[Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

Wed Jan 3 08:25:58 PST 2024

I just want to add to this discussion a couple of points.

First, locking any of your content (catalog, list of databases, etc.) behind some kind of login is going to make it much harder for your authorized users (aka students) to find it and use it.
Admins may say things like "they just need to learn where to look" but the reality is that they won't, and expect your usage to drop significantly if you do this.
This isn't quite on point, but I watch our Google Analytics data for our main website, and despite the fact that we negotiated to get prominent links to it from multiple places on our university website, the overwhelming majority of visits to our site are being done via Google Search (students going to google for: upei library) instead of any referring URL or direct.  That tells you something important about how students think to find library resources. If they are behind a firewall, that will fail.

Second and relatedly, the entire "industry" (including us librarians in that) is moving away towards SSO/seamless authentication exactly (in part) because patrons try to go straight from the open web to whatever product/database their prof mentioned in the syllabus, without trying to look for it on the library website first, so they won't be accessing it through the library-curated ezproxied link.
Please consider the implications of that trend when considering what moving discovery of the very products themselves will do to access.

We're all trying very hard in this sector to reduce "friction" between patrons and the resources we license for them; otherwise, we lose them to Google (and now genAI). You're talking about moving in the opposite direction.  The consequences will show up in your usage data and in the lower quality of sources in student bibliographies.

I also want to echo Ramune's point about the public community you may serve. We are the only university in our Canadian province, and serving the general public is a significant priority for us. We even partner with our local public library system so their borrowing cards can allow them to check out physical books from us, and to be useful that requires the public to be able to search our catalog.
As a high school student in the US many decades ago, I have fond memories of using our local community college library to do research for our debate team, and that experience also helped a bit to prepare me for university research as well. If your licenses allow walk-in users (almost all of ours do now), but your external-local community can't even see what you have, that's a big loss for that part of your mission, if it is part of it.

Melissa Belvadi
mbelvadi at upei.ca
Make an appointment: https://mbelvadi.youcanbook.me/
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Subject: Re: [Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

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Thanks so much for responding.  Thanks too for the good ideas to use to defend the public face of the library.
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Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 4:22 PM
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Subject: Re: [Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

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Hi,

In the academic health sciences world, one challenge is the relationship between affiliated hospitals and academic libraries. In some cases, the titles (e-books, e-journals) licensed by hospitals might be listed in the online catalog hosted by the academic library, but with restrictions notes. Eg. x hospital access only, or on-site access only...

One argument for a community college might be your mission and who funds you. Are you open to the public? If so, then a public facing catalog that lists your holdings is a good public relations gesture, even if access is only on-site or to tuition paying students...Also, some community college libraries use shared catalogs through their state consortia, and that is needed for interlibrary cooperation...

But yes, you’d have to poll your peers to see how intranets are in use at other community colleges: others may use the intranet as “dashboards” for faculty and staff, eg:

Information for Faculty and Staff | Northern Virginia Community College (nvcc.edu)<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nvcc.edu%2finfo-for%2ffaculty-staff%2findex.html&c=E,1,zxEJKwTU5NRyNytOZHXaLg-C-pi_hr6VJ0HqEr6REU8sEyxr7nKRxsr5M7emJUIDOGXG7-BgGOVIcQojRTtDLdfmU8EblrwR5o0uPo0zoXlFIXyz5EmEyGA9S_sT&typo=1>

Good luck!

Ramune Kubilius, MALS, AHIP-D

Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian

Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org> On Behalf Of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 4:13 PM
To: Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>
Subject: Re: [Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

Thanks very much!  I am also interested into whether academic libraries might do this also.

But for certain, this will help me see how it is done in action.   Being a community college Librarian , I am sad that we might not be visible to the community.  But I will know more when the web site redesign is finished.

[cid:image001.png at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20]

Scott Cohen

Library Director

Jackson State Community College

(731) 425-2615

2046 North Parkway, Jackson, TN 38301

[cid:image002.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.facebook.com/jacksonstatecommunitycollege/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTAPre6zt$>  [cid:image003.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/twitter.com/jscc_main__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTFl0rN73$>   [cid:image004.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.instagram.com/jackson_state_cc/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTNdC5zCz$>   [cid:image005.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/company/117980/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTNcwLDve$>

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org>> On Behalf Of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 3:00 PM
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Subject: Re: [Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

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Hi,

As far as I know, hospital libraries do exactly this or a variation of this often. The librarians may even list the path in their e-mail signature lines, eg. Visit the Library online at:  http://portal2/sites...Library<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/portal2/sites...Library__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTI0fLCjV$>, etc...

Some of the hospital and research center libraries have web sites that provide instructions, 2 examples:

--Northwell Health: https://professionals.northwell.edu/continuing-professional-education/libraries/about-us<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https*3a*2f*2fprofessionals.northwell.edu*2fcontinuing-professional-education*2flibraries*2fabout-us&c=E,1,Wvf6pRI7vDqpAcr5bUwP4JqteDYs8WDGWPq0hNIVKDik6JuUAhUE38DpDdtIU7lY5gOA18q_3knZMmQrRXtmi6EGshyFhvkD5PjG5BBLafnXWIafBNcC2QWF&typo=1__;JSUlJSUl!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTN_a-w4Y$>

Excerpt: Electronic Medical Information Library

Accessible through the Northwell Intranet, the Electronic Medical Information Library (EMIL) enables staff throughout the health system to access a comprehensive suite of databases, e-journals, e-textbooks and reference services, both on campus and remotely, from one single platform. The EMIL initiative was funded by an information systems grant from the National Library of Medicine.

--VA: VHA National Desktop Library Home (va.gov)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.va.gov/library/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UpdJWUPqfwapY2-kBeuDG2JWjYw18gHlYLU0TKwDEiMpI2uLCA9p9sr3L7Vqwp7p__Ec_VrVBg-SKkhKMSLVTOQF5bEx$>

Excerpt: The VHA National Desktop Library is an online medical library available to staff VA-wide that provides full-text access to clinical textbooks, journals and databases. You are now on an internet site, but some of the resources in the Desktop Library will link to sites that are on the VA intranet. To access those, you will have to log into your remote account (VPN) or be on the VA network.

Corporate libraries might do something similar as well.

Good luck!

Ramune Kubilius, MALS, AHIP-D

Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian

Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org>> On Behalf Of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 2:15 PM
To: eril-l at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>
Subject: [Eril-l] Academic Library resources behind a firewall

Hello.  Do you know any library whose web page doesn’t feature its electronic resources on its home page but has them hidden in an intranet?  In other words, someone using the home page would not be able to see the databases but would have to put in authentication to even get to them from a link.  The same thing for the online catalog.   Thanks.

[cid:image001.png at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20]

Scott Cohen

Library Director

Jackson State Community College

(731) 425-2615

2046 North Parkway, Jackson, TN 38301

[cid:image002.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.facebook.com/jacksonstatecommunitycollege/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UDUCeqj2o1Y0NdRj9hkkeJHnjXzXtiYP7B2AynpkCNt9xdRaMVDqhnhUzjbaFRNtvyJfztVuQOzw8pZIRiPyyWId8GQR$>  [cid:image003.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/twitter.com/jscc_main__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UDUCeqj2o1Y0NdRj9hkkeJHnjXzXtiYP7B2AynpkCNt9xdRaMVDqhnhUzjbaFRNtvyJfztVuQOzw8pZIRiPyyTGUd4WQ$>   [cid:image004.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.instagram.com/jackson_state_cc/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UDUCeqj2o1Y0NdRj9hkkeJHnjXzXtiYP7B2AynpkCNt9xdRaMVDqhnhUzjbaFRNtvyJfztVuQOzw8pZIRiPyySJdAvKx$>   [cid:image005.jpg at 01DA3D97.E10AAC20] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/company/117980/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!UDUCeqj2o1Y0NdRj9hkkeJHnjXzXtiYP7B2AynpkCNt9xdRaMVDqhnhUzjbaFRNtvyJfztVuQOzw8pZIRiPyyckqAsmc$>

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