Accessing online resources

Most of our resources are IP address authenticated. This means that if you are using them on campus, authentication happens automatically in the background and you may well be unaware authentication has taken place. When you are off campus, to ensure that you can access these resources, we recommend that you use the University's Cisco Secure Client Virtual Private Network (VPN) Client. Information on how to download and install the VPN is available on the IT webpages.

Alternatively, if you cannot install the VPN, it is often possible to login via the institution, this is sometimes called Shibboleth, or single-sign-on. To do this you need to locate the institutional login page, select Loughborough University from the drop-down list and you will then get taken to the Loughborough University sign in page.

Some of our resources require each user to sign in to use them, this is often the case with ebooks where there are limits on how much of a text you can print or download.

For resources that require single-sign-on, when you click on the link in our catalogue, on reading lists, or from the database listings, you will be taken to the Loughborough University login page where you can login with your University username and password.

Please note that you should never enter your University username and password directly into a login page on a supplier or publisher website.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has now been added as an additional layer of security for staff and students when they are working off campus and accessing the VPN or other web services. Duo Security is used by the University as our multi-factor authentication solution, and you will need to ensure that you have signed up to this service and have an enrolled device when working off campus. IT Services provide guidance on how to set up and use Duo on their webpages.