OpenAthens is an authentication system that provides off campus access to the library’s online resources via single sign-on.
OpenAthens is a tool used for institutional access - for example where an organisations such as universities, corporations, hospitals and the like have site licences for content such as journals and databases, they use OpenAthens as the way to tell those resources that the user who wants access is a member of that organisation and should be allowed in under the organisation's licence.
After you click on ‘Register’ at the bottom of the page you will see a confirmation screen with a summary of your account details. You will also receive an email with the subject “OpenAthens account - action required” .There will be an activation link within the email that you need to click on to create a password and activate your account.
Passwords must:
· Be between 8 and 20 characters
· Not contain consecutive numbers or letters (i.e. 123, abc)
· Contain at least one letter and one number
· Not be the same as the username
Access to electronic resources
The license agreements for most of the Library's subscribed electronic resources, such as electronic journals and databases, allow off-campus access only to Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University students, faculty and staff with valid accounts.
Navigate your way to your favourite online resource platform. The experience on the different platforms can vary but on some of the most popular platforms, you will have an option to log in with OpenAthens. Select your institution from a list and enter your institutional username and password.
Some platforms may ask you to select your federation when logging in, so please select OpenAthens Federation if needed.