Engage with our books! The Athenæum’s wide-ranging collections, both rare and contemporary, represent the reading and acquisition tastes of Providence over the course of three centuries.

Loan Policies
Loan periods for all items are specified by type, below. Overdue fines are $.10 per day, except for DVDs which are $1.00 per day.

New Fiction | 2 weeks
New Non-Fiction | 4 weeks
Special Permission Books | 2 weeks

Item Limits by Membership Type
Household/Individual/Individual Under 35 | unlimited books; up to 6 A/V items
Introductory | 10 items total; up to 6 A/V items
Student | up to 6 items
RISD | up to 5 items (books and/or up to 4 A/V materials)

Renewals
DVDs and travel guides are renewable once. All other materials may be renewed if there are no holds on the item. To renew checked out items, please call the Circulation Desk at 401-421-6970 or login to your library account through the shared RISD/Athenæum catalog (the Circulation Desk will provide your barcode number on request).

ILL Policies

To request an item that is not already in the Athenæum’s collection, please fill out the form below or contact Technical Services Librarian Brendan Ryan at bryan@provath.org.

The Athenæum has recently contracted with hoopla to provide access to ebooks, audiobooks, and digital streaming (movies, TV, and music!). During this trial period, this benefit is available to Household Individual, Under 35, Introductory, and Providence Public School Teacher members.

To start borrowing:
– Go to hoopladigital.com and click GET STARTED TODAY
– Enter and confirm your email and a password of your choosing
– Find your library (if you don’t see “Providence Athenaeum” automatically, enter library name or zipcode 02903)
– Enter your library ID number (you’ll receive this number in your welcome packet when you join the library, from the Circulation Desk, or by emailing membership@provath.org)
– Click SIGN ME UP and start borrowing!

For more information, download hoopla FAQs here. And please let us know your thoughts on the service! Email membership@provath.org with comments.

Our Reference Librarian can assist you with any question, be it a general inquiry or research-oriented. A particular strength of the Athenæum’s Reference Collection is the Rhode Island Collection, which brings together all reference books related to the history and life of Rhode Islanders. If our resources do not yield the answers you are looking for, the Librarian can offer referrals to other relevant collections in the area. Please contact Reference & Special Collections Librarian Stephanie Ovoian at sovoian@provath.org.