The road to inclusive digital access 

Here at OpenAthens, we still remember the heroic efforts librarians made during COVID-19 to support those on the wrong side of the digital divide. Six years on, does a divide still exist? What can be done to provide inclusive digital access for all? 

It used to be so simple. Physical libraries were the key that unlocked access to digital resources, with users relying on the library’s desktop devices and connectivity. Authentication was typically location-based, and users knew they were accessing high-quality, licensed content. 

User behaviours were starting to change though, and COVID-19 switched the trend into overdrive. In 2021, we published challenging the digital divide – how 2020 is exposing challenges in access to information. It described the digital divide that COVID had highlighted and celebrated work by librarians and publishers to close it. And in it, we asked stakeholders globally to work together long-term on removing barriers to inclusive digital access.

The digital divide has changed

Half a decade ago, many commentators about the digital divide focused on device availability (or lack of it) and on affordable access to the internet when users couldn’t use library facilities. Here at OpenAthens, we also talked about friction around signing in to systems that give access to quality digital resources, and we prioritised supporting libraries and publishers who wanted to remove it with our single sign-on, federated access solution.

Now, some people still don’t have reliable access to desktop devices, but many prefer using mobile ones, and mobile data, anyway. For others there is no choice.

“In some parts of Africa, mobile is king,” says our business development manager, Kieran Prince. “A publisher at Access Lab 2026 said 99% of their users only have access to a mobile phone.”

This being the case, federated access has become a strategic priority for institutions and their libraries, especially as hybrid working and remote access haven’t vanished with the pandemic.

“Single sign-on is ideally designed for mobile users,” says Kieran. “Going through a proxy on your phone is either not supported at all, or it is much more difficult to get access to curated resources.”

Issues of trust in AI-driven discovery

In 2026, with mobile devices and data routinely being used for study and work, there are fewer conversations about device availability. People worried about the digital divide are often more concerned about the quality of the content that’s available and issues of trust.

When someone opts to search via one of the big public search engines the AI-generated previews look interesting and accessible. Unlike searching using their library’s licensed resources, there’s no guarantee that the author and reviewer information is accurate, or that the resource is up to date or credible. This worries our principal technical consultant, Adam Snook. He says if people trust AI uncritically and don’t engage with their library, they may never develop information literacy skills to evaluate the information AI searches offer.

On the other hand, if their library provides a single sign-on solution the discovery landscape changes. They find curated, quality resources easily and with fewer clicks. They can trust that their personally identifiable information (PII) is safeguarded, too:

“With IP-based recognition, users get access to content, but if they want to do anything with it – like annotate or save searches – they generally have to register and provide some PII, even when the content is available in open access,” says Adam. “Federated access is built on trust, protects users’ PII – and gives them a consistent, friction-free user experience.”

Sustainable access

For libraries working under budget pressure, federated access solutions provide granular user data. That makes it easier to demonstrate the library’s value to the institution or organization, and to make informed licensing decisions at a crucial time for academic libraries: the tenth report of the UK Parliament's select committee on science and technology says libraries’ share of UK universities’ spend has declined to just 3%.

Is inclusive digital access future-proofed? 

Although the world isn’t there yet, Jon believes that truly inclusive, seamless global digital access is possible and says the more people who are working towards it, the better. 

Currently, the gold standard method of achieving it remains SAML-based single sign-on: 

To make this a reality, we’re always making improvements to features like our reporting tools, and talking to libraries and publishers so we can understand changing needs and priorities. And because we’re an access-first organization, as Adam says, “if we can provide access, we will”. Our managed proxy service is an example of the alternatives we offer those who aren’t ready yet for a federated solution. 

Technology is always changing, and there are moves to develop what might come after SAML. OpenAthens is collaborating in that space, as these developments take time to mature: