Image reading apparatus that holds carriage at a reading position

An image reading apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upper surface which forms a document table;
• a document feeder attached to the housing to cover the document table, and configured to feed a document to the document table;
• a carriage provided in the housing such that it can move along the document table, the carriage being provided with a light source which illuminates the document, an optical member which transmits light reflected from the document, and a case containing the light source and the optical member;
• a light receiving element which receives the reflected light transmitted via the optical member, and subjects the received light to photoelectric conversion;
• a rail fixed to the housing, the rail mounting thereon the case of the carriage such that the case can slide along the document table;
• and
• an electromagnet which magnetically holds the case of the carriage when the case assumes a reading position while the carriage is sliding along the rail, thereby fixing the carriage at the reading position.