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OpenAthens - our new authentication system

We are changing the system that manages access to the Library's licensed online resources. Here you will find information about the change and how it is likely to affect you.

Authenticate your links

Convert existing link

Use the Link Generator to convert the outdated ‘ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au’ links.

Create new authenticated link

To create new authenticated links to Library resources, use this dedicated: OpenAthens Link Generator.

LibrarySearch links have been updated to authenticate with OpenAthens. We recommend using LibrarySearch links first and only using this link generator if this is not possible.

First time users, please note

  • Always test your new link. The Link Generator does not check if the link is valid, or whether it will work with OpenAthens.
  • There are some links with EZproxy which do not need to authenticate via OpenAthens. EZproxy (ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au) is removed from these links.
  • If your OpenAthens link does not work, please contact collection.support@rmit.edu.au

Resources excluded from the OpenAthens authentication

You should still run EZproxy versions of these links through the link generator.

  • Google scholar  
  • EBSCOHost
  • ProQuest
  • Lexis Advance
  • LinkedIn Learning
  • Clickview
  • Kanopy

Resources which don't support deep linking

Selected resources support authentication via Open Athens but do not then land on specific content pages. Instead, after authentication they will land on the resource home page. One way of managing this in Canvas is to have one link dedicated for authenticating. This link should have an instruction to authenticate first. Then have the subsequent content links. Example:

  • Link 1 - place this on each page with a WARC link.
    Authenticate to WARC
    https://go.openathens.net/redirector/rmit.edu.au?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.warc.com%2F

    Once the authenticated session to WARC is active then deep links will work
    Link 2 
    WARC Global Ad trends (remember to authenticate to WARC first using above)  
    https://www.warc.com/global-ad-trends
    (Note that ezproxy has been removed from the URL and the hyphens in the base url converted back to dots.)

  • Databases in this category include:

    • Elsevier eLibrary

    • Therapeutic guidelines

    • UpToDate

    • WARC

Acknowledgement

The link generator was developed at Swinburne University Library.

Background

OpenAthens has replaced EZproxy as our authentication and electronic access management system that provides access to the Library's licensed online resources, both on and off campus. 

Read on to learn more about the new system, and how the change may affect your access to the Library's online resources.

If you have any further questions or need help:

Reasons for changing the system

OpenAthens enables seamless access to RMIT's owned and subscribed resources. In addition to accessing online resources via LibrarySearch, the new system will also let you:

  • Access our online resources from a list of web search results
  • Log in directly to large database platforms such as SAGE, Elsevier, or ProQuest.

How this change will affect your access

If you are accessing resources via LibrarySearch or the digital collections, there will be no change.

After the go-live date, you will be able to log in to some databases and e-journals directly from their websites. You will only need to log in once if using the same browser on the same device.

Links that will stop working

All links containing '.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au' in the URL will no longer work. If you have any links in your documents or bookmarks that include 'ezproxy.lib', you will need to update them once we switch to the OpenAthens system.

Endnote and other citation managers

If you are using a reference manager, such as EndNote or Zotero, you will need to replace all links.

The citation details such as author and title will remain the same, but there is no automated way to change link authentication from EZproxy to OpenAthens. You will need to update all links containing '.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au' manually.

There are two options to update the links:

  • Find the citation in LibrarySearch and import it to your reference manager.
  • Use the Authenticated Link Generator to create a new link and manually update it.

Google Scholar access

You no longer need to access Google Scholar via the Library home page. We recommend that you set the Library Links option to RMIT. 
From the Google Scholar menu:

  • Go to Settings and select Library links
  • Check that the RMIT University Library - FindIt@RMIT checkbox is ticked.
  • If that option is not available, search for the RMIT University Library and add it to the list.

The search results will now show the selected articles in our collections with links to FindIt@RMIT.

Logging in on different devices and browsers

OpenAthens uses cookies to remember your device. You will only be asked to log in again if you:

  • change web browser, for example from Firefox to Chrome
  • change devices, for example from a laptop to a mobile
  • clear your cookies.

Direct login access to databases and e-journals

Not all databases have the technical capacity to support OpenAthens direct login. There will be cases where you will still need to log in to LibrarySearch to access your resources. However, direct login access will be available on most larger databases and e-journal platforms. Look for one of the following options in the top right corner of the database web page:

  • an ‘OpenAthens’ link
  • ‘Institutional Login’ link
  • or the following linked image:

OpenAthens logo.

Select the available option and then choose 'Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology' or 'RMIT University' to log in.

Please note that each database will have a different login screen.

Personal accounts on platforms

Some platforms with personal accounts may require action to link an existing account to your new OpenAthens account.

EBSCOhost:

  • New and returning users signing in via OpenAthens authentication for the first time will have a new Personal Folder created on EBSCOhost.

Ebook Central:

Please note requesting bookshelf excel files from ProQuest can take approximately 2-4 weeks.

Elsevier

 

Alumni access to resources

RMIT Alumni will continue to have access to the same resources as before.

For a full list of resources available to RMIT Alumni, including links, please refer to Library services for RMIT Alumni.

Updating your Zotero Connector proxy settings

Due to the upgrade to OpenAthens, if you are using the Zotero Connector browser extension it is recommended to disable the proxy settings. Please follow the below steps to update these:

  1. In your browser of choice, navigate to the Zotero Connector settings.
  2. Click on the Proxies tab.
  3. In the Configured Proxies list, if you have any URLs containing "ezproxy" in them please remove these by selecting and clicking on the "-" button at the bottom of the list.
  4. Uncheck the tickbox next to Enable proxy redirection.