How Does Off Campus Access Work?
When on campus, the DMU network automatically authenticates you with our information providers using IP addresses. We encourage you to use the links on the library site as these URLs are customized for DMU access, but we acknowledge this is not always a requirement to access resources when on campus. You can Google your way into some of our resources thanks to IP verification.
However, when off-campus, you must use the URL's provided by the library. Why? Because URL's to library resources are unique. Every URL is constructed in a way the first directs you to the EZproxy, our proxy server.
"In computer networks, a proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers." Proxy server. (2015, June 16). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Proxy_server&oldid=667183527
Thank you, Wikipedia.
EZproxy recognizes whether or not you are on the DMU campus thanks to IP verification. If you are on campus then you go straight to the resource. If you are off-campus, EZproxy will request your DMU credentials before permitting access to the resource. EZproxy allows the library to permit access to licensed resources to the DMU community while preventing access to these same resources to the general public.
Geek Talk Infographic for the Proxy Server
Another geeky way to understand this infographic is to talk about IP numbers. Every computer has a unique address on a network. When you connect to resources through the library, the proxy server represents the correct DMU IP numbers to our publishers and vendors.
A publisher will not recognize the IP numbers associated with your computer when off campus unless you use the library links which will enable the proxy server to represent you online. To lean more about IP numbers, watch this nerdy video.