Why doesn't my University Internet ID give me access to all the library's electronic resources?

Electronic resources are databases, ebooks, journals, streaming video, and other materials that exist in an online format. Access to and use of many electronic resources provided by the Kathryn A. Martin Library are governed by licenses (i.e., contractual, legal agreements) negotiated between the library and publishers or third parties.

Licenses usually require the library to limit off-campus access to current faculty, staff, and students (in credit-earning courses) at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. This is a non-negotiable part of the contracts the library is required to sign and there are typically no fee-for-access options for persons not affiliated with UMD.

The library is a resource for the broader community. In order to maintain community access to library resources, the library endeavors to allow the general public to access electronic resources from the library’s public access computers.

Managing access

Most electronic resource vendors limit access to the IP numbers of campus computers. Users who access licensed electronic resources from off campus through the library’s web site must first log in with their University Internet ID and password.

For this login to be successful, each user must have either:

• an active staff appointment that is recorded in the University's Human Resources Management System (UM HRMS), or  
• a current student admission or registration that is recorded in the Office of the Registrar's web registration system (including the Graduate School zero-credit registration).

These users make up the official count of University of Minnesota Duluth users that is reported to library vendors as the basis for license fees. Once properly recorded by the UM HRMS or Registrar, each user will have a library access entitlement or "flag" automatically added to their University Internet ID account.

A student who is no longer registered is unable to access licensed library electronic resources remotely. 

Human Resources Management System requirements

Faculty and staff must have one of the following employment categories or groups associated with their UM HRMS record for off-campus access to licensed library electronic resources. If you believe you should have off-campus access, but don't, contact the departmental Human Resources office and ask that they verify that their UM HRMS record carries one of the following associations.

• Pre-Start Hire
• Regular CS/BU (Civil Service and Bargaining Unit)
• Regular P&A (Academic Professional and Administrative)
• Regular Faculty
• Academic (P&A and Faculty) without salary, with appointment
• Clinical Faculty without salary, with appointment
• Visiting Faculty or P&A without salary, with appointment
• Regents
• Temporary Posted
• Temporary No-Post (CS/BU)
• POI-Affiliate

Note: Each individual needs to be providing a service to the University of Minnesota Duluth to gain online access to electronic resources. A "sponsored account" does not officially document a service relationship with UMD and is not eligible for remote access to the library’s electronic resources. Visiting Faculty are represented in the Human Resources Management System in varying ways, but only those who provide a service to UMD that meets the Human Resources criteria above qualify for remote access.

Off-campus access for programs or more loosely affiliated individuals

The primary requirement for remote access to electronic resources is that individuals have an official, properly documented service/student relationship with UMD. For individuals affiliated through a university program, the relevant unit or academic department must make this determination of affiliation. Designations of affiliation can then be recorded in the UM HRMS by their departmental HR office.

Access for summer institutes/programs

The temporary/seasonal nature of summer programs does not matter. Any type of visiting staff must still have an official university appointment, recorded in UM HRMS. Note that such an appointment can be "without salary, with appointment."

Any type of visiting student must still be registered through the Office of the Registrar. Departments who need assistance in setting up a registration protocol for their summer program should contact the Office of the Registrar directly.

Coordinate campus access exceptions

Though the Medical School, Duluth, and the College of Pharmacy, Duluth, are located on the Duluth campus, they are integral parts of the Academic Health Center, Twin Cities. Thus, Duluth's Medical School and College of Pharmacy staff and affiliated students carry associated Twin Cities library access privileges.

Some Duluth faculty are formal advisors for Twin Cities graduate students. As such, they are considered dual appointment staff and carry both Duluth and Twin Cities library access privileges. Any faculty with multiple appointments across campuses should obtain the library privileges for each campus (e.g., a Crookston faculty member who is also a faculty member in the Twin Cities campus Extension Service thus gets both Crookston and Twin Cities access privileges).

Limited use of proxy cards for physical materials

The library Proxy Card is for checking out materials only. Borrowing privileges do not extend to electronic resources, which are governed by legally binding contracts with publishers. Sharing University Internet ID account passwords with anyone is forbidden by University policy and by our electronic resource contracts.

Responsibility for enabling access to licensed resources

• Department: Assign staff/faculty affiliations as part of formal appointment process
• Department of Human Resources: Record the department's staff appointments in UM HRMS
• Office of Admissions: Record student admissions in UM HRMS
• Office of the Registrar: Record student registrations in UM web registration system
• Office of Information Technology: Assign library access entitlements in University Internet ID account based on UM HRMS data
• Library: Select information resources; create access links that require University Internet ID authentication