Questions on OpenAthens? The purpose of this guide is to introduce you to Gould Library's new Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication system. OpenAthens will help you use your Carleton credentials to login to Gould Library's electronic resources both on and off-campus. Gould Library is implementing this new system in August 2025, with a transition period with our old IP based authentication system, EZproxy.

• Eventually in Spring 2026, OpenAthens will replace EZProxy and IP-based authentication.
• During this transition, the VPN may be helpful off-campus in avoiding any double authentication issues.
• If you install the LibKey Nomad browser extension, you will have an easier time with accessing library resources, as it assists in bringing library resources to you.                       

What are the benefits to using OpenAthens?

• It allows us to securely provide single sign-on authentication using your Carleton Login from the library website and directly from publisher websites.
• It allows us to collect important aggregated usage data on digital materials while ensuring privacy for users. This data will help to inform collections decisions ensuring that researchers and learners have the resources they need.
• It improves contractual compliance for licensed electronic resources.

How will OpenAthens affect me?

• Bookmarked links and links in course materials that start with https://login.ezproxy.lib.carleton.edu will need to be updated. If you save or share links in Moodle or other systems, you may need to update your links.
  • Please see the Creating Permanent Links section of this LibGuide.
• If you are accessing electronic resources via Library Search or the Gould library's A-Z Databases list, you will not need to make any changes.

If you have any questions about this guide or using the library's collections, contact a Reference Librarian at the Research Desk. If you have a question about OpenAthens or accessing specific library resources, please submit a ticket.