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For faculty members teaching courses using Moodle 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 EZProxy to connect users to licensed online databases and e-journals. EZProxy works by altering the URLs provided by database vendors to point users to an EZProxy 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.

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

1. Locate a library database, journal, or article that you wish to share with students.
2. Prepend the following EZProxy authentication leader to the URL for that resource: https://stmarys-ca.idm.oclc.org/login?url=
3. Now take the full url (EZProxy leader + publisher URL) and use the link in your Moodle course. Voila!

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

Below are some example resources and the urls without and then with the EZProxy leader.

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