Q. How do I connect from off-campus?

Who can access the library off-campus?

Lots of ebooks, articles, and media are available online, off-campus to UWM students, staff, and faculty. Due to contractual terms with publishers, subscription library content is not available to non-UWM borrowers off-campus. Some open-source materials and digital collections are available to all researchers, regardless of affiliation.

You can find content using Search@UW (the library catalog) or you can access library databases alphabetically or by subject. In order to access most resources, you will need to authenticate using your ePanther ID and password (see the video "sign in to your library account" at the bottom of this FAQ for instructions).

What do I need to sign in?

Our remote access mechanism is handled by the campus Unified Digital Identity (UDI). Your digital identity at UWM is made up of three parts:

1. your user name (ePanther ID)
2. password and
3. multi-factor authentication

When you sign in to UDI controlled web services like Canvas, PAWS, and your library account, you will need to enter your user name (ePanther ID) and password, and then authenticate using the campus multi-factor authentication system.

Troubleshooting Common Access Issues

Here are some resources for help with connecting to library content off campus. All other password and sign-in questions should be directed to the campus IT Help Desk.

• Only your library account access is restricted: If you are currently enrolled or employed at UWM and able to access other UDI sites, such as Canvas, but are unable to sign-in to library sites, please contact the Library Circulation Desk (libcirc@uwm.edu) for help in fixing your account.
• You need to enable or clear your browser cookies/cache: If you're signed in and still can't access library tools or materials off campus, it's possible you need to clear your browser's saved data (sometimes referred to as a 'cookies' or a 'cache'). Here are help pages for common web browsers with instructions on enabling cookies and clearing your cache and cookies.
  • Google Chrome: Enable Cookies
  • Google Chrome: Clear Cache and Cookies
  • Mozilla Firefox: Edit Cookie Settings
  • Mozilla Firefox: Clear Cache and Cookies
  • Microsoft Edge: Manage and clear Cache and Cookies
  • Safari (Mac): Privacy Settings
• You're getting an EZproxy error message: If you are encountering an EZproxy error message (such as "Host Needed"), please let us know via Ask a Librarian
• You're using a VPN: The Campus VPN is available, however, it is not configured to work with remote access to library databases; you may need to re-authenticate or disconnect from the VPN in order for library links to function properly.

Off-campus URL Generator

If you have a link from an article or media that you found outside UWM Libraries search tools, you can use the off-campus url generator to make a link that will work with our sign-on system. This will not work for sources that are not licensed or owned by the UWM Libraries. When in doubt, you can request articles restricted by paywalls using interlibrary loan.

Paywall Restricted Content

Remember: As a UWM Student, staff, or faculty member, you never have to pay for access to a book or article. Even if the item you're looking for is not part of our print/online holdings, you can obtain a copy a no cost (to you) by using our Interlibrary loan services. See How do I find materials the UWM libraries doesn't have? for more information.