We’ve bought a licence for EZProxy. We’re going to install the latest version on a spare box we happen to have lying around (now that Jerome’s moved somewhere more permanent), and have a go at configuring it.
- We’ll need to request a couple of changes to our firewall (static IP/port number) to allow EZProxy to act as an (un-)server. We’ll also need a new SSL certificate.
- Then I need to arrange for a new subdomain: e.g. http://proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/
- NJ and AB will get it talking to OAuth to provide single-sign on.
- The Library (probably EV!) will look after database configuration.
If all is well, we’ll make the case for adopting it ‘officially’ as part of the Library’s ICT development strategy. Several colleagues at other university libraries have pointed to EZProxy as a useful—albeit crude—device for getting rid of problems with access to full text. I think we understand where it sits in relation to more sophisticated methods of authentication and personalisation – i.e., Federated Access Management.
