The Sun Shining in the Middle of the Night: How Moving Beyond IP Authentication Does Not Spoil the Fun, Ease, or Privacy of Accessing Library Resources

Gone are the days of unsecure access to electronic resources. Adoption ofstandards regarding secure access to resources is a step forward for the security andintegrity of library resources. GALILEO, Georgia’s virtual library, is in the process oftransitioning to authentication using OpenAthens. This paper discusses the technologybehind single sign-on authentication, motivations for moving in this direction, and endswith a discussion of the Gwinnett Technical College library’s pilot site implementationof OpenAthens authentication.