Proxy Link Generator:

About this Tool

This tool was built to prepend the proxy prefix for the RPI libraries' proxy service