Remote Patron Authentication

Krafty wrote [Thanks!]: I just got the table of contents for the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries and was immediately drawn to this, Beyond Password Protection: Methods for Remote Patron Authentication, B Douglas Blansit in Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries Volume: 4 Issue: 1/2.

Abstract:
Today’s patrons expect 24-hour access to materials in easily manipulated electronic formats which are available from local and remote locations. This article provides an overview of several technologies that authenticate users as having rights to licensed information resources. Technologies include password access, IP Access, use of a Proxy Server, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Athens Authentication, and Shibboleth. Remote software access is also mentioned.

Oooh ooh ooh. This is the very thing I am working towards right now. Too bad this article is in pre-publication and is not yet available online. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and read what others are doing and what else is out there. Even though I am a smaller community hospital library so many of my patrons want off campus access to my electronic resources without memorizing multiple different usernames and passwords created by the various online providers. It is a demand that is growing and is becoming more important to address regardless of the size of your institution.