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OpenAthens for Resource Access

Logging in with Library Links

You will be prompted to login to OpenAthens from the library's A-Z Database list or Find It @ USC Libraries when you click on links to online content, including databases, ebooks, journals, articles, and streaming films.

Choose the option for Students, Faculty and Staff.

Sign in options with arrow pointing to choice for Students, Faculty and Staff


Your browser may remember this selection, so you may not get this prompt every time. Next, you will be asked to login with your university network username and password.

USC Central Authentication Service OpenAthens

 

Login credentials boxes for network username and password


A message will display from OpenAthens asking you to wait while it transfers you to the resource.

Browser screen displaying message to please wait while we transfer you to EBSCO Information Services

From Publisher or Vendor Site

Find something you want when searching the web but hitting a paywall? Try logging in directly from the site through OpenAthens. If University Libraries has a subscription, you'll be granted access.

Look for terms like:

  • Log in / Access / Sign in through your institution
  • Login through your library
  • Institutional Login
  • OpenAthens Federation

Select University of South Carolina (or OpenAthens Federation if university not listed) and follow the prompts to login.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Links to Register, Sign In, or Create a Profile are almost always to create a personal account with the publisher or site, not to sign in with your institution for access.

When searching the list for your institution, you may see two separate listing for University of South Carolina. Only one will work correctly, and it's often the second listing. We're working to resolve this issue, but in the meantime there are clues to choosing the correct one.

  • If there are graphics, choose the listing with the USC block logo (not the generic letters in a circle)
  • If you're prompted to login with Shibboleth rather than CAS / OpenAthens, go back and look for another listing