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Building Policies & Accessibility

The Claremont Colleges Library is committed to making our services, facilities, and collections accessible, inclusive, and safe for all of our users. If any of our spaces or resources present barriers, Library staff are available to provide assistance or make accommodations.

This page provides information about how to gain access to and navigate our building, services, accommodations and web accessibility. Learn more about the Library’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the actions we have taken or plan to take in order to put this commitment into practice.

Building Policies

Food and drink are allowed in the Library.

Please keep them away from Library materials, which may be damaged, and dispose of any trash in available garbage cans.

As an exception, food and drink are not allowed in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Book Returns

There are two outdoor book drop bins that you may use to return your Library books. They can be found in the following locations:

  • Dartmouth Avenue and Eighth Street, in the southwest loading dock parking lot.
    • This book drop can be accessed from a vehicle, wheelchair or by walking up to it.
  • Columbia Avenue and Ninth Street (across from CMC’s Kravis Center)
    • This book drop can be accessed from a wheelchair or by walking up to it.

See map of the Library’s external book drop bins

There is also a book drop just inside the South Entrance of the Library building, which is accessible via a ramp. See Library hours to find out when this entrance is open.

Accessing the Building

To enter the Library:

  • Current Claremont Colleges ID holders must tap/swipe their ID cards to enter.
  • Community Access Card and Community Borrower Card holders must show their Library cards.
  • Other visitors must check-in at the Main Services Desk or North Desk.

Why is swiping/checking in required to enter the Library?

  • Understanding who is coming and going and when provides insight into the activity within the Library at any given time which is helpful for management of facility operations and staffing, as well as allows the Library to provide the 7Cs with data related to engagement with and use of our facilities.

Data privacy

  • More detailed information is forthcoming, but we can assure you that we take data privacy very seriously and that no individual-level data has been or ever will be shared outside of the few Library staff members who have direct access to the data in order to analyze and summarize it.

The South entrance into the Library, which takes you to the first floor of the Honnold building, is accessible via a ramp. To use this ramp, approach this entrance from the West or South side of the building.  The North Entrance requires the use of stairs.

See the Directions & Parking webpage for information.

No animals are allowed inside the building unless they are certified as service animals in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Emotional support animals are not considered service animals, so they are not permitted inside the Library.

If you bring an animal into the Library building, Library staff may approach you to ask you the following two questions, as permitted by the Department of Justice, to ascertain if your animal is a service animal:

  1. Is the service animal required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has the service animal been trained to perform?

Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the service animal, require that the service animal demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the service animal handler’s disability.

If you are approached by other Library users regarding your approved service animal, please ask for assistance at the Main Services Desk.

Navigating the Building

Library directories and maps are posted throughout the Library, providing more detailed locations of rooms and collections. For help navigating the building, stop by the Main Services Desk or Ask us.

Anyone who needs assistance retrieving materials has 2 options:

  • You can submit a request in advance by using our pick-up request services
  • You can get immediate on-site assistance by asking a staff member at the Main Services Desk.
The Library has one public elevator in the Honnold building and 3 public elevators in the Mudd building. The two buildings are connected by a bridge on floors 2, 3, and 4:

  • To move between Mudd 2 and Honnold 2: A small (3 steps) flight of stairs and a multi-side elevator are both available.
  • To move between Mudd 3 and Honnold 3: A ramp is available.
  • There is no elevation change between Mudd 4 and Honnold 4.
The Library has multi-stall men’s and women’s restrooms on Honnold 1, Honnold 2, Honnold 3, and Mudd 2. All restrooms include an accessible stall.

The Library has two all-gender restrooms on Honnold 4:

  • A single occupant all-gender restroom that locks; it includes a urinal and an accessible stall.
  • A multi-stall all-gender restroom that includes an accessible stall.
Water fountains and bottle refill stations are available on Honnold 1, Honnold 2, Mudd 2, and Mudd 3. Guests are welcome to bring their own water (and other beverages) to the building.
Services & Accommodations
The Library will provide accommodations, such as American Sign Language interpreters and/or live captioning, for Library-sponsored events upon request. Contact library@claremont.edu for more information or to request an accommodation.

We strive to make our collections as accessible as possible including purchasing both print and electronic materials. If you encounter a resource in a format that isn’t accessible to you, please reach out to the appropriate Subject Librarian who will attempt to find the resource in a format that works best for you.

Web Accessibility

The Claremont Colleges Library is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We continue to make changes to improve the user experience for everyone and apply the relevant accessibility standards.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

Wherever possible, the Claremont Colleges Library will aim to adhere to level AA of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, which states that sites should be:

  • Perceivable – Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
  • Operable – User interface components and navigation must be operable.
  • Understandable – Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.
  • Robust – Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

As part of our efforts to achieve WCAG 2.0 AA compliance, we use Acquia as an ongoing monitoring service.

Report a Barrier

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the Claremont Colleges Library website. If you have experienced any accessibility barriers while using any part of library.claremont.edu, please let us know.