Updated: Wed, 10/02/2024 - 13:45

From Saturday, Oct. 5 through Monday, Oct. 7, the Downtown and Macdonald Campuses will be open only to McGill students, employees and essential visitors. Many classes will be held online. Remote work required where possible. See Campus Public Safety website for details.


Du samedi 5 octobre au lundi 7 octobre, le campus du centre-ville et le campus Macdonald ne seront accessibles qu’aux étudiants et aux membres du personnel de l’Université McGill, ainsi qu’aux visiteurs essentiels. De nombreux cours auront lieu en ligne. Le personnel devra travailler à distance, si possible. Voir le site Web de la Direction de la protection et de la prévention pour plus de détails.

Accessing online resources

McGill Libraries provides access to a wealth of electronic resources (e-resources) such as databases, full text e-journals and e-books, as well as other online services.

These e-resources are made available—via library subscriptions—to McGill students, faculty, staff, or other authorized users of the McGill Libraries, including retired faculty and staff. In addition, all alumni have online access to a selection of the Libraries' databases, e-journals, and e-books.

Due to licensing agreements with publishers, McGill Libraries is not able to offer access to subscribed e-resources to people who fall outside of the groups listed above. However, many Open Access resources are available to all users and can be located in our Discovery catalogue or Databases A-Z list.

Certain e-resources may be restricted to specific faculties, such as to the Faculty of Law, or by location, for example for use solely from on campus. In addition, some e-resources may require additional authentication when both on and off campus.

Use of all electronic resources is governed by McGill University's Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill Information Technology Resources.

For E-Resources news, updates, known issues and troubleshooting, see our new E-Resources Support LibGuide

Finding e-resources through the Sofia Discovery Tool (Library catalogue)

All library resources (e-resources and physical items) can be found in the Sofia Discovery Tool. Course Reserves displays e-resources, as well as print materials, on reserve for McGill courses.

Please see the following pages for information about accessing specific formats: E-books, e-journals, subject databases. A list of our main databases can also be found in the Databases A-Z.

Alumni have online access to a selection of the Libraries' databases, e-journals, and e-books.

We are in ongoing discussions with faculty, staff and students regarding our catalogues and how resources are accessed. All feedback, questions, and concerns are welcome. If you run into any issues accessing library resources, please email: collections.library [at] mcgill.ca.

On-campus access to e-resources

McGill students, faculty, staff, alumni, or other authorized users can access resources at the Libraries from any laptop, workstation or device connected to McGill's on-campus wired or wireless network.

In addition, e-resources at the Libraries may be accessed by anyone (including guests) using computers located in the Libraries.

Note: Visitors using the eduroam wireless network on campus do not have access to McGill e-resources.

Off-campus access to e-resources

EZproxy

EZproxy is a quick, easy, and convenient method to gain off-campus access to McGill Libraries subscription databases and other online resources. If you are off campus and try to access an electronic resource through the Libraries' website, Sofia, or through the "McGill Library Full Text" links in Google Scholar, you will be asked to log in before you can access the resource.

EZproxy requires no prior computer or browser set-up. All you need to do is to log in using your McGill username and password when prompted. For anyone from the McGill community who has enrolled in Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) or has had their McGill account automatically enabled for 2FA, EZproxy now employs the same two-factor authentication as other McGill applications.

Login for EZproxy

  McGill login for EZproxy 2

 

See also: EZproxy FAQ

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

McGill's Virtual Private Network (VPN) service gives McGill students, faculty and staff access to Library e-resources from home or off campus if you are accessing the Internet using a non-McGill Internet service provider (such as Videotron, Bell Sympatico, etc) or other wireless service.

You need to install and configure VPN on your computer or device before you can use it. However, once it has been set up, connecting to the VPN network is simple.

The McGill IT website provides instructions for setting up a VPN connection on different operating systems. For IT help setting up your VPN connection, contact the IT Service Desk.

To ensure stable performance for everyone in the McGill community, please continue to use EZproxy for accessing e-resources where possible.

Access for affiliate accounts

Affiliates (non-McGill staff working in association with McGill) who are on campus can use their affiliate account to access e-resources from any laptop, workstation or device connected to McGill's on-campus wired or wireless network.

Affiliates cannot access library e-resources from off campus locations. For information on access to McGill e-resources for hospital affiliates, see Affiliated hospital access to McGill e-resources.

Access for campus visitors

In certain cases, academic departments can request access to e-resources for visiting scholars and guest lecturers for when they are on campus. For more information, the department should contact the head librarian at their library.

Access for alumni

McGill alumni can access a selection of e-resources from off campus. For more information, see: Electronic resources for alumni.

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