[Eril-l] Tools for managing shared passwords

[Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list]

Hello Mary,

I set up a Bitwarden account for electronic resources and acquisitions related logins.  Prior to Bitwarden, we used LastPass.  Prior to that, we used a spreadsheet on a shared drive.

I consider a password manager a must-have tool for electronic resources management, especially if you’re in a setting where multiple people need to log in to vendor sites. We have over 582 logins stored in our Bitwarden vault. The tool is a huge time and headache saver.  It can autofill most login forms. When one person updates a password, Bitwarden offers to save the password and it is immediately available to everyone on the account.

The downsides are minimal.  Your passwords will be encrypted and stored in the cloud. Because they are encrypted, even if the service is hacked, your passwords are not exposed.  Someone in the group could change passwords and NOT save it to the vault, so the stored password would be out of date. That is true of any method of recording passwords.  The online vault could go down, or the company could go out of business.  I recommend periodically exporting your vault and saving it on a secure drive.

Both Bitwarden and LastPass offer free and premium plans. Both offer personal and business plans. You could test out either as a free personal account to decide if the tool is right for your setting.

Good luck!
Athena

Athena Hoeppner (she/her/hers)
Discovery Services Librarian | University Librarian
University of Central Florida | athena at ucf.edu<mailto:athena at ucf.edu>
Schedule Appointment<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/e7ed510b338643a092fb237960b6be17@ucf.edu/meetingtype/V46-JYn9vEWmqVPIUyuevA2?anonymous>

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org> On Behalf Of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
Sent: Thursday, February 1, 2024 10:55 AM
To: Eril-l at lists.eril-l.org
Subject: [Eril-l] Tools for managing shared passwords


Hello,


I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out to the listserv to enquire about your practices regarding password management for shared admin accounts. While we utilize user-specific logins when we can, we are exploring options for improving the way we manage shared passwords.


What are your method(s)? Do you use a password manager to share passwords with authorized colleagues? Does your method work well or are there any drawbacks to it?


Please feel free to respond off-list.


Thanks, and best regards,


~Mary Beth

--
Mary Beth Holm
Electronic Resources Librarian
Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU Libraries
901 Park Ave / PO Box 842033
Richmond, VA 23284-2033
Email: holmm at vcu.edu<mailto:holmm at vcu.edu>
PH: 804-827-0925
Fax: 804-828-5672
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