The University Library Incorporated the OpenAthens System

The University Library incorporated the OpenAthens system making the UNWE the first university in Bulgaria to provide integrated, modern and centrally managed remote access to licensed electronic scientific resources through one of the most established international platforms for academic authentication and access management.

OpenAthens is a high-tech Identity & Access Management /IAM/ system developed specifically for academic, scientific and research institutions. The platform provides secure, unified and intelligent access to electronic databases, scientific journals, e-books and specialized information resources through a one-time sign-in technology /Single Sign-On – SSO/, using the user’s institutional account.

By implementing OpenAthens the undergraduates, lecturers, Doctoral students and staff have the opportunity for constant access to available scientific resources from the university network as well as remotely – regardless of distance and the device being utilized. This significantly facilitates the research activity, distance learning, the preparation of academic publications and everyday work with electronic information sources.

The system provides a number of strategic advantages:

• Single sign-on to multiple resources through one account;
• High level of information security and protection of personal data;
• Centralized control of access to electronic resources;
• Improved user experience and optimized access to research information;
• Opportunity for integration with modern library, academic and scientific systems.

OpenAthens is a globally established platform with more than 30 years of experience in academic authentication and access control. The system is currently being used by more than 3200 organizations worldwide, functions in more than 80 countries and has conducted more than 5 billion transfers to scientific resources and electronic platforms.

The implementation of OpenAthens is a strategic step in the digital transformation process of the library and information infrastructure at UNWE and establishes the University Library’s effort to provide a high-tech, modern and competitive academic environment, in accordance with the international standards and accepted practices in the area of higher education and scientific communications.

Access to scientific electronic resources is conducted  through the library portal and the unified library platform – EBSCO Discovery Service /EDS/, which provides a centralized search engine, subscribers’ databases and the University’s electronic collections.