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For faculty members teaching courses using Canvas or other online platforms, linking directly to library materials (as opposed to copying and distributing) is an excellent way to share course readings or other materials with students. The library uses authentication and access software called OpenAthens to connect users to licensed online databases and e-journals. OpenAthens works by altering the URLs provided by database vendors to point users to an OpenAthens server instead. This allows students to seamlessly access online databases, journals, and articles from on or off-campus, while ensuring the library complies with all license agreements signed with publishers and database providers.

There are some database links that do not need the OpenAthens leader or Link Generator, as their persistent links are already equipped with OpenAthens authentication. These database platforms include: Cengage/GALE, Kanopy, Browzine, and ProQuest. Create a bookmark with the permalinks these databases provide to access their content.

Saint Mary's College faculty and instructors can use OpenAthens software too. Here's how:

1. Locate a library database, journal, or article that you wish to share with students.
    
2. Prepend the following OpenAthens authentication leader to the URL for the resource: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/stmarys-ca.edu?url=
    

   2a. An OpenAthens alternative to manual link editing:
   Edit your links automatically with the OpenAthens Link Generator. Select Saint Mary’s College of California from the organization field. Paste your persistent link or DOI into the link field. The generator will populate your “athenized” link. If you have already logged in, clicking on the link should directly open the article. If you have not yet logged in, clicking on the link should prompt our OpenAthens authentication page via SMC's SSO. Once you login, the article should open.

3. Now take the full URL (OpenAthens leader + publisher URL) and use the link in your Canvas course. Voila!

Resources with the OpenAthens leader will now prompt students working off-campus to login with their SMC username and password and then link them directly to the resource. URLs without the OpenAthens leader may direct students to a publisher's website, which requests that they pay money to access content that the library already subscribes to.

Here are some example resource URLs without and then with the OpenAthens leader:

* Databases listed in the Library site include proxy leaders already. To copy the link, simply right click and select "Copy link location".