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How do I make an article from a library database viewable for my off-campus students?

You are encouraged to link directly to the Library’s subscription databases and online journals, just as you would link to any website or resource on the Internet. It is especially important to link directly to library databases/articles from Brightspace courses. This is a best practice for a number of reasons:

  • Ensures accessibility: Many databases offer text-to-speech options and provide stable, searchable, and accessible PDFs. Databases also upgrade & improve content regularly.
  • Builds research skills by familiarizing students with various database interfaces.
  • Ensures compliance with copyright.
  • Reduces amount of time faculty spend scanning course materials.
  • Increases database usage/traffic, which helps the Library justify database renewal costs.
  • Encourages students to take advantage of value-added features such as citation generators, exporting to citation managers, and alternative file formats (PDF, HTML, ePub, etc).

To make resources from the Library’s subscription databases and online journals available to students who may be remotely accessing Brightspace (or other platforms) from off-campus, you must include the EZProxy prefix code in the item’s URL.

The EZProxy prefix code is: http://ezproxy.purchase.edu/login?url=

This prefix code must be placed before the rest of the URL in order to make the article available from off-campus. To do this:

  1. Locate the article in the Library’s online databases/journals
  2. Look for the document’s persistent URL (also called a permalink, stable URL, or document URL) within item record. Never use the URL at the top of the browser bar!
  3. Copy and paste the EZProxy code into the URL field when adding a new link in Brightspace
  4. Copy and paste the article’s persistent URL after the EZProxy code

Example:

When using JSTOR, click on “copy the stable URL” in the article record. Paste the EZProxy prefix in front of the JSTOR stable URL. It should look like this: http://ezproxy.purchase.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23361974

 

Please note:

  • Unlike other databases, permalinks from the Library Discovery Search do not require the EZProxy prefix. These permalinks will work from off-campus.
  • Some databases already embed “Purchase” or “ezproxy” into their permalinks or stable URLs; If you see “ezproxy” or “purchase” in a URL, you can simply copy-and-paste the entire link. No need to add the EZproxy prefix twice.
  • When remote (off-campus) users click on an EZProxy URL, they will be prompted for Database User Authentication and will login using their username (firstname.lastname - without @purchase.edu) and Purchase email password.

Direct link to this FAQ on ezproxy.