Why do I need to be "authenticated"?

Online databases and electronic journals subscribed to by the ACC Libraries are restricted, by the vendors, for use by ACC students, faculty and staff ONLY. Most online resources control access by your computer's IP address. Any search coming from a campus IP address gets access, but users are refused access if they are coming from elsewhere.

To provide off-campus access for ACC users, a proxy server is used. It performs two primary functions:

• Authenticates users as student, staff or faculty by requiring a login, thus ensuring compliance with vendor restrictions.
• Serves as an on-campus intermediary (with a valid IP address) by passing information between off-campus users and restricted online resources.

Off-campus users connect to the proxy server, login to verify they are affiliated with ACC, then the proxy server connects to the resource for them and passes information back and forth. Since the proxy server is coming from on campus, its IP address is accepted by the online resources.

See related: How can I gain access to library database resources