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OpenAthens Authentication System: Your Privacy

Resources and information for students and faculty to accessing the library's OpenAthens, off-campus authentication system or create OpenAthens-based links

OpenAthens, Your Privacy, and Data Security

What OpenAthens Collects

In order to authenticate you to a library resource (database, e-Journal, or e-Book), OpenAthens collects your email address, name and organizational role when you sign into the system.  This information is generally not passed to the vendors.  Instead, OpenAthens passes a system-generated numerical ID to the resource provider.  OpenAthens can use additional account information to personalize logins at a publisher's website but at this time the library is not using this feature.  

What the library uses

The library uses the aggregate data concerning:

  • resources (databases and publisher platforms) accessed
  • user roles (student, faculty, employee) and departments
  • user Internet provider and network location

The University Libraries will not share this information with vendors.

Read More

Additional information about OpenAthens, data security and user privacy can be found on the EBSCO support site.