Q. How do I access electronic resources from off-campus?

In order to access library subscribed electronic resources from off campus, you must be a current student, faculty or staff member.

• Students who are taking/auditing a course/courses: but are not enrolled in a degree program will NOT have access to e-resources off campus until the semester of their course officially begins. 
• Institute for Higher Learning students: do not automatically have access to Library e-resources from off campus. If you are enrolled in the institute and need off campus access to e-resources for your coursework, please contact the Institute (run by Global Initiatives); they must ask the registrar to change your status to that of a graduate student. This is done on a case by case basis and the Libraries cannot request this change on behalf of a student. 
• Project Dragonfly students: please go to https://libanswers.lib.miamioh.edu/faq/193674 for information specific to your program.
• Visiting scholars: please go to https://libanswers.lib.miamioh.edu/faq/177910 for information specific to your status.
• MU Alumni: please go to https://libanswers.lib.miamioh.edu/faq/163330 for information specific to your status.

​E-Resource Access for Non-Students

Please note that Alumni and Affiliated Patrons DO NOT have access to any library e-resources (including Books and More and Articles and More) unless they are on site as a walk-in user. 

Non-Miami students and community members can use the Miami University Libraries on a walk-in basis during University business hours (M-F, 8 am - 5 pm). Walk-in users can access public computers by getting a guest pass from the Circulation or Information desk inside each of the Libraries.

If you would like to acquire Library privileges for print materials as a community member, you can sign up for an Affiliated Patron of the Libraries card by completing an application during business hours (Monday - Friday) in the Dean's Office (225 King Library) and by contributing a $25 tax deductible donation (cash or check) annually. Contact Heather Bennett for further details at (513) 529-2397 or bennethm@miamioh.edu. This card does NOT provide off-site access to library databases.

As an Affiliated Patron of the Libraries, online databases and other electronic resources are available to you on site (from within a library on campus). E-resources are not available to Affiliated Patrons via remote access (from outside the library) due to license restrictions.

If you have urgent research needs and are working with or are being sponsored by a Miami University academic department, you may ask that department to request a University Courtesy Account for you. Courtesy Accounts allow you to access the Libraries' electronic resources. The Libraries cannot initiate, maintain, or renew Courtesy Account requests on your behalf; you must contact the department you are affiliated with and the Department's Dean or Department Chair will request or renew an account through IT Services for you.

All current faculty and students are strongly encouraged to access library e-resources through the links found by searching in the library catalog, A to Z lists, and LibGuides. Using links found in these locations ensures that you will be able to access resources whether you are on or off campus.

Note that Miami's VPN NO LONGER provides off-campus access to library resources. You must use a proxied link found through one of the sources above in order to access e-resources while off campus.

Proxy Server and Links

• MUL e-resources can be accessed by off-campus students, faculty and staff via the Library’s proxy server.
• The proxy prefix is https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=
• You can add the proxy prefix to any subscribed e-resource link to ensure off-campus access.
• Example of a proxied link: https://proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5951/mathteacher.108.5.0376

Proxy Errors

If you identify a proxied link that does not work from off-campus, please notify Rich Wisneski.

Re-Direct URLs

Re-direct URLs found in Databases A to Z and the Online Resources A to Z LibGuide that begin with https://www.lib.miamioh.edu/indexes/redirect/ do NOT require the proxy prefix.

These URLs automatically push patrons through proxy authentication without the prefix.