Off-Campus Access to Library Resources

Only current Caltech students, faculty, and staff have remote-access privileges to Caltech-licensed library resources.

JPL staff: please contact the JPL Library (library@jpl.nasa.gov) for available options.

You are a remote user if your IP address falls outside the range 131.215.*.*. This includes Caltech offices at CSO, IPAC, LIGO, OVRO, and Palomar.

Step 1: Obtain an up-to-date IMSS account.

  • Click here for comprehensive information on IMSS accounts.
  • Please contact IMSS if you have forgotten your IMSS username, password, or both.
  • If you have not used your IMSS account recently, update your account.

Step 2: Use links on the library web pages.

  • Links on the library web pages are proxied. When clicking on a proxied link for the first time in the session, remote users are prompted for their IMSS username and password. One successful login establishes access to most Caltech-licensed resources.
  • Links not obtained from the library web pages are, most likely, not proxied. Therefore, always start on library webpages when working remotely.

Step 3 (Optional): Establish a VPN Account.

  • Click here for information about VPN accounts and installation of VPN software.
  • VPN is important for remote use of Beilstein/Gmelin and/or SciFinder Scholar.
  • Use the “Caltech-Tunnel All” option.
  • VPN slows down connections to all IP addresses. For most library resources, proxied links are the preferred method.