Remote access: new IDs vs. validating IDs

With the start of a new semester, it seems like a good idea to make sure there's no confusion between having a Baruch ID card validated at the circulation desk and being able to get remote access to databases and course reserves. There is in fact no connection between card validation and remote access. If a student is reporting that they are unable to remotely access our databases, the most likely reason is that the student has a new ID card (for others, see the wiki entry on Remote Access.)

On a regular basis, the ID card center downstairs provides us with a file that lists all the currently valid Baruch ID cards (for students, a valid ID card indicates that they are enrolled at the school). The ID card sends a new file periodically becuase the list of students changes over time (students graduate, dropout, re-enroll, etc.) The library then takes that file from the ID card center and adds the list of library ID numbers to the EZ Proxy system that the library uses to manage remote access. If a student has a new ID card, it may take a little while for the latest file from the ID card center to be sent to the library. We get the file from the ID card center frequently during the first few weeks of class, but then only once a month on the first Monday of each month. So if a student got an ID card in the past 3-4 weeks, it may not be until the first Monday of the following month that he or she will have remote access. In the meantime, students may use the databases available through the CUNY OLS website.

Validating an ID card at the circulation desk, though, can be done as soon as the student has been issued the card. Having a card validated at circulation allows the student to:

• borrow materials from any CUNY library
• access the "My Account" feature in CUNY+
• use the CLICS system to request books
  

It does not, though, give the student remote access to databases or course reserves.