OpenAthens Questionnaire - General Settings and Reporting (v2)

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OpenAthens is a single sign-on (SSO) service that offers library end users a seamless experience and the benefit of secure SAML access. Library administrators can use OpenAthens to manage group authorizations and access, pull granular usage data, and consolidate both SAML and proxy IP authentication into a single, fully cloud-hosted solution.

This questionnaire outlines the information needed from customers to configure OpenAthens authentication to library content, tools, and applications. EBSCO's Implementation team will use the information submitted to assist the library in launching OpenAthens.

For institutions that wants to connect their Identity Provider(s) or Local User Directory(ies) to OpenAthens, in order for user accounts to be taken directly from the institutional IdP(s)/directory(ies), there is an additional Connector Questionnaire to fill out, to provide all info necessary to establish this connection. IT may be required to assist to fill it out.

1. Customer Info

Institution Name:

Institution's EBSCO Customer ID:

Name of your EBSCO Implementation Project Manager:

Contact's First Name:

Contact's Last Name:

Contact's Email Address:

Contact's Direct Phone Number:

2. OpenAthens Administrator Details

Administrators have access to OpenAthens Admin and have the ability to manage user access, resources, reports, etc. within the Admin tool.
There are two administrator roles that can be assigned when setting an account as an OpenAthens administrator. One is Owner and the other is Administrator; the latter has access to a slightly restricted version of OpenAthens Admin. Multiple users can be set as either role.
Additional info about administrator roles can be found here.

Is the Owner Administrator the same as the contact listed above?

YesNoPlease note, additional Owners and Administrators can be created at any time by any OpenAthens administrator.

2a. Please fill out the details of the OpenAthens Owner Administrator:

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Phone (with regional code):

3. Library Contact Details (Patron Support)

There are two types of patron support contacts that customers can configure in OpenAthens, that are shown in different scenarios.

The first displays as Public Contact Details when patrons request 'Further assistance' when logging in:

Public Account View

Or when patrons select the 'Contact your institution' option upon encountering authentication errors:

OpenAthens Authentication Error Message

The second displays as Account Support in automated emails that patrons receive from OpenAthens Admin regarding any OpenAthens hosted account updates (e.g. password reset, account expiration, etc.), as configured in the Email Templates section of OpenAthens Admin:

OpenAthens Account Expiration Email

EBSCO recommends using a shared email (if available) for general inquiry patron support (e.g. helpdesk@library.com).

3.1 Public Contact Details (login assistance)

Name:

Please provide also at least one of the following:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Website URL:

3.2 Should Public Contact Details and Account Support be the same?

YesNo

3.2a Account Support (via automated emails)

Email Address:

First Name(s):

Last Name:

Phone Number:

4. Will any users be mapped from a Local User Directory (such as Azure or Google Workspace)?

Yes, there will only be accounts mapped from the Local User Directory(ies)Yes, there will be accounts mapped from the Local User Directory(ies) AND OpenAthens hosted accountsNo, there will only be OpenAthens hosted accountsNot sureFor user accounts to be mapped into OpenAthens from an Local User Directory, please refer to the separate OpenAthens Connector Questionnaire as well, that gathers all info pertaining to the building of this Connector.
IT may be required to help with these questions.

5. OpenAthens Hosted Accounts

5.1. Permission Sets

OpenAthens allows for the creation of sets of enabled resources, to be assigned to a user via permission sets. Permission sets allow to manage differentiated access to subset of resources to specific subset of users.

Permission sets can be assigned to user accounts at any time, either manually or in bulk, and an account can be a member of multiple permission sets at a time.

Additional information can be found in these FAQs:

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-sets

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-set-rules

Are all users (e.g. faculty, staff, students or by location) entitled to access all library subscriptions?

Yes, all users have access to the same set of resourcesNo, different sets of user have access to different sets of resources

5.1a Please list which subset(s) of users from OpenAthens hosted accounts has special permission to a subset(s) of selected resources:

Permission Set Name

This is how the permission set will be named.

