Special Collections & Archives holds collections of literary and historical manuscripts, rare books, and Claremont Colleges’ history. Claremont Colleges students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as the public are welcome.
About Our Collections
The library provides students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges access to over 2.1 million resources in a variety of formats.
Books
The library’s sizable print collection covers topics in arts & humanities, social sciences, STEM, and interdisciplinary fields. In additional to print books, the library has a significant collection of electronic books provided on a range of platforms, most of which can be either downloaded or read online. This search will return only items held by The Claremont Colleges Library–you can change the scope of the search using the left side panel on the results page.
Use of Electronic Resources
Use of any of the library’s electronic resources must comply with The Claremont Colleges Policy Regarding Appropriate Use of Campus Computing and Network Resources.
Databases
or browse hundreds of databases and electronic journals. Databases are tools to help you discover information across all disciplines in a range of formats including full-text journal articles, citations, data and statistics, primary sources, images, media and more. Alternatively, search for journals by title in the e-journals look-up.
A – Z DatabasesJournals
BrowZine allows you to search or browse for journals, magazines, and newspapers available from The Claremont Colleges Library or from open sources on your computer, tablet, or personal device via the Web. Prefer Classic Search? It’s still available!
Journals SearchBooks, DVDs, and other course materials are available on Honnold 1 near the Main Services Desk
These materials are meant to be easily accessible to the entire class throughout the semester. Students can use these materials in the Library or check them out for 4 hours at a time.
See our Course Readings page for more information.
The Claremont Colleges Library is a United States Federal and California State depository library. We have been a federal depository since 1913 and a state depository since 1952.
Almost all current (since 2006) government documents are available electronically through Library Search. Records for selected documents back to 1976 are also available via Library Search. You can search by subject, title, or the Government Documents number (not a piece of information you usually have).
International Government Documents (IGO’s); California State and Local (most) are cataloged using LC classification and integrated into the library’s main collection. They can be found using Library Search.
U.S. Documents in print are filed using Sudoc (Superintendent of Documents) classification system, and about 80% of post-1976 documents are available through Library Search. Most pre-1976 documents are not available using Library Search. They are housed in the U.S. Government Publications collection on the first floor of Mudd.
California State Government Documents are classified using LC Classification, available via Library Search, but housed in a separate location, at the end of the U.S. Government Documents Collection on the first floor of Mudd.
Local Government Documents are scattered, mostly in the main stacks, available through Library Search, and not currently collected.
British Government Documents (a substantial print collection) are not classified or in Library Search. They are housed in a separate collection located at the beginning of the U.S. Government Documents collection on the first floor of Mudd. There are some finding tools shelved at the beginning of the collection.
Book of Hours (Dutch), Crispin 21
15th C., illuminated manuscript
William Smith map legend
Geological cross-section from Smith's A Geologic Map of England and Wales (1815)
Fred Finkle Papers, Water Resources Collection
Diagram of the Kern River Power Plant No. 1
Cyanotype of a cowboy leading his horse
Charles Lummis Photographs
The Asian Library of The Claremont Colleges is a distinguished library within The Claremont Colleges Library noted for our holdings of rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts from China, Japan, and Korea.
Chinese movable type
Vase and Lacquer Ruyi
Hai Guo Tu Zhi 海國圖志 (2)
Hai Guo Tu Zhi 海國圖志 (2)
Cabinet for Gilded Statues of the Buddha
Cabinet for Gilded Statues of the Buddha
The Claremont Colleges digital collections include:
- Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL), which provides access to historical and visual resources and collections created both by and for The Claremont Colleges community.
- Scholarship@Claremont is an open access repository of academic and scholarly research produced by The Claremont Colleges academic community.
- The Western Water Archives (WWA) offers digital primary sources from the water archives of 7 partner institutions including blueprints, correspondence, ephemera, ledgers, legal papers, maps, pamphlets, photographs, plans, reports, scrapbooks, and technical documents.
Claremont Colleges Digital Library
Access historical and visual resources created by and for The Claremont Colleges community
Scholarship@Claremont
Scholarly Communication, Digital Publishing, and Digital Initiatives
Western Water Archives
The Western Water Archives (WWA) offers digital primary sources from the water archives of 7 partner institutions; the bulk of which focus on Southern California.
Graphic Novels
Whether you need a graphic novel or comic for your class, or just want to check one out for fun, our collection of graphic novels and comics has got you covered.
Braxton Reading Collection
Looking to unwind with the latest bestseller? Browse our Braxton collection.
Zines
Zines are a platform for those whose voices are often marginalized by mainstream publishing and are generally limited-distribution, self-published works.