[Web4lib] Question: When IP authentication isn't an option

[McArthur, Allison]

***with apologies for cross-posting***

Good afternoon all,

I'd like to pose a question to the group regarding authentication of
electronic journals.

Our institution is unable to authenticate access to electronic journals via
IP address as a result of our limited IT capacity. This is problematic
because several publishers of journals to which we subscribe refuse to
provide access via login and password to institutional subscribers.

We subscribe to EBSCO's Electronic Journals Service; they are able to
authenticate a portion of the journals for which we are unable to obtain
login/password access, but not all.

For those journals to which we were given login and password access, we are
exploring options for authentication which won't require the distribution of
passwords to end users (e.g. embedded passwords, encryption, etc.). Tech
support for EBSCO Electronic Journals Service has indicated that they are
not able to encrypt passwords for us.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? If so, how did you resolve it?

Any suggestions for solutions would be greatly appreciated.

Much obliged,

Allison McArthur
Library Assistant
Strategic Planning and Implementation Branch
Public Health Division, MOHLTC 
1075 Bay St, Suite 810
Toronto ON M5S 2B1
tel: (416) 325-6956
fax: (416) 212-5232
allison.mcarthur at moh.gov.on.ca <mailto:allison.mcarthur at moh.gov.on.ca>