Remote Access Using EZproxy

EZproxy is a proxy service that provides current Lafayette students, faculty, and employees access to subscription Web-based resources from off-campus. (Due to license restrictions, remote access to library resources cannot be extended to Lafayette alumni, spouses/partners, nor unaffiliated area residents.)

How it works

  1. Clicking on a link to a subscription resource from the Library Website, Research Tools pages, or Library Catalog will bring up a page that asks for your NetID and password.
  2. Assuming you’ve entered the proper Lafayette credentials, you will be passed to the site. No site should ask you for a password. (If a site asks for authorization it means the process is not working for that site. Contact the library for help.)
  3. Your authentication should last for the entirety of your Internet session, provided you keep your browser open and are not inactive for more than 10 minutes. If you are inactive for 10 minutes, or if you log out of other Lafayette services (such as Moodle or WebMail), your next attempt to connect to a library resource may require re-authentication.
  4. Normal Web browsing is unaffected by EZproxy.

Updating a Bookmarked URL

The library switched its proxy service to EZproxy from WAM in January 2017. Users who had previously saved WAM URLs for their favorite resources can follow the instructions in the example below to update their bookmarks, or may contact a librarian for assistance.

To update a bookmarked URL:

  1. Delete the characters “0-” and “.libcat.lafayette.edu”, as marked in red in the following JSTOR example:
    http://0-www.jstor.org.libcat.lafayette.edu/action/showAdvancedSearch
  2. Leave all other parts of the URL behind, so that you are left with:
    http://www.jstor.org/action/showAdvancedSearch
  3. Then insert the following string for the proxy server at the beginning of the URL:
    https://ezproxy.lafayette.edu/login?url=
  4. So that the final URL appears as follows:
    https://ezproxy.lafayette.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/action/showAdvancedSearch

Get Assistance

EZproxy assistance is available through the Skillman Reference Department during normal Research Help Desk hours at 610.330.5155. Outside of those hours, please contact us.