History

The scholarly value of the Library’s collection is extraordinary partly because its origins go back to a time when systematic book collecting around a historical theme was a rarity. Although the Brown family had been acquiring books since early in the eighteenth century, the present collection was not fully launched until the mid-nineteenth century when John Carter Brown (1797–1874) began avid pursuit of Americana, an area of interest he termed “the Great Subject.” His son, John Nicholas Brown (1861–1900), actively continued this tradition and before his untimely death had conceived the idea of giving the Library to the world of historical research as a memorial to his father. In his will, John Nicholas Brown assigned funds for the construction of an appropriate building and for an endowment to support the Library’s work. The original Library building was formally dedicated in 1904. In 1990, the Library raised the capital to construct a 15,000 square foot addition, designed in the classical style like the original structure and named the Caspersen Building.

Governance

The indenture that conveyed the John Carter Brown Library into the keeping of Brown University in 1901 stipulated that in perpetual trust the Library was to “preserve its individual identity as a whole,” with a separate endowment, always to have “its own separate and special housing..., and to be kept separate and distinct from any other library.”

“Care, oversight, and management” of the institution were delegated to a committee, which is now the Board of Governors. Members of the Board in 2007–2008 are: Frederick D. Ballou; John R. Bockstoce; T. Kimball Brooker; Vincent J. Buonanno; Samuel M. W. Caspersen; George D. Edwards, Jr.; Angela Brown Fischer; France Gagnon Pratte; Harriette Hemmasi; Artemis A. W. Joukowsky; Gilbert C. Meister, Jr.; Andrew Oliver; Conde de Orgaz; R. David Parsons; Jane Gregory Rubin; David M. Rumsey; Ruth J. Simmons, Chair; Clinton I. Smullyan, Jr.; William Twaddell; William B. Warren; and Gordon Wood.

Librarians of the John Carter Brown Library

George Parker Winship 1895–1915
Champlin Burrage 1916
Worthington C. Ford 1917–1922 (acting)
Lawrence C. Wroth 1923–1956
Thomas R. Adams 1957–1982
Norman Fiering 1983–2006
Edward L. Widmer 2006–

TOP OF PAGE