Searching for patron records in Aeon is quite simple. This search the search boxes in the center segment of the Home ribbon labeled Search Users, circled in the image below.

You can search for a patron's record using one of two approaches:

1. Type the patron's exact username (the one they created when they set up their Aeon account) into the Username field and click on the Search icon. If you are not sure you know the patron's username (or if the patron is unsure), this is not the best search option to use.
   •   Note that for Yale NetID users, the exact username string is yale\NetID (e.g., yale\bl326), but you can search just on the NetID (e.g., bl326) and find the record.
2. Type all or part of the patron's first and last names in the Name field and click on the Search icon. This is typically the best search to use when looking for a patron who has newly registered and never been 'cleared" ("cleared" is Aeon teminology for a patron having successfully completed the in-person part of the registration process).

If there is a single match for your search, that patron record window will open automatically and will also result in a single-item grid in the main window. If there are multiple matches (for example, if you type smith into the Name field you will get all variations of Smith, Smithers, Smithfield, Wordsmith, and so forth) your result set will be a grid of possible matches, as illustrated below using test as the search word. You can sort (ascending and descending) on each column in the grid by clicking on a column's label, which is of great assistance when navigating a large result set. The results grid for a search on test in the Name field is shown in the illustration below.

Note that the result set for a search appears as a tab on the main Aeon home screen. Each successive search will appear as a new tab. When you are finished with the results of a search you can clear them by closing the tab (click on the the X on the right side of the tab to close it). The Home tab is the default tab, is always in the leftmost position, and you do not have an option to close it.

To open a record for a specific patron from the search results grid simply double-click on the line containing the record you wish to open.

If you cannot find a record for a patron, in all likelihood s/he may not have completed the online portion of the registration process correctly. See the Troubleshooting Patron Registration tab on this guide to see how you might be able to a patron who has not completed the registration process properly.

Aeon uses the term "clearing a patron" to mean "registering a patron." There are two basic steps to the Aeon registration process:

1. Creating an Aeon account and agreeing to the Yale Special Collections User Agreement. This commits a patron to abiding by the terms and conditions Yale University Library imposes on those using its special collections, and permits her/him to request collection materials or services for those Yale special collections set up as repositories in Aeon. 
2. Appearing in person at a Yale special collection, presenting a required ID, and having one's photograph taken for inclusion in Yale's Aeon patron database: This final step permits a patron to physically access special collections materials and services in a secure reading room. 

A Cleared patron is therefore a patron who is fully registered (i.e., has completed both of the above steps) and may use Yale University Library special collections material in person in a secure reading room within the Yale University Library system.

A patron whose Aeon record reflects the completion only of step 1 above, that is completing the registration form and agreeing to the Yale University Library User Agreement for Special Collections, is assigned a Clearance Status of Not Cleared. The procedure and requirements for clearing a Not Cleared patron in Aeon are detailed in this guide under Clearing a Patron.

Apart from the two Aeon clearance statuses Cleared and Not Cleared, the following clearance statuses are also possible, though infrequently encountered.

• Blocked means that a patron can still access her/his account, but cannot submit requests. Special collections staff members who are using Aeon solely to register patrons should consult with their repository head before blocking a patron, since this would prevent that patron from requesting materials at any repository. This status is intended in most cases to be temporary and used for patrons who haven't paid for a fee-based library service or are exhibiting egregious behavior in a reading room. Blocked records appear in red in the grid of results when you search users in the Aeon Staff Client.
  • IMPORTANT: It is critical that any repository deciding to Block a patron's Aeon account add a Note to the patron's record containing the reason for the Block and the name of the staff member(s) who needs to be contacted in order to resolve it!
• Disavowed means that a patrons can no longer log into their Aeon web account, and because of that can no longer submit requests. This status is primarily used as a result of the merging of multiple accounts held by a single patron. See the Clearing and Merging Records tab. The Disavowed Clearance Status should only be used when a staff member is merging multiple patron records for the same patron. Disavowed records appear in light gray in the grid of results when you search users in the Aeon Staff Client.
• Inactive is a status very similar to Not Cleared in that it does not impede a patron's ability to make a request, but signals that some component of the registration process is incomplete or must be renewed. It is not used by the Yale University Library at this time; use Not Cleared instead.

As with patron data in Alma and other circulation systems, patron information in Aeon is personal identifiable information that:

• Should only be accessed by Yale University staff members who have a business reason to access it and
• Is protected by privacy legislation in many jurisdictions.

Most patrons will have created an Aeon account (which produces the patron record) prior to coming to a special collections reading room. There are two ways in which the process of creating a patron record can happen.

The ideal way is for the patron to sit down in front of a public computer or their own personal computer and follow the account creation process that begins at the Special Collections at Yale Research Account page. Refer to the Patron Registration tab for steps.  The process is fairly straightforward and involves supplying basic information about the patron themself, and agreeing to the terms of the Yale University User Agreement for Special Collections. This is a legal contract by which a researcher agrees, in exchange for being granted access to Yale's special collections, to Yale's copyright and privacy policies, and to abide by rules for personal behavior and handling of rare and unique collection material while in a Yale University special collections reading room setting. It is an absolutely critical part of the registration process and cannot be bypassed. Any patron who refuses to agree to these Terms of Use will be denied access to all Yale Special Collections reading rooms. No exceptions will be made.

Alternatively, in the very rare circumstance where a patron has a physical impairment that prevents them from completing the online registration form, a Yale Special Collections staff member can fill out the registration information in the Aeon Staff Client for the patron. The staff member must do the inputting; in no case may a patron be permitted to use the Aeon Staff Client on a YUL staff member's desktop computer. To generate a blank User Information record from the home screen of the Aeon Staff Client simply click on the + User icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, as indicated (along with the blank User Information record screen that will be generated) in the illustration below. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the rare case that a Yale Special Collections staff member creates a new record for a patron using the Aeon Staff Client, the patron will not be able to log in to this account, as that process requires a technologically separate account that requires patron interaction to create. As well, the patron must still agree to the Yale University Library User Agreement for Special Collections. To obtain this agreement, print out the user agreement and have the patron sign it in an appropriate manner. Staff members may neither 'clear' a new patron, nor permit them to use collection material in a secure reading room until they have agreed to the terms of the user agreement in the manner detailed in this paragraph. Staff members may not click on the I Agree icon for a patron during the registration process. No exceptions will be made regarding these points.

The image below represents a fully completed patron record in the Aeon Staff Client. The data fields highlighted in red boxes are the ones on which Yale University special collections staff will focus during the in-person portion of the registration process. 

*Note for the accounts of Yale Affiliates: Please check all Yale\netID accounts for the status selection. If the field is empty, ask the individual what their status is (using the verbiage used in the dropdown). After making the selection, save the record.