Yes, you can use some eResources even as a member of the general public without any formal connection to CU. First, you have to obtain an external user ID card issued by a CU Card Service Centre. As an external user of library services, you may access some eResources directly from the library computers at CU FA, where the library staff will log you in after you present your external user ID card. When staff members log you into a computer, you can use one of the search tools and gain access to the eResources described here.
Due to the licensing conditions, remote access to eResources (i.e., from your computer) for external users is limited to specific resources. You may find the list of the available eResources for external users on the eResources Portal. To remotely access them, you must log in with the login and password you receive at the Card Service Centre with your external user card.
For your first search, we recommend using the UKAŽ discovery service, which searches through almost all printed and electronic resources at Charles University and elsewhere. For a more detailed search, we recommend using the eResources Portal, i.e., databases you may find there.
CU subscribes to various databases, which are accessible to the whole of academia regardless of their programme. Nevertheless, some databases are intended solely for specific programmes; in such a case, remote access is available only to students and teachers of those programmes. The Charles University Central Authentication Service verifies the access, and if your account is not connected to the given programme, it is not possible to remotely access that eResource.
If you need access to an eResource that your programme does not have access to, you can access it directly from a computer where the resource is available. For example, if you want to use the eResource accessible only to a programme taught in the CU building in Jinonice, you have to visit the local library and access the resource from its computer. You will need to log in to an account in the Jinonice domain which CU FA students can acquire. Further information on the Jinonice domain can be found here.
After you click through to a database on the eResources Portal, you will see the rows “Direct access for:” or “Remote access:”, where the names of the faculties or departments and institutes with access to the particular database are listed.
EZproxy and Shibboleth are services that provide remote access to eResources. Remote access to some eResources is available only via Shibboleth or EZproxy, and others via both services. What is important for you, as an end-user, is that they both work the same way and both will take you to the desired database.
Some eResources (databases) contain other partial sub-databases that may relate to various programmes (e.g. the EBSCOhost database). Please note that some of these sub-databases may not be accessible to you as they are unrelated to your programme; therefore, you cannot use them for licensing or technical reasons.
Do you have more questions about electronic resources? Contact us at eiz@ff.cuni.cz!