The list of resources to be associated to this permission set should be defined in the Vendor List submitted through the separated Vendor Tool (credentials to be provided by your EBSCO Implementation Project Manager), otherwise please upload a list below.

List of resources enabled for this permission set:

5.2. Groups

In addition to permission sets, OpenAthens allows for Librarians to define groups of users within the Admin module to aid in managing OpenAthens hosted users with bulk actions (such as permission set allocations, downloads, or expiry date changes).

An account can only be a member of one group at a time.

Groups can also be used as breakdown options in statistics.

More info can be found here.

Should groups be created in OpenAthens Admin for OpenAthens hosted user accounts?

YesNoNot sure at this timeNote, these groups can be created and added to a user's account at any point. Once a group is created, it will be also present in the Account Bulk Template for bulk creations, deletions, and changes.

5.2a Please list which group(s) should be created to help the management of OpenAthens hosted user accounts:

Group name

5.3. Reporting

Will the library require usage reporting broken down by different categories/account fields/user attributes/info?

Yes, category breakdowns are required in usage reports in addition to those defined by permission set and groupsNo, category breakdowns are not required in usage reports in addition to those defined by permission set and groups For example: libraries may want to see usage data broken down by faculty department, or major, or something similar.
Please note, category breakdowns are available only if the corresponding attributes and values are tracked in users's accounts.

5.3a Please list which OpenAthens hosted account attributes should be created for reporting purposes:

Attribute name

Attribute Type

Attributes types can be: text, multiple choice, yes or no, email address, IP address, web URL, date.

Attribute Value(s)

Please list all the possible values of the attribute in case the attribute type is multiple choice.

5.3b If allowed, should individual level user reporting be enabled?

Yes, please enable individual level reportingNo, reporting should be left at a group or resource levelNote: Please do not select individual level reporting to be enabled if this infringes the requirements set by GDPR, national privacy law, or your institutional privacy policy.

6. Local User Directory

6.1 Permission Sets

OpenAthens allows for the creation of sets of enabled resources, to be assigned to a user via permission sets. Permission sets allow to manage differentiated access to subset of resources to specific subset of users.

In case of accounts coming from a Local User Directory, these permission sets are assigned automatically based on attribute values present within an account, that need to be released to OpenAthens and then mapped in OpenAthens when that connection is made.

Questions to define which Local User Directory attributes and values should be used for permission set assignation are available in the separate OpenAthens Connector Questionnaire; however, in case this was already submitted without this information, you can provide it below.

Please see these FAQs for additional information:

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-sets

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-set-rules

Are all users (e.g. faculty, staff, students or by location) entitled to access all library subscriptions?

Yes, all users have access to the same set of resourcesNo, different sets user have access to different sets of resources

6.1a Please list which subset(s) of users has special permission to a subset of selected resources:

Permission Set Name

This is how the permission set will be named.

Attribute Name

How the attribute that will be used to assign a permission set is called in the Local User Directory and appears when released to external systems.

Attribute Value(s)

The value that should be in the abovementioned attribute for the permission set to be assigned.
Rules can be constructed with the following possible logics: 'matches', 'does not match', 'contains', 'does not contain', 'starts with', 'ends with', 'has a value'.
Please review this with your Implementation Project Manager if uncertain on how to respond.

List of resources enabled for this permission set:

6.2. Reporting

Will your library require usage reporting broken down by different categories/account fields/user attributes/info?

Yes, category breakdowns are required in usage reports in addition to those defined by permission set, groups, and default attributes mappedNo, category breakdowns are not required in usage reports in addition to those defined by permission set, groups, and default attributes mapped For example: libraries may want to see usage data broken down by faculty department, or major, or something similar.

Please note, breakdowns are available only if the corresponding attributes and values are tracked in users's accounts. In case of accounts coming from a Local User Directory, attributes need to be released to OpenAthens and then mapped in OpenAthens when that connection is made.

Questions to define which Local User Directory attributes and values should be mapped in OpenAthens are available in the separate OpenAthens Connector Questionnaire; however, in case this was already submitted without this information, please provide it below. IT may be required to help with this question.

Additional information can be found in these FAQs:

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-sets

https://docs.openathens.net/libraries/permission-set-rules

6.2a Please list which attributes present in the Local User Directory should be mapped for reporting purposes:

Attribute Local Directory Name

How the attribute is called in the Local User Directory and appears when released to external systems.

Attribute OpenAthens Name

How it should be called in OpenAthens to be displayed in usage reports.

Attribute Value(s)

If this attribute should only be mapped when it has specific values, or it would need a transformation rule to modify the output registered in OpenAthens, please detail it here.
Transformation rules can be constructed with the following possible logics: 'matches', 'does not match', 'contains', 'does not contain', 'starts with', 'ends with', 'has a value'.
Please review this with your Implementation Project Manager if uncertain on how to respond.

6.2b If allowed, should individual level user reporting be enabled?

Yes, please enable individual level reportingNo, reporting should be left at a group or resource level.Note: Please do not select individual level reporting to be enabled if this infringes the requirements set by GDPR, national privacy law, or your institutional privacy policy.

7. FOLIO Customers

Is your institution a FOLIO customer, or will it be?

YesNoUnsureFOLIO requires a fixed, transferable attribute to connect via Single-Sign-On both to OpenAthens and to EDS for Patron Empowerment. By default, OpenAthens releases to vendors an anonymous unique identifier (Targeted User ID) which cannot be used as a match point when establishing a connection with other platforms. If you are a FOLIO customer or plan to be one, this identifier should not be used and another attribute should be released and mapped to FOLIO as unique identifier instead, whose values should match those present in the accounts' External System ID field within FOLIO.

8. Personalization

Federated access can be anonymous OR provide personalization. ‘Personalization’ is when providers automatically log users into a personal account on their platform, e.g. to bookmark citations etc. or for tailored permissions based on their role (e.g. student versus faculty).

Some providers offer personalized authentication and access to their websites. Typically, providers use an anonymous OpenAthens user identifier called targetedID (more info here) to personalize access. It is anonymous in the sense that it contains no identifiable information about the user.

However, other providers request additional attributes to augment the personal experience. The most commonly requested attributes include: first name, last name, email address, role/position (e.g. student/staff/faculty, etc.).

OpenAthens can’t control how providers use this data after it is received. Each provider has its own privacy policy outlining how they use/store personal data.

By default, OpenAthens only releases anonymous data to your providers (more info here).

Please read the complete OpenAthens privacy policy here.

It is the institution who decides which attributes should be released to providers. EBSCO and OpenAthens can help strike the correct balance between ease of use and privacy.

Which attribute release policy should be set in OpenAthens for providers?

OpenAthens may release the commonly requested attributes for any providers offering personalization.EBSCO shall inform on which providers support personalization and which attributes are required. We will then choose which providers release additional attributes to after reviewing their privacy policy.OpenAthens should not release any additional user attributes to any providers. Automated personalization only should be allowed, using anonymous identifiers.

9. Information about where users access library subscriptions

What is users' starting point to access library subscriptions, where are access links to resources placed?

All these links will need to be updated on OpenAthens' go-live to allow users to be authenticated via OpenAthens.

Please select all the applications used by your institution where links will need to be updated to use OpenAthens:

Full Text FinderNon-EBSCO link resolver (e.g. SFX, 360Link, etc.)EBSCO Discovery ServiceNon-EBSCO Discovery System (e.g. Primo, Summon, etc.)ILS (Integrated Library System or Catalog)LibGuidesLMS (Learning Management System - e.g. Canvas, Moodle, etc.)WebsiteGoogle Scholar (via Link Resolver)Other

9a. Please detail the non-EBSCO link resolver:

9b. Please detail the non-EBSCO discovery system:

9c. Please detail the ILS:

9d. Please detail the LMS:

9e. Please provide the website URL:

9f. Please detail the Other Platform(s):

EBSCO's Implementation team will update links in any EBSCO platforms, like in Full Text Finder, EDS, and permalinks in EBSCO databases.

Your institution will be responsible for updating links in non-EBSCO platforms, such as LibGuides, catalog links, or your LMS. Some resources are available to assist with this process:

Using OpenAthens in third-party applications
Public redirector link generator, a handy tool to distribute to faculty if they are responsible for managing their own links in LMS pages, syllabi, etc.

Please note: your contact at the relevant third-party vendor is the best source for information and advice on how to set up the links on their platforms. Please reach out to them for assistance.

10. Authentication Routes

Should all users - both on-site and remote - be authenticated via OpenAthens, or should on-site users (those within the institutional network) be authenticated via direct IP access?

Only OpenAthens authentication should be used, both on-site and off.On-site users should be authenticated via IP.Choosing to use IP access for on-site users simplifies users' journey as they won't need to log in when within the institutional network, provided that vendors have enabled access for your institutional IPs. However, in this way on-site usage will not be reflected in OpenAthens usage reports, only in publishers' reports.
This decision can be changed at any time and settings can be easily updated in OpenAthens Admin, but please note that any change should be communicated to vendors as well, who shall add or remove the enabled IPs on their platforms.

10a. Please list the institutional IPs that should bypass the OpenAthens authentication:

IP Address/Range

11. Temporary Users

Does your library allow Walk-In or Guest/Temporary Users?

YesNo

11a. For your Walk-In users, check all that apply:

Walk-In user accounts can/will be added to the Local User Directory (no need to create them in OpenAthens)Walk-In user accounts cannot/will not be added to the Local User Directory (would require creation of OpenAthens hosted accounts)Walk-In user accounts can access all resourcesWalk-In users only have access to a subset of resources (therefore, they should have a separate permission set) Walk-In users can access resources as long as they are on a certain IP address (therefore, Access Accounts could be used if you are not allowing IP access for on-site users, otherwise there would be no need of additional accounts)To support Walk-In Users, please speak with your EBSCO Implementation Project Manager about the options available depending on the answers above.

12. Additional Contacts

Please list email addresses for any additional contacts (including your EBSCO Implementation Project Manager) who should receive a copy of this questionnaire submission. A copy will be sent to the contact listed earlier as well.

One email per field.

13. Additional Comments

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns in regard to this form, please address them below (250 character limit):

For questions, comments, or concerns in regards to your general OpenAthens implementation, please contact your Implementation Project Manager or email SaaS Implementations.

Please upload any file that you think may be useful:

Submission

Upon submission of this form, the EBSCO Implementation team will provide the necessary information to complete the OpenAthens Connector setup.

They will then continue to work with the library to launch the service for your institution's subscriptions.

Once completed, your end users will be able to log into your library's subscribed content using OpenAthens. When they start a new browser session, they will be prompted to log in using their institutional account. A single log-in through OpenAthens will represent the beginning of their single sign-on session, so additional clicks to full text options will not require an additional log-ins.

For additional information and documentation on the OpenAthens service during this time, please reference the following:
OpenAthens documentation
OpenAthens Onboarding Guide, a reference manual for libraries approaching an OpenAthens implementation.
Virtual Learning Environment, self-led training courses for new OpenAthens administrators. Please note, an OpenAthens administrator account is required to log into the VLE; this will be provided to your library by your EBSCO Implementation team once your dashboard is available.
EBSCO-led OpenAthens training sessions are open to any participants and covering topics from administration basics to usage reporting.
EBSCO-led recorded OpenAthens Training session to view at your convenience.

Thank you for your submission! Your EBSCO Implementation team will be in touch soon.

Please note, if you have translated this form, the submission output will be in English.

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