[Web4lib] Single Sign-On [SSO] Software

[Bruce Brigell]

Does anyone have any experience with Single Sign-on Software utilities?
 
I know that they are in use at Ann Arbor Public Library and Phoenix
Public Library, but have not as yet been able to contact people there to
find out which one they are using. 
 
Wikipedia has a nice list of some of the products available--just
curious which ones have been adapted successfully in a library
environment.
 
Background info:
 
John Blyberg in his blog entry entitled Library 2.0 websites: Where to
begin?
http://www.blyberg.net/2006/03/12/library-20-websites-where-to-begin/
<http://www.blyberg.net/2006/03/12/library-20-websites-where-to-begin/>
writes:

I think it's time libraries took the notion of single sign-on seriously.
We need to get away from the model where patrons are required to have
their library cards handy every time they reserve an item. Who wants to
have one set of credentials to access the OPAC and yet another to make a
blog comment, or fill out an ILL request? Why not be like the rest of
the world and simply require a username and password? Let me take this
one step further, as well, and suggest that your new websites support
session-based single sign-on--a useful little bit of web technology that
has been around since, well, almost forever. When I create an account on
a site I use frequently, I expect that I'll not have to keep re-entering
my password every time I visit. Otherwise, I won't be visiting that site
very frequently.

Wikipedia has an entry on SSO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_sign-on
<http://library20.ning.com/forum/topic/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_sign
-on>  that links to an interesting article
<http://www.authenticationworld.com/Single-Sign-On-Authentication/>  on
the Authentication world site.


Bruce Brigell
Skokie Public Library