Ezproxy was designed to provide off-campus access to databases and other restricted electronic resources to which a library has subscribed from one supplier, and does it very well. We also use Ezproxy to provide free internet access on-campus to these resources which normally should bypass Ezproxy altogether and this works pretty well. The problem has occurred when we try to integrate Ezproxy into open access Web 2.0 resources like Libguides which link to many related resources. Ezproxy requires each service to be specified.
With Libguides this has become unmanageable on the student installed machines which use Webgate to authenticate. Each time Library IT fixes a problem another link is added that breaks, and as with all Web 2.0 environments users as well as Library staff will also be able to add links as comments etc. LibGuides links are also being added to Moodle and other services that we cannot control. We have discussed other options with ICTS such as using Internet Enabler instead of Webgate or firewall changes, but that creates worse problems for students
Libguides is openly available both on and off campus. Ezproxy has been added to Libguides only to try to pay for the internet charges. All students will be getting some free internet quota from the university which last year met the needs of 75% of the undergraduate students. Students are now used to paying for internet services and putting money on their Canterbury Card. Libguides will also work faster without Ezproxy.
We did not integrate AskLive into Ezproxy when we moved to Meebo for similar reasons, and have had no complaints.
The Library has had a policy of making our major electronic databases free to users, as is the print, by absorbing the internet costs. This is no longer technically possible to do reliably with our off campus web 2.0 applications on student workstations.
I will be recommending to LLT that from now on users will need to pay the internet charges for products such as Libguides, AskLive, other library catalogues and similar applications. Library databases will continue to go through Ezproxy.
I know some staff feel quite strongly about this. Comments most welcome, preferably before LLT. Cheers, Anne
How many students are discouraged from using Google, Wikipedia etc? We are talking about minimal charges (cents or less as long as people have sized their images correctly) and it probably will not affect 75% of undergraduates and few if any postgraduates. Actually I wish we could provide free internet services as well, but at the end of the day our services must be consistent, reliable and provide the functionality that our users expect.
Charging is perhaps not ideal, but otoh we’re not talking about large amounts of data; it will have a really minimal impact on students – at 2.5c/Megabyte a whole conversation on AskLive would cost only the tiniest fraction of a cent; someone who browsed through their entire LibGuide might spend a few cents if it was a really heavily illustrated guide, maybe a few more cents if it included a YouTube video and they clicked play.
The important thing is to have the tools accessible to them. And given the technical limitations, I can very much understand why charging might be the lesser of two evils, because at the moment accessibility is suffering greatly.
For example if you go onto a libguide via ezproxy at the moment, the meebo widget is completely non-functional.
The main thing I’d be concerned about is how the guides will work on express PCs in the library. We’ve particularly had problems with Webgate in Engineering Library demanding authentication several times before loading a single page. (I’ve heard rumours that it doesn’t do this as much in other libraries.) If this could be fixed then I wouldn’t care a bit if library users got charged a couple of cents, and I don’t think they’d care (or notice!) either.
Deborah
The express PC problem is another manifestation of the issues above. There may not be a solution other than requiring a login for all off-campus access. Trying to let parts through makes the situation worse as you sometimes get multiple requests for authentication for each unrecognised source on a single page. Anne
I can see what you mean by the Meebo widget problem Deborah – even worse I don’t seem to be able to delete the widget from a subject guide or my general profile so it’s sitting there blacked out (not in protest against any copyright amendments!).
I may be OK about charging in conjunction with the free allowance that students are getting again this year.
More of a worry if users think they can’t get through to libguides because of confusing log ons and authentication cues (as did an Hons student last week).
Dave
LLT have agreed that from now on users will pay the internet charges for products such as Libguides, AskLive, other library catalogues and similar applications that are likely to embed a range of diverse services. Essentially Ezproxy access will be limited to databases. This is needed in order to resolve problems such as multiple authentication requests on a single page and allow services such as Meebo to work. In most cases the costs will be fractions of a cent and will be covered by the free internet allocation for up to 75% of students. Walk in access to these services on Express PCs will no longer be possible, but the community will be able to access these services from home.
Catherine will provide advice on removing Ezproxy from your libguides in the next day or so. All libguides with Ezproxy links will continue to work as they do currently.
All links to libguides from the Library’s website have been edited to remove the ezproxy component.
Ezproxy has been set up so that it ignores any links going to libguides. This should mean that it’s not necessary to hunt out and edit any links within libguides that include the ezproxy string, where that has been added. However, as this does add an extra step to the process which may add a split second delay, it would be desirable to remove the ezproxy string from any links in libguides that link to any other libguides pages, as you see them.
This doesn’t apply to links to databases or electronic journals from libguides, which still need the ezproxy component.
Contact Library IT if you have any further questions.
Catherine