2. Library resources
• Organisations subscribe to resources
• Use of electronic resources has grown exponentially
over last 10 years (many organisations are now 100%
electronic)
• Individuals go to publisher websites
• Need to identify themselves as subscribers
• Both on and off-site
24. Providing appropriate links
• Publishers automatically do IP authentication…
• But don’t automatically check for federated or
Shibboleth-like authentication
• User typically has to navigate WAYF
• i.e. choose their organisation from a list
• OpenAthens works with publishers to provide seamless
links for OpenAthens users
25. But at the moment…
• OpenAthens URLs are different from IP authenticated URLs
• All different - each publisher has its own unique structure
• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01406736
• https://auth.elsevier.com/ShibAuth/institutionLogin?entityID=https%3
A%2F%2Fidp.eduserv.org.uk%2Fopenathens&appReturnURL=http
%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Fjournal%2F01
406736
• http://ajs.sagepub.com
• http://openathens.highwire.org/initiate-
login?returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fajs.sagepub.com%2F
26. The Redirector
• OpenAthens can provide a single link structure that will:
• Authorise users on-network without logging in
• Authorise users off-network with a single
OpenAthens login
27. The Redirector
• Single proxy-like structure for all publishers
• Checks user’s IP address and if on-network, sends them
straight to target URL
• If not, OpenAthens constructs the OpenAthens URL and
sends the user there
28.
29.
30. How does it work: on-network?
START
Library uses the
same format for all*
resources
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/novanth
ealth.org?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.co
m%2Fthebmj
User clicks resource link
Redirector checks
where the user is
located
IP ADDRESS
I’m using a work PC!
User taken staright there
31. How does it work: off-network?
START
Library uses the
same format for all*
resources
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/novanth
ealth.org?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.co
m%2Fthebmj
User clicks resource link
Redirector checks
where the user is
located
IP ADDRESS
I’m on a device off
the network
User taken staright there
Redirector creates
OA link and sends
user there
Redirector creates
OA link and sends
user there
32. This means…
• The same URLs can be used in the library portal for
on-network and off-network users
• Third party journal A-Z and link resolver products can
generate these easily
• OpenAthens manages the special OpenAthens links
• Updates these when the publisher makes changes
33. Summary
• Think about where you promote your resources
• Tailor the links to provide seamless access
• Use the Redirector
• Examples of good experiences
Ballarat Health Services inVictoria Australia
Use EBSCO’s Link Source as link resolver
Populate PubMed & Google Scholar with their collection
This is PubMed with their LinkOut URL
Selected article with link resolver icon
Get options for results
IP & Athens
User can choose – know whether they’re onsite of off-site
This time using TDNet’s Link Resolver
Uses the ‘FindIt ‘ icon
Here’s EBSCO’s A-Z for a much larger collection
Includes links for on-site users
Different links for off-site Athens users
Still single click access