Q. What do you need before we can get started?

Answer...

Provide a list of all your subscriptions and highlight the most important resources so we can start with those. The A-Z lists on your library portal are a good place to start when you compile your list of resources. You may also find that information in your library management system or your proxy configuration file.

Be sure to include any electronic resources your users currently access using your current authentication system. Include content providers that provide only a small number of journals or databases.

We will need this information for each resource:

• Link to the database
• Names of the database
• Content provider name
• Content provider email

We'll contact all the resource providers for you. We will also keep you informed when new resources have been activated and can be accessed via OpenAthens authentication.

We will assess your current systems and access solutions.

The best type of setup will be dependent on a wide range of factors such as the nature of your organization or institution, your current library set up and other applications you use, the content, the types of end-users, and their demands and needs much more.

Your onboarding lead will help you prepare for the setup by assessing:

• Your current authentication systems and workflows
• Unique library sites or branches and their different authentication needs
• User groups and guest users (alumni, visitors, etc.) management
• Data elements for which you would like to collect access statistics (department, major, etc.)
• Integration with your local library management and discovery systems
• Aggregating and submitting a comprehensive list of all e-resources
• Other apps and tools with connections to library resources - learning management systems, reading lists, etc.

Your IT manager needs to be involved at the beginning of the OpenAthens onboarding.