Need phone numbers from sim. Can I use borrow iPhone 2 access?

My iphone 4s is down for the time being. I need to get some phone numbers from my sim if I can. I have access to a family members 4s and tried to plug in my sim and see what happens...maybe my contacts would pop up and I could write them down and pop my sim out not changing anything on this persons iphone....When it powerd on with my sim in place I got reset message of some sort..."after restart or powering back on something needs to reset or be re-set up" something along those lines. I stopped and didnt reset anything...I didn't think I'd be asking this question anywhere at the time so I didn't write down what was being resert exactly....not my phone so I stopped there...May have been no big deal to reset or re-enter whatever it was telling me but I didn't want to change messing up something...any tricks to just getting phone numbes off a sim using a borrowed iphone? An old generic cell of mine?

I've never messed with my sim card before...when an old generic cell would die I'd just throw it away. I had all my numbers written down somewhere...my hand me down iphone is new to me...and I havent backed up any numbers or contacs info yet...I find myself without the iphone for now but need a couple numbers off the sim asap and not a clue how best to go about it or even any experience screwing around with access sim data yadda yadda yadda....anyone have any info or advise? Thanks!

Mike