What is an OpenAthens account?
Some eBooks, Databases and eJournals require our members to log in with an OpenAthens account. All current students and staff of the University of Bradford have automatic access to the subscribed OpenAthens resources. There is no need to apply for this username and password.
A list of online services available to you as a member of the University can be found by logging in to MyAthens with your UoB username and password. NB! You may see the word 'Athens' mentioned on websites or when logged into MyAthens. University of Bradford members are no longer using the classic style Athens accounts but the OpenAthens ones.
What is my OpenAthens username and password?
Current students and staff login to OpenAthens online resources using their UoB username and password. For students these are the same login details as you use to access E.g. Canvas, e:Vision and PebblePad. For staff these are the details you use for accessing your Bradford email account. These would have been provided to you when you first joined the University.
More information about the University username and password can be found on the IT Services help page.
How do I log in to an OpenAthens resources?
Students and staff linking to online resources via Summon and the Library Catalogue will simply use the links provided for specific services. Most services have two links for users to choose from. In most cases on-campus users are not asked to log in at all. Off-campus users will be asked for their UoB username and password.
If you choose to bypass Summon and the Library Catalogue and visit one of our online services directly, you will have to:
- Locate the 'login' or 'sign in' link on the site.
- Always select the institutional or shibboleth option instead of the classic Athens login route if presented with these choices. This is because we use 'OpenAthens accounts' instead of classic Athens.
- Choose United Kingdom or the UK Access Management Federation if prompted for this information.
- You will also need to either type in 'University of Bradford' or pick our institution from a list as a final step prior to logging in.
- Type in your UoB username and password.
There is more information available on how to login to the University's online resources both on- and off-campus on the Library's online resources access page.
You may also choose to log in to MyAthens where you may view all the online resources available to you via the OpenAthens authentication system. Please bear in mind that the resources listed in MyAthens are NOT the only resources available to you from the University of Bradford. Use Summon or the Library Catalogue to discover all the online resources available to you.
Logging in to MyAthens:
- Go to the MyAthens login page.
- Choose the 'Alternative login' option in the 'Login to MyAthens' panel. DO NOT type in your login details into the username and password fields displayed in this panel, because we now use the 'OpenAthens accounts' and not the classic Athens ones, hence the different login route.
- Type in 'Bradford' or 'University of Bradford' into the Quick Search box OR choose 'Universities' from the list of organisations.
- Choose University of Bradford.
- Choose 'Go to the University of Bradford login page'.
- Type in your UoB username and password. Tick the box for 'Remember this organisation on this computer' if you wish to shorten the login process in the future.
What if I cannot log in with my OpenAthens username and password?
Occasionally you may find that you cannot log in to an online resource using OpenAthens. This may happen for a number of reasons. For instance:
- Your University Student or Staff account may have been suspended due to changes in your student or employment status.
- You have graduated and enough time has passed for your University username and password to expire.
- You may have taken a break from your studies or work and the University no longer hold an active account for you.
Suggested solution:
- Current students and staff should contact IT Servicedesk for assistance with username and password queries or visit the passwords information page for immediate troubleshooting information and advice. This page will also guide you on how to reset your password.
Other possible reason for login failures:
- You are trying to access an online service the University has no subscription to.
- You are spelling your login details incorrectly.
- You are using the classic Athens username with the prefix 'bra'.
- You are not using the correct login option on the target website. Websites often provide more than one login option and you need to choose the one for institutional or shibboleth login NOT the Athens login option.
Suggested solutions:
- Check the Library Catalogue to see if the University holds a subscription to the particular eBook, eJournal or database you are trying to log in to.
- Try entering your details again and make sure you are using the UoB username and password.
- Make sure you are choosing the institutional or shibboleth login option instead of the Athens option.
Contact the University's Athens Administrator with the details of your login problem, if you have checked your UoB username and password are valid; and gone through the troubleshooting steps listed above. To speed up the process, you are asked to provide the following details on first contacting the administrator:
- Have you checked your UoB username and password are accepted E.g. on Canvas or at the MyAthens site?
- Which online resource are you trying to login to?
- What is your route to the online resource? Are you linking to it from the Library catalogue or going directly to the service website?
- Copy the link you used from the catalogue into the message. Alternatively, provide the URL of the website you visited.
- Are you on-campus or off-campus?
- Any other information that might help to solve the situation quicker.
What if I don't know my OpenAthens username and password?
Visit the password information page for immediate troubleshooting information and advice. This page will also guide you on how to reset your password.
If the passwords information page does not answer your question or you need further assistance, contact IT Servicedesk.
Need further help?
If you have any queries about OpenAthens please contact your Subject Librarian.