Contact Us
COVID-19 Access
By appointment only (no drop-ins).
We are offering in-person and virtual appointments.
In-person appointments:
- In-person appointments are only available to the RISD community (including alumni), Brown community, and the Providence Athenaeum.
- Masks are required.
- For in-person appointments hands must be washed before handling materials.
- Appointments can be for individuals or up to three people.
- Individual outside researchers are allowed. They have to be vaccinated and follow campus-wide protocols, most importantly masking.
Virtual appointments
- Via Zoom, we will send you a google calendar invite with the Zoom link.
For both in-person and virtual appointment up to ten items can be pulled per appointment and must be done prior to the appointment.
All services are contingent upon staffing being available.
Exhibits/Events
General Information
How to identify materials in Special Collections:
All materials are in the RISD Library online catalog and distinguished by call number location prefixes: SPECIAL or ARTISTS'. Searches can be limited to just items in Special Collections by choosing "RISD Special Collections" under Location.
Access:
By appointment only.
Food and drink are not allowed in the Reading Room.
Please wash your hands (sink across the hall from the Reading Room as well as bathrooms before the double doors on the 2nd floor).
All bags and coats must be hung up on the coat rack or put in the corner by the coat rack in the Reading Room.
Sketching and Note-taking:
Allowed: pencils, sketchbooks, notebooks, paper, laptops, tablets, phones.
Not allowed: pens, markers, colored pencils, charcoal, paint, ink, etc.
Duplication Options:
All duplication requests for scanning and photocopies are subject to copyright fair use restrictions and condition of the materials. Readers may take digital photographs, with permission.