How do I access databases from off-campus?

You MUST start from a UI Libraries webpage to be validated through the proxy server. It is best to start from either Hardin Library’s home page, this page, or the University of Iowa Libraries Alphabetical List of Databases.

The University of Iowa Libraries’ Proxy Server provides students and faculty of the University of Iowa with free global access to thousands of electronic resources for scholarly research. The system allows students and faculty working off-campus to electronically access periodical and index databases and full-text resources.

When accessing a restricted resource from off-campus, you will automatically be prompted to enter your HawkID & Password, at which point you will have full access to that resource.

Using VPN to access library resources

Having trouble accessing subscriptions off-campus?  If you are behind a firewall, you may need to use Cisco AnyConnect
1. Launch Cisco AnyConnect.
2. Browse to Hardin Library's webpage and continue.

Please visit the UI Libraries’ Off-Campus Access page for more information.

HawkID Authentication for Off-Campus Access

Access to electronic journals from the VA Hospital may require additional steps due to security differences.

LibKey Nomad

LibKey Nomad is a web browser extension that makes it easier to navigate directly to the full text PDF of an article from our databases. It works both on and off-campus. Download LibKey Nomad for your preferred browser. This browser extension is available for all modern browsers. Once it is installed, you will be prompted to select an organization. Simply select University of Iowa from the drop down list. Once that is done, new buttons will appear in our databases for “Download PDF” or “View Complete Issue,” which will navigate to that issue in Browzine. If the library does not have access to a particular article, an “Access Options” button will appear, which provides options to request the article.

Link Converter

If you are off-campus and are attempting to open a link to an article, it may be necessary to convert the link so that you are prompted to login with Hawk ID and password, which will grant you access to the resource through the library. To do so, visit the Proxy Link Generator, paste your link into the box in the upper-right hand corner of that page, and then click “Create Link.” You should be able to copy and paste the new link into a browser window and navigate to the article, if the library has access to it.

PubMed Outside Tool

You can change your preferences in MyNCBI to allow PubMed to display links to access full-text articles through library subscriptions while off-campus. To set this up:

  1. Log in to MyNCBI in the upper right-hand corner of the PubMed interface.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears when you click your profile name, select “Account Settings.”
  3. Click on the link titled “NCBI Site Preferences” at the bottom of the page.
  4. On the page that appears, click “Outside Tool” in the “PubMed Preferences” menu.
  5. Select University of Iowa from the alphabetical list that appears.