Library Assist: Answers

No, it is not possible to create your own personal account to access the online Library resources. It is also not possible to go to the Open Athens website and login there to gain access to our Library resources because we use an institutional account instead of a personal account.

• We use Open Athens as a method of 'authenticating' you as an 'authorised user' so you can access our subscribed online resources.

• Your existing University IT account is automatically linked to the system - there is no need for you to set up a separate account.

• It is best to access resources via the University Library webpages such as the LibrarySearch catalogue, Databases A-Z list or the Subject Resources pages. The links on these pages will prompt you to login to the same organisational 'Sign in' page that the University uses for many other systems instead of an Open Athens page.

How do I log in to a site that is asking me to use Open Athens?

If you go directly to a database/website instead of using a Library link, you might see an Open Athens login prompt. It is not usually possible to login directly, as that is only for people with a personal account. Try looking for an 'institutional login' option or similar text such as 'shibboleth' which allows you to search for us, the "University of Wolverhampton". That will then lead you to the correct links to login and you can attempt to gain access to the site.

I've logged in but I still can't access what I wanted?

• It may be that you are trying to access something the Library does not pay for.
• Just because there is an 'institutional login' option showing our University name it does not automatically mean we will subscribe to it.
• Often our University will appear as a default option simply because we use Open Athens as our authentication method for other databases, or we may have limited access to the site you are on. The system is not intelligent enough to only show you our University name where we do pay for access.
• The best way to check if the Library subscribes to what you want is to search the LibrarySearch catalogue for the specific book/article/journal title or check the Databases A-Z list for the name of the site.

For further details of how the authentication system works/how to login and information on how to search the LibrarySearch catalogue for specific items please see our other FAQs.

If you need any help to find out if we should have access to a source, please contact the Library and we will be able to advise.