My search for libraries brought me to the John Hay Library on the Brown University campus. Best described as a building with great stature, the bottom floor is newly renovated and offers comfortable study spaces and conference rooms. The main reading room is very stately and elegant. As I studied there on a Tuesday afternoon, I found myself admiring the shadow play of the chandeliers on the ceiling and the warmth emanating from the desk lamps. With few people in the library that day, the sounds of turning pages and typing seemed to echo throughout the room in a very
mysterious way. The building was originally Brown’s main library, but in 1964 was
redirected to house the universities’ special collections after the completion of the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library. The unique collections contained within the Hay range from an extensive stamp collection, to numerous H.P. Lovecraft letters, or a group of anthropodermic books (books bound in human skin); the library is filled with intrigue. However, a visit to the Hay Library would not be complete without a journey up a few floors to the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection which exhibits over 5,000 toy soldiers from different periods of history. I had first stumbled on this exhibit not knowing the library displayed these thousands of soldiers, and my reaction was one of anybody who walks into a room filled with 5,000 toy soldiers perfectly displayed- pretty amazed. Whether you are looking for a new place to study, or want to view the sui generis collections housed in the building, the John Hay Library is worth a visit on your next trip to Providence.
For more information about the John Hay Library, including visiting hours, see the link below: https://library.brown.edu/hay/
Bibliography
John Hay Library :: Brown University Library, library.brown.edu/hay/.
Mitchell , Martha . “John Hay Library .” Encyclopedia Brunoniana | John Hay Library, www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/Databases/Encyclopedia/search.php?serial=J0080.