Who has access to online resources through the Fondren Library?

All users of the Fondren Library have access to the library's online resources at public workstations in the library.

Remote access to these resources is available only to current Rice ID holders: the current faculty, students and staff.

• Rice alumni should see the Association of Alumni website for information on available online resources offered as part of the Rice Alumni Digital Library.

• Residents of Houston, and surrounding counties, may apply for a Houston Public Library Power Card, which allows you to remotely use thousands of online journals and hundreds of thousands of e-books and audio e-books via the Houston Public Library website.

• Faculty with joint appointments to Rice University, and Baylor College of Medicine or University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have remote access to the online resources of both the Fondren Library and the Texas Medical Center Library. See http://cohesion.rice.edu/library/tmc-rice/policies.cfm?doc_id=2776 for details.

Why these restrictions?

Most of the online resources are produced by commercial or scholarly publishers, and are made available through licensing arrangements conducted by Fondren Library on behalf of the Rice community.

These licenses define how, and by whom, the resource may be accessed and used. In general, users should restrict their use of library resources to academic purposes in support of research and teaching. Systematic downloading of resources is prohibited; content extracted from these resources (articles, etc.) should not be made available on servers/websites that are openly accessible, nor should the publisher's markings or copyright marks be obstructed or removed.

How do I achieve remote access?

Note: the Fondren Library online catalog is freely available to all users at http://www-library.rice.edu/uhtbin/webcat, the Fondren Library ejournal portal is freely available to all users at http://ps4ps6lm2r.search.serialssolutions.com/. The online catalog and ejournal portal are finding aids only and do not identify you as a valid user when you click through to the publisher's website.

Remote access to electronic texts, journals and indexes is available to Rice University faculty, students and staff for educational purposes through the following authentication mechanisms:

VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Provides remote access to all resources designated or bearing the logo.	Please read, and follow, the VPN documentation to establish your VPN account and learn how to install the software. Achieving VPN access does require advance planning to establish your account and you must visit the Help Desk at Mudd room 103 in person and with your Rice photo ID to activate that account.
VPN is the preferred access mechanism for off-campus use of IP-restricted library resources by current Rice faculty, students and staff.	Click here for a description of how to use VPN once installed.

The Rice Proxy

The Rice Proxy will permit current Rice faculty, students and staff to use browser-based electronic resources from off campus that have been activated for the proxy. Library resources utilizing a proprietary-client interface - e.g. SciFinder, Beilstein, Cambridge Structural Database System - will require a VPN account. Resources available through the proxy are indicated on the library's website by the designation. (Note: when using the electronic journals listing, you will see a simple text ON PROXY rather than the red-lettered logo.)

A simple, one-time configuration of your browser is all that is required for the proxy - advance registration is not required. See the "Setting Up the Proxy Server" instructions at http://proxy.rice.edu, paying specific attention to any links regarding patches or updates for your browser type and version. Once configured, you will be prompted for your existing primary email account/password when you attempt to access an IP-restricted resource. Click here for a description of how to use the Rice Proxy once configured. See also, "Troubleshooting Problems with Proxy Access to Library Eresources" for problems and work-arounds related to specific library resources.

Rice public dial-up accounts (a.k.a. Level3 accounts)

Faculty, students, and staff who use modem access to connect to the Rice network, will need to use either VPN or proxy to access library resources.

Additional options include:

Account and password access is available for a limited selection of electronic resources

Contact Kerry Keck, Asst. University Librarian for Collections, 713-348-2926 or keckker@rice.edu
Note: Accounts and passwords are Rice University property and should not be shared with others.