Off-Campus Access
Learn how to gain access to approved library databases and resources from off-campus.
Overview
If you’re off-campus and need to access Library approved databases, journals, or other resources, you have a few options:
- Login to the Library website, find the database or resource you need, and then launch it from there. That will ensure you get past any paywalls by using the Library’s subscription for BYU students and faculty.
- If you end up on a page or resource without going through the Library website first, use the Check BYU bookmarklet below for quick access. If it doesn’t work, try searching the library website to make sure we do offer free access.
Check BYU ← Drag and drop this link into your bookmarks bar.
Why do I need to follow these steps?
Off-campus access to library resources requires a login because our access is IP authenticated. An IP address tells the site where you are coming from. Using the VPN while off-campus does not provide library database access because BYU’s VPN does not change your IP address. Logging in through the library when off-campus will load the site through the library’s proxy server and give you a BYU IP address. If you see the erl.lib.byu.edu get added to the URL then you know that you are logged in through the library’s proxy. Starting your research on the library website will direct you to the resources we have subscribed to and take care of this login as well. However, there are times when you may already be at an article that has a paywall and want to know if the library has access. Rather than go through the trouble of re-searching for the item you can use the special “Bookmarket” we have created to check for library access with just one click.