Connecting from Off Campus

Anyone may freely access our library catalogs, and most of the Library's web pages, from any computer with an Internet connection. The Library's home page is the best place to start.

Some premium electronic resources, such as journal article databases, are made available under special licenses with access restrictions. Your affiliation with UC Berkeley determines what resources you may access from off campus:

» Current UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff
» Others currently affiliated with UC Berkeley
» Persons not currently affiliated with UC Berkeley

Current UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff
You may access any material on our site, including licensed resources.

• If you connect to the Internet through the UC Berkeley network (in a campus office, dorm, etc. or via AirBears), you should be able to access all library resources.


• If you are off campus, connecting through a commercial Internet Service Provider (such as Comcast cable, DSL, or EarthLink), you can get full access to library resources in either of two ways:
  
  »  Proxy Server.
  After you make a one-time change in your web browser settings, the proxy server will ask you to log in with a CalNet ID or Library PIN when you click on the link to a licensed resource. This is usually the most convenient method, but there are known problems for those connecting through a firewall or using AOL, Internet Explorer versions 4-6, some browsers on Macintosh computers, or older browsers in general. For more information, see the setup instructions, FAQ, and Troubleshooting pages.
  
  »  VPN (Virtual Private Network)
  After you install and run the VPN "client" software on your computer, you can log in with a CalNet ID to establish a secure connection with the campus network. Some resources that are not web-based require VPN for off-campus use: ARTstor (Macintosh only), Luna Insight, MDL Crossfire Beilstein and Gmelin, SciFinder Scholar (client version only), the java client in UC Image Service, and the Connect function in EndNote.

  NOTE
  UC Berkeley has changed its VPN software, and the previous version will no longer work. Users who have not upgraded to the new "AnyConnect" program since July 13, 2009 can do this with the instructions linked below.

  Use our instructions for Windows or Macintosh computers to download and set up your VPN software. Important: VPN must be turned on before you access licensed library resources. Be sure to turn off VPN when you have finished using these resources. For more information, see our VPN FAQ.

Others currently affiliated with UC Berkeley
Off-campus access to our licensed resources, using the Proxy Server method described above, is available to:

• Continuing UC Berkeley students who, although unregistered, are in good standing and working towards a degree
• UC Berkeley emeritus professors
• UC Extension faculty and students with valid UC Berkeley library cards
• Visiting scholars and post-doctoral fellows who are officially registered.

Persons not currently affiliated with UC Berkeley
Due to license restrictions, off-campus access is not available to:

• alumni
• former or retired employees
• persons unofficially or only loosely affiliated with UC Berkeley
• associates of other University of California campuses
• those who have purchased a UC Berkeley library card
• the general public.

However, anyone may come into the library and use these resources through the "Research Access" option on our public computers.

FAQSearchSitemapContact webmasterUC Berkeley home

Copyright © 2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Last updated 09/11/09. Server manager: contact