Monroe Library Switches Proxy Login to Remotely Hosted System

We’re all pretty accustomed to using the library’s databases and other electronic resources from off campus. If you’re at a coffee shop working on a paper, it’s no big deal to open up your laptop, enter your login credentials, and happily research to your heart’s content. All without going anywhere near the actual library. 

What makes this seamless access possible is called a proxy server. It’s a web server that validates the credentials of off-campus users to make sure they’re current Loyola folks. When you click to access ebooks or a database on the library website while you’re off campus, our system recognizes that the access request isn’t coming from an on-campus IP address. It can’t just let you in, so it sends you to a webpage that asks you to enter a set of credentials. Those credentials get submitted to Loyola’s proxy server to make sure you’re cleared to use our materials.

The only drawback to this system is that the proxy server itself has been located in the library on the main campus. As long as there was power to the library, the server could do its work. But during Hurricane Ida, before campus generators were up and running, the library had no electricity, so our proxy server wasn’t working. By switching to a new, remotely hosted system, we’re making this a concern of the past. Monroe Library can now ensure that current Loyola community members will be able to use electronic library resources even if there’s no power on campus. It’s a big improvement that helps ensure continuity of library operations and keeps you on track with your classes even in an emergency.

After the switchover on August 4th, the only change you should notice is in the login screen you’ll use to enter your credentials. Instead of being sent to the SSO login screen, you’ll be sent to Loyola’s Microsoft login portal. For more information about Loyola’s login systems visit the Loyola Information Technology website.

We’ve combed through our ebooks, research guides, and database listings to make sure the new proxy prefix has been changed for all our digital holdings. If you’re faculty and you’ve got links to library resources such as ebooks or databases in your Canvas courses, be sure to go in and check to make sure they’ve got the new proxy prefix at the beginning of the URL: http://loyno.idm.oclc.org/login?url=.

Here’s where you’ll be sent to log in for databases and ebooks:

If you run into any problems trying to access the databases or any other electronic resources, try clearing your browser's cookies. If you're still not able to access it, send an email to libraryresources@loyno.edu and let us know what’s not working so we can get it fixed.