Need help with remote access to databases

Hi All,

 

This may be old hat for many, but I haven't found discussion
in the
Web4Lib archives or the recent literature about this and
need advice.

 

I'm the systems librarian for a public library system,
consisting of a
central library, 10 branches, and 20 member organizations.
Among this
group we have 9 different configurations of licensed
databases.  We
share a local system, and just migrated to a Polaris Library
System.  We
came from Classic Dynix, and had been using Dynix's RPA to
authenticate/authorize patrons for databases based on their
registered
library, and in one case, also school district.   

 

Although Dynix's RPA worked okay when connected to Dynix,
with any other
system it only supports these differing configurations if we
feed it
with 9 different patron files, once for each different
configuration,
so authentication/authorization is not done live via SIP2 or
other
connection.

 

The Polaris solution would require that we force users to
choose their
registered library before entering the catalog, and prohibit
them from
picking the wrong one - not easy with an open catalog. 

 

At our request, Polaris Library Systems add two new fields
to their SIP2
message 64, containing registered library and school
district, so we
have an outbound feed with this information.

 

I've been looking around but haven't yet found a true
consortial
solution that would take advantage of a SIP2 connection, or
at the very
least, take our full patron file and limit access based on
registered
library and hopefully school district.  I'd also not prefer
to have to
run 9 instances of an authorization system.

 

I've been talking with EZProxy about this and am waiting for
suggestions
from them, but their first reaction wasn't promising. 

 

So, does anyone know of an authentication/authorization
system that
might work for us?

 

Thanks muchly!
Deb

 

Deborah L. Bendig
Systems Librarian
Onondaga County Public Library System

The Galleries of Syracuse
447 South Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13202-2494
Phone:  315-435-1843
Email:  dbendigonlib.org
<http://mail.onlib.org/newmail/src/compose
.php?send_to=dbendig%40onlib.o
rg> 
Website:  http://www.onlib.org <http://www.onlib.org/> 

 

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