Due to environmental remediation efforts, some sections of our collection on the third floor of the Robert L. Carothers Library & Learning Commons will be temporarily inaccessible. Please contact the Circulation Desk for more information.

As of January 2, remediation is underway. Please contact Circulation for assistance accessing materials in the sequestered area.

The majority of the collection on the third floor is available for patrons to browse and check out as they please. However, certain sections of the collection will be unavailable until further notice.  This includes:

• History

  • Books with call numbers starting with DS through DX

  • Some books with call numbers beginning with E

  • Some books with call numbers starting with F

• Language and Literature:

  • Most books with call numbers beginning with P

• Recreation, Sports, and Games

  • All books with call numbers from GV691 to GV1860

• Social Sciences

  • All general social science books, starting with H1 through HA29

For more information, please call the University Libraries Circulation Desk at (401) 874-2672.

If your research material is within the listed unavailable areas, here are three options to obtain what you need.

Option #1 - Check with Circulation. In some cases, what you are seeking is located in a partially affected area.  Circulation staff will go to the third and, if possible, retrieve the item or items for you.

Option #2 - If the URI Libraries book or books are unavailable, please place a request via Interlibrary Loan.

Option #3 - If the URI Libraries books or books are unavailable and your need is urgent, book orders can be submitted via the URI Libraries Book Suggestion Form.

After they are received and processed, new books within those affected call number areas will be located along Range 66 on the 3rd floor.

Estimates for Interlibrary Loan delivery times under the current systems:

Books sent from within Rhode Island: Approximately 3-7 business days (75% of requests). 2-3 business days (25% of requests).

Books sent from the Boston Library Consortium (BLC): 1-3 business days.

Books sent from outside RI or the BLC:

3-10 business days (65%)
10-15 business days (25%)
15-20 business days (10%)

We aim to order from BLC or RI institutions as we have better delivery systems, but the Interlibrary Loan process requires the lending library to have the book available at the point of request.

Testing has shown that mold levels are within safe limits, especially away from the "wrapped stacks" on the third floor. In addition, air filtration systems have been installed to improve the air quality.

The molds detected on the third floor are commonly found in indoor environments with moisture or high humidity. These molds are typically non-toxic and do not contain the "black mold" that is dangerous to humans.

However, they are allergenic, so if you have a mold allergy/sensitivity or asthma, you might choose to avoid long periods on the 3rd floor or, alternatively, wear a KN95 or similar mask while there.