Universal access to all resources wastes library budgets

Do you pay to put every topping on every pizza when ordering for a group of family and friends? Probably not, because you know that would be a waste of money.
Yet, many libraries have legacy access systems that force them to do exactly that. Purchasing access to expensive resources for users that don’t need them eats up budget dollars that could potentially be spent on additional resources.

“It’s not that I don’t want to purchase VisualDx for Dermatology, but I can’t justify the cost of a site license” (Library Manager)

There was a time when providing access to library resources was more black and white – you either gave access to the few with resource-specific usernames and passwords, or access to the many based on IP authentication and/or network access. But managing password access quickly becomes unsustainable beyond a small number of users, and so many libraries end up falling back on universal access. Add in the complexity of supporting on and off-site access, and it all adds up to a headache for everyone.
Even more problematic is the challenge of configuring resource access for distinct user groups, departments and locations, all with differing needs.
The stress-free alternative is to switch to LibLynx Gateway, as our flexible access logic effortlessly supports even the most complex user scenarios.
Here are 3 reasons why:

1) Make your budget go further

Don’t invest in site licenses for resources that are only needed by a subset of users. Instead, negotiate a limited access license just for the number of users that need access, and save money! Gateway makes it easy to define a group of users, regardless of location and role, and allocate them just the resources that they need, and no more.

“If I can restrict Micromedex to just pharmacy, I can use the extra money to purchase something else” (Librarian focus group attendee)

2) Take direct control over who has access to what

Many libraries lack direct control over access to their resources because of reliance on IT to setup and maintain legacy access solutions. This can delay the delivery of services to users, and result in a poor access experience that can actually deter usage. Gateway’s web-based admin interface puts the library back in the driver’s seat. You can easily setup, configure and amend access rights using our cloud-based admin dashboard.

“You mean, it won’t matter that we have a shared IP address for all locations?” (Library Director, multi-site academic institution)

3) Comply with license agreements

Defining access at the user level allows you to fully comply with any access restrictions in your license agreements. Banish the stress and uncertainty of non-compliance while saving money by purchasing the resources you need, just for the users who need them.
Please contact us to learn more about how LibLynx Gateway can make your library budget go further, by giving you direct control over who has access to what.