Special Collections Access Guide

Your Special Collections Account facilitates your access to rare books, manuscripts, and archives held in Special Collections at The Claremont Colleges Library and Ella Strong Denison Library at Scripps College.

• Submit requests to view items onsite.
• Submit requests for scans in accordance with copyright guidelines.
• Track the status of your requests.
• Access information about past requests.
• Collaboratively select materials for group projects, classes, and exhibits using the activities feature.
• Claremont Colleges students, faculty, and staff can access their account using their CAS credentials. All researchers outside of The Claremont Colleges can login using the “Other Researchers” login option.

Questions about your account? Ask Special Collections.

Q: What if I don't have a local address?

A: Please use your primary address, if you are not local to the Claremont area.

Q: What if I don't have an institutional affiliation?

A: You may choose "Other" and enter whatever best describes an affiliation: non-Claremont Colleges institution, business, foundation, resident of a city, or just "individual researcher."

Q. Will I need to bring ID with me if I plan to use materials in the reading room?

A. Please make sure you bring the ID you used to register: institution ID, driver's license, or passport.

Q. Why do we collect your information when registering for a Special Collections account?

A. Entering your personal information at registration allows us to identify you when you arrive to access your materials. Having your email and regular addresses on file also enables us to notify you promptly and deliver materials accurately.

Q. Why do I need a username and password to make requests?

A. Your username and password gives you secure access to information about your requests. You will also be able to access a list of items you have requested in the past. The password is encrypted and no one but you will know it.

Q. What if I forget my password?

A. In the event that you forget your password, you can reset your password here. If you forget your username, please contact us.

Q. What Web browser should I use?

A. You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferably cascading style sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

Q. Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

A. Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your requests, you can take the following steps:

• Access Aeon only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
• Access Aeon from a public workstation in the Special Collections office. These computers are supervised by the staff.
• When using a public access workstation:
  • Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
  • Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.

Q. Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?

A. The technology that we use sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to access your Special Collections account without any problems.

Q. Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about my Special Collections account?

A. Please contact us if you have questions or are experiencing any issues with your account.