Scholarly Systems Manager Mike Aynsworth explains the work his team has been doing to improve access to library resources:
Work has been carried out to make off campus access to the major library databases the same as on campus access. This has been achieved by using Ezproxy, an authentication service which mimics on campus access for those using resources off campus.
The following databases which may formerly have presented off campus authentication problems via NELSON have now been set up to go through Ezproxy:
- Ingentaconnect
- Emerald Insight
- Mag Online Library
- BrillOnline
- Taylor and Francis Online
- Sage
- Wiley
- Springer Link
In order for seamless authentication to work users are strongly recommended to log into NELSON first (to do this just click on the ‘Sign In’ link in the top right hand corner of the screen). By doing this you are logging into three systems at once (NELSON, Shibboleth and Ezproxy) so you should not be asked to authenticate again to these or other related databases when searching.
We hope that you will see a marked improvement in off campus access to resources. However, if you do experience any difficulties it is always worth checking the NELSON home page for news of known problems; alternatively, take a look at this page on the Research Support Hub or contact the library for help. Please note, if you do contact the library it is a great help if you can describe exactly which resource you were trying to access and the steps that you had taken when the error occurred.
Image credit: Compass by Roland Urbanek
