EZproxy Roll Out -- update

The Library has begun its phased roll out of EZProxy, an easy-to-use authentication system which will replace UITS' VPN for off-campus access to most library resources. It is now in production in Classguides, Virtual EMS (room scheduling) and will soon be used in electronic reserves. If this initial phase of the roll out goes well, the next phase will take place over winter break when we will turn on EZProxy in all applications that require authentication: SFX, E-Journal Locator, the RDL, Homer, etc. and should be complete before the start of the spring semester.

Because we are a large library with many resources to proxy, it is likely that there will be bumps in the road to full implementation. We expect most to be minor and easily fixed and we'll be providing you with specific information on how to identify these problems as the roll out progresses.

Most of the implementation will be done by CS and Application Development staff, however, there is one task that any staff member who contributes content to the library web site may have to help with. If you have links on the web site that point to resources that require authentication, you may need to modify them. Fortunately, this modification is extremely simple. You'll just need to add http://ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/login?url= to the start of URLs. For example, 

http://search.ebscohost.com
becomes
http://ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com

However, if links point to the RDL, and not directly to the resource, e.g.

http://rdl.lib.uconn.edu/databases/1063;go
instead of
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=eric

no change will be needed, because proxying will have been turned on in the RDL. The same is true of links to resources in Homer.

The Applications Development team and the elibrary team will be working with content providers to make this change where needed when we reach that point in the roll out, so don't be too concerned about these details for now. Please just be aware that you may need to make some changes to your web pages and that we'll help you to do this.

The goal of this project is to improve users' experience in using our licensed electronic resources and to get us to the point where we won't need to explain authentication: it will become largely self explanatory; see "How to Use EZproxy" below for details. Users will just need to know their NetIDs and passwords and not have to understand the details of the VPN. If you have any questions about the project, please contact me or Stephanie and well be happy to answer them.

Thanks --Nicholas & Stephanie

How to Use EZproxy

It really *is* easy to use. These are the steps a user would take:

• User finds the resource they want, on the library web site, in Serials Solutions, in Homer, and clicks on it, such as the journal Nature:
  http://ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/loginurl=http://www.nature.com/nature/archive
• If user is on campus, they have access.
  
• If user is off-campus, they are asked to login with their netID & password, and they have access.
  
• All future proprietary resources will be permitted in that session without login because of this first login.
  

One real benefit of EZproxy is that authentication happens at the user's *point of need* -- the user logs in when they want to access a proprietary resource, rather than being required to login when they get to the library home page.