Five Colleges Proxy
Quickly access resources off-campus through the Five Colleges, Incorporated proxy.
Proxy Bookmarklet
Whenever you are on a site that requires licensed access, click on the "Five Colleges proxy" bookmarklet. You will be asked to login, and then redirected to the "proxified" version of the site.
What is OpenAthens?
With OpenAthens, members of the Five Colleges, Incorporated community can access licensed digital resources both on and off campus. It works behind the scenes to verify your Five Colleges login, giving you seamless access to the same academic materials you’d normally use while connected to the campus network.
Why use OpenAthens?
Some of Five Colleges, Incorporated’s most valuable digital resources are only available to users on the campus network. OpenAthens makes those resources available off-campus too—just sign in with your Five Colleges credentials, and you’ll be recognized as an authorized user no matter where you are.
What’s the difference between EZproxy, OpenAthens, and VPN?
EZproxy and VPNs have traditionally been used to simulate on-campus access by rerouting traffic through university IPs. OpenAthens represents a shift away from IP-based models by using a cloud-based authentication system that identifies users individually. This allows OpenAthens to be more flexible and scalable across platforms, and it often requires less maintenance for IT departments. VPNs remain useful for broader internal network access, but for licensed digital content, OpenAthens often provides a more streamlined experience.