-R&I Staff FAQ

The first time a user logs in using OpenAthens, they will be asked to consent to EBSCO's privacy policy. If they prefer not to consent, they can decline. After declining, it should let them search as normal*. They should be made aware that it will ask them each time they log in, since EBSCO is not collecting anything about the user including privacy preferences. Information page from EBSCO.

Researchers who set up individual My EBSCOHost accounts to save items to folders prior to January 2021 can merge that account with their OpenAthens My EBSCOHost account. 

OpenAthens has two methods for creating direct links:

--Add the OpenAthens prefix (proxy string) to the beginning of your URL. The URL must include the https://:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/uga.edu?url=

Our Custom Links page has been updated to use OpenAthens.

--Or use the OpenAthens link generator.

Our e-resource licenses nearly always limit off-campus access to current UGA students, faculty, and staff. Alumni are not eligible. Anyone may come to campus and access our databases using a guest computer or the UGA visitor wifi. Outside users who live in Georgia may find that their public library's GALILEO has the online resources they need.

Select groups of outside users are eligible for remote access credentials to our resources. These groups include several federal research labs such as EPA, pharmacy preceptors, and OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning) members. They have been given an OpenAthens login by Access Services. New users will be set up with OpenAthens credentials as needed.  

These users must begin at this link at My OpenAthens. They can also get there through our Login from Off Campus page. If they start at the My OpenAthens homepage instead of the Login from Off-Campus page, they need to type MyAthens in the Choose Your Institution search box. Select "MyAthens Plus MD+ Monitoring" and they will be directed to the page to enter their OpenAthens username and password. They should not choose UGA under Choose Your Institution since that goes to the UGA SSO where OpenAthens credentials will not work.

OpenAthens credentials will not work in the SSO login. Entering OpenAthens account credentials into UGA's SSO seems to be the most common mistake.

The GALILEO password is no longer in use. Non-UGA affiliate library users will need to use either their Single Sign On (SSO) credentials (PINES ID and PIN, Non-PINES Library ID and PIN, userid & password, etc.) or an OpenAthens guest account to access GALILEO from outside the library/at home, etc.

Visiting researchers/scholars/faculty should be registered with the Office of Research Personnel, which allows them to get a UGA card (more info). Once they have a card, they’ll submit a responsibility voucher for the library to set up their account. They also get remote access to e-resources (more info).

Borrowing privileges for print materials by people with no current UGA affiliation (including alumni) are covered on the Outside Borrowers page.

Issue: A small percentage of users with a MyEBSCOhost Personal account have saved items to custom folders (folder with a custom name). Currently, the New EDS UI uses a new Dashboard which is unable to display these custom folders. As a result, around 215 users will not see these custom folders in their personal account dashboard for the New EDS UI. According to EBSCO, this will be available sometime in 2025.

Workaround: Users can still access custom folders when accessing an ehost database, which uses the classic UI. For example, when accessing Academic Search Complete, they will see their custom folders. We are not able to communicate with these users directly, so we will have to reach out as the questions come in.