Iowa Valley Proxy
Quickly access resources off-campus through the Iowa Valley Community College District proxy.
Proxy Bookmarklet
Whenever you are on a site that requires licensed access, click on the "Iowa Valley proxy" bookmarklet. You will be asked to login, and then redirected to the "proxified" version of the site.
What is OpenAthens?
OpenAthens provides a simple and secure way for students, faculty, and staff at Iowa Valley Community College District to connect to academic resources from anywhere in the world. After signing in with your Iowa Valley account, you’ll have full access to the university’s licensed content—without needing to use a VPN or change device settings.
Why use OpenAthens?
Licensing deals with content providers typically limit access to users physically on campus. OpenAthens ensures that students, faculty, and staff at Iowa Valley Community College District can access those same resources from anywhere, simply by logging in with their Iowa Valley username and password.
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.