Washington and Lee Proxy
Quickly access resources off-campus through the Washington and Lee University proxy.
Proxy Bookmarklet
Whenever you are on a site that requires licensed access, click on the "Washington and Lee 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 Washington and Lee University to connect to academic resources from anywhere in the world. After signing in with your Washington and Lee 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?
Due to licensing agreements with publishers, most of Washington and Lee University’s online academic content is limited to authorized users. OpenAthens bridges the gap by verifying your identity and granting access from anywhere, without requiring you to connect through the university’s internal network.
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.
Quick access to popular databases and journals
- NCBI PubMed
- SCOPUS
- Web of Science
- Nature
- Science
- APA PsycNET
- Springer Link
- Wiley Online Library
- ProQuest databases
- ScienceDirect