[IUG] Off campus users

[ABullen at hsrc dot ac dot za]

Thanks to those who responded to my email below. I have found out that in 
fact we did purchase Innovatives Web Access Management, but our IT folk 
have raised two concerns with it:

1./ If we use WAM we will have to open the firewall on the server that 
Millennium is installed on making it vulnerable
2./ If we use WAM to control access to the various databases we will have 
greatly increased traffic and we do not have sufficient bandwidth to cope 
(this is a perennial problem in South Africa with no solution in sight).

Have other organisations using WAM experienced these problems? How have 
you addressed them?

Many thanks
Alison


Alison Bullen 
email: abullen at hsrc dot ac dot za
Information Consultant, Human Sciences Research Council Information 
Services,  Cape Town 
Phone: 021 466 7994, Fax: 466 7993, 10th Floor 69-83 Plein Street , Plein 
Park Building, Cape Town 8001



__________________

Dear All

We are trying to explore the best possible way for off campus users to 
access our academic and other databases. Most of the databases that the 
HSRC subscribes to are IP authenticated and restricted to use on the HSRC 
intranet. We are now wanting to allow our researchers to access the 
databases from home, as well as allow selected researchers from outside 
the organisation access our virtual library.

Part of the virtual library is available via our Millennium Webopac - for 
example we have added some of the academic databases to Metafind and have 
this set up so that users are required to enter a password each time they 
wish to download the full text of an article.  Originally we thought that 
we could allow access to most of the virtual library in this way. However 
it is a bit cumbersome and not ideal. In addition a large number of the 
library's virtual resources are World Bank and other databases which are 
not suitable for adding to Metafind.

Are there any other libraries that have been confronted with similar 
issues - how have you found solutions?. We have been looking at EZproxy 
but would welcome advice from others based on their experiences.

Many thanks in advance!



Alison Bullen 
email: abullen at hsrc dot ac dot za
Information Consultant, Human Sciences Research Council Information 
Services,  Cape Town 
Phone: 021 466 7994, Fax: 466 7993, 10th Floor 69-83 Plein Street , Plein 
Park Building, Cape Town 8001



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