[Web4lib] logins

[Brian Kennison]

In message <20080626123107.M24841 at herrickdl.org>, "Lin Light" writes:
>We are working on our new webpage and have come up against something that I 
>need help with. I should say the firm that is working on our webpage. 
>We have a log-in issue. We want patrons to log-in in just once and have 
>access to all of our databases and we would like to have that same log-in 
>then cover their library account. We are not a stand-alone ILS but a 
>consortium system running III. It is a Windows based web server. Any 
>suggestions.
>
Lin

One way to do this is to use the "Web Access Module (WAM)" provided by
Innovative. It's not free, but you may already have it (I don't have a clue
as to what they charge for this.) . It is a proxy server. While there are
other proxy servers out there, this one authenticates against you already
existing patron database, which makes it easy to maintain. It can also work
for all members of the consortium.

How it works
-----------

In the III system you add the access urls and a code for all your databases
into the WAM table. These are sites that will be proxied by the machines
that  III runs on.

In order not to proxy local ip addresses, but only remote
patrons, you can add the range of ip address that represent you local
domain. These address will be passed through the poxy unchanged. 

On your web site you need to code the hrefs for your database links to go
through the proxy. They look some thing like this:  

<a href="http://0-vender.com.library.yourdomain.org/databaseName">Ebsco Host</a> 

When a patron is off site she will be prompted for her library pin and
password. If authenticated she will be passed on to the database with the
innovative machine acting as a proxy. 

Let me know off list if you need more info,

---
Brian Kennison
Systems
Haas Library
Western Connecticut State University