We instituted a policy to not subscribe to resources requiring passwords, except for staff tools like Goldrush, ClassWeb, etc.

For one or two things we've had to abandon that policy, such as for a foundation directory that is only available in print and needed for certain classes, but otherwise it's making electronic resource management life a little easier.

Unfortunately, some small vendors may not have the ability to provide IP authentication.

*******************************************
Robert Bothmann
Electronic Access/Catalog Librarian
Assistant Professor, Library Services
Minnesota State University, Mankato
P.O. Box 8419, ML3097
Mankato, MN 56001
Voice: 507-389-2010
Fax: 507-389-5155
mailto:robert.bothmann@mnsu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum on behalf of Dan Lester
Sent: Mon 2007-06-18 3:18 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] how do you provide access to online resources requiring password?

All of us have that issue with some journals, I'm sure.  A very few indexes/abstracts/databases cause the same problem.

I suggest that all of us beat on the publishers to set up IP authentication.  Why should they bother?

1) It ensures that only users from the university (or other agency that has purchased/licensed the product/service) can access it.  Make sure they understand that you authenticate it with ezproxy, squid, or whatever.

2) Make sure they understand that by having a password they've REDUCED security.  If I have a password for Journal of Underwater Basketweaving there is nothing to prevent me from sharing it with many others, such as faculty at other schools who can't afford, or choose not to buy, their wonderful journal.

3) Let them know you won't buy their journal/index/etc without ip authentication.

If enough of us beat on them, they will eventually come around.  It has worked with many other publishers/vendors.

dan

  It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you;
  it's what you leave behind you when you go.

dan@riverofdata.com
Dan Lester, Boise, Idaho, USA

  ----- Original message ----------------------------------------
  From: "Barbara Pope" <bpope@PITTSTATE.EDU>
  To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
  Received: 6/18/2007 8:26:28 AM
  Subject: Re: [SERIALST] how do you provide access to online resources requiring password?

  >Hello, Evalyn.  We are in the same fix with some of our online
  >journals.  Most of our online databases, journals, and e-books work very
  >well with ez proxy and do not need the publisher-specific user id and
  >password.  The ones for which ez proxy works well allows the patrons to
  >go directly into the content with a problem, but a few still ask for a
  >separate user id and password.  We have also resorted to having an
  >envelope at the reference desk with user ids and passwords for those
  >products.  I don't like this because it does make the product less
  >convenient and harder to use and it puts the reference librarian in the
  >position of having to figure out who it is okay to give it to.

  >I would welcome any suggestions on how to better deal with this.

  >Barbara Pope, MALS
  >Reference/Periodicals Librarian
  >Axe Library
  >Pittsburg State University
  >Pittsburg KS  66762
  >bpope@pittstate.edu

  >Stone, Evalyn wrote:
  >> I need your collective wisdom.  We have some online journals (TLS, Art
  >newspaper) that provide access to their online archives only by password.  We don't
  >have a way (or don't know of a way) to put the passwords into our catalog, so
  >we've resorted to having the password at the reference desk.  This process  forces
  >patrons to ask for the password, making the resource harder to use.
  >>
  >> Does anyone have a better suggestion?
  >>
  >> Thanks.
  >>
  >> Evalyn Stone
  >>
  >>
  ><<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>>*<<<
  ><<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>
  >> Evalyn Stone
  >> Serials Librarian, Thomas J. Watson Library
  >> The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  >> 1000 Fifth Avenue
  >> New York, NY 10028-0198
  >> tel: 212/ 650-2446      fax: 212/ 570-3847
  >> e-mail: evalyn.stone@metmuseum.org
  >>
  ><<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>>*<<<
  ><<*>>>>>*<<<<<*>>>>>
  >>
  >>