Access

[Ronnie Morgan]

At 09:13 AM 7/15/97 -0700, you wrote:
>
>The University of Iowa Libraries are assessing several major information
>products available via the Internet. 
>
>My question to web4lib:
>
>Is it possible for university staff and students to access these services
>when not at a campus computer with university IP address?

No, unless you offer PPP accounts for your students, so that when they dial
in, they get a university IP address.

>I think that if our library pays $50,000 for access to a major vendor's
>product that members of the university community should be allowed remote
>access.
>
>Why can't a password and ID sign-on system work?

Well, I don't know about everyone else, but the reason I hate a system like
that is the fact that if a student leaves school, they could still get in
using the password and ID.  And to keep that from happening, we'd have to
have the password changed often, and that would simply be to much work to
worry about.  I prefer to have logins to such vendors be IP specific, then
no password is needed, and no ID is needed.  The student can't get to the
vendor from off campus, even after leaving school.  

All of the vendors we deal with, I insist on using the IP address method.
Some do not do this, but I hope that all will eventually.  And the vendors
who choose to do both methods are causing even more work for no reason.  IMHO

Ronnie

Disclaimer:  Views expressed are mine and mine alone.  My views or opinions
are NOT representative to Harding University.