and making accessible the materials that provide evidence of past University actions and contribute to an understanding of the university's structure and its history. For the definitive reference work on the history, people, and places of Brown University, please consult theEncyclopedia Brunoniana[19] by Martha Mitchell.
The records of the Corporation that governs Brown University are in the University Archives. They consist of minutes, correspondence, reports, and committee records of the corporation from 1763 to the present. The earliest Corporation records are part of a collection called Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers.[20] These records document the founding of the university, relocation from Warren to Providence, building ofUniversity Hall, George Washington's visit in 1790, and other business of the college, ending withNicholas Brown's letter donating $5,000, which changed the name of the college from Rhode Island College to Brown University and at the same time established the first endowed professorship.
The Archives contains papers ofBrown's presidents, select faculty and alumni papers, student organization records, and university publications. There are over 60,000 photographs depicting campus scenes, buildings, groups, events, student activities, athletic teams and events, and individual faculty members, students, and alumni preserved and accessible in the University Archives. Some have been digitized are available at Images of Brown.
TheEdward North Robinson Collection of Brown Athletics represents over 150 years ofathletics at Brown. Consisting of photographs, moving images, artifacts, posters, drawings, cartoons, administrative records, and publications, this collection traces the earliest days of athletic competition at Brown andPembroke up through the modern era. This collection is supported through an endowment created by Jackson Robinson (Class of 1964), the grandson of famed Brown football coach. Edward North Robinson.
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The Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive identifies collections with materials pertaining to women within Special Collections and University Archives. Collections in the Farnham Archive document the history of women in Brown University andPembroke College, the post-graduate lives of Brown alumnae, and the lives of Rhode Island women. The collections document the lives of prominent women but also chronicle the lives and work of ordinary women. In addition to correspondence, diaries, photographs, newspapers, yearbooks, and memorabilia, it also includes a collection oforal history tapes and videos. AResearch Guide to the Christine Dunlap Farnham Archives was published in 1989, which includes more than 1,000 entries describing the collection.[21]
Also included within the Farnham Archive is theFeminist Theory Archive, inaugurated in 2002, which preserves the legacies of prominent feminist thinkers. This collection continues thePembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women's commitment to documenting the contributions of feminist scholars to cutting-edge research and making their papers available to scholars.
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41°49′35.16″N71°24′17.81″W / 41.8264333°N 71.4049472°W /41.8264333; -71.4049472
