Remote Data Access to Library Subscription Databases

[Tami-Jo Eckley]

Since Remote access to subscription services has come up quite a bit on 
this listserv, I thought I would share some info.  At Manhattanville, we 
have been using Obvia Corporation - a small but quickly expanding company 
to handle our RDA.  They have been doing a wonderful job.  Their web site 
is http://www.obvia.com.  We basically have a separate web page for RDA 
Access to our Electronic Resources - very similar to our normal 
Electronic Resources Page (which holds all of our subscription 
databases).  The RDA Page has a separate URL - we had it set up 
originally that the students can access the page directly from a link 
from our home page and when they clicked on a database were asked for a 
login and password.  We just recently changed the link from the home page 
to go to the login screen first.  One nice advantage of this situation, 
in general:  recently our web server crashed.  We were able to get to our 
subscription databases here in the library, only by typing in the RDA 
page's URL.  The support and service from Obvia has been wonderful.


Tami-Jo Eckley
Electronic Services & Media Librarian
Manhattanville College Library
Purchase, New York 10577
http://www.mville.edu/library