Ask a Librarian

Off-Campus Access

EZProxy is a remote access service that re-writes a URL so you are recognized as an authorized user. This service:

  • Confirms that you are a valid UW-Madison member and enables access to most library resources
  • Provides internet authentication for UW-Madison students, faculty and staff

A proxied link looks like this:
https://zassaku-plus-com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/

Please note that some resources are only available in campus libraries.

If you would like to bookmark a library resource, simply copy the URL from a library web page to ensure you get the correct information. If you find that a library resource denies you access, you can try using the library’s Remote access bookmarklet (see menu on the right). PLEASE NOTE: The remote access bookmarklet will only work for UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students.

Note that using a campus VPN DOES NOT automatically give you access to library resources. Get to the resource through our library website, and the resource will automatically ask you to login with your UW-Madison NetID.

Your Login & Remote Access/EZProxy

Using the library website, navigate to the resource you want to use. The resource will eventually ask you to login. You access the remote access server by entering your NetID.

After entering your NetID, you should be redirected to the resource you selected. Notice that the URL to the article, database, or other resource has added the “EZProxy string.” For example:
https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/article/10.1007/s12671-017-0695-0
What happens when you’re using EZProxy is that EZProxy rewrites the URL you want to go to. EZProxy allows you to log in through the library’s EZproxy server and gain access to resources.

  1. You must have a valid UW-Madison Photo ID to activate and keep a NetID account
  2. NetIDs can be activated at the NetID Account Activation page
  3. Once entered, this remains active until you exit your browser or are logged out after 6 hours of inactivity

Enabling Cookies

  • Web browsers use cookies
  • They communicate your preferences to a web server
  • They pass small bits of information back and forth to help establish a session between your web browser and their web server
  • This session information is stored on your hard drive in a file called cookies.txt

Cookies information is used to set up connection information about your search session. The alternative to cookies stored on your computer would be storing this information on the database computers, where you would have no control over what it might be used for or how long it is kept.

For more information about cookies, see the Unofficial Cookies FAQ.

Note: As cookies are just a text file there is no known instance of the cookies.txt file being used to transmit a computer virus.

Most licensed resources require cookies to be enabled. If you have cookies disabled, this will cause problems with these resources. Resources that are known to require cookies are…

  • Any ProQuest database, including ProQuest Research Library and ABI/Inform
  • Any EBSCO database, including Academic Search
  • American Chemical Society journals (when you download PDF files)
  • PINET (Physics Information Network)
  • and many more…

If you have privacy concerns about the use of cookies, turn them on before using licensed resources and then turn them off again when finished. You can also locate the cookies.txt file on your hard drive and delete it when finished.

To clear your browser’s cookie file, follow the instructions for your browser on this DoIT page.

(See this site on the effects of deleting your cookie file.)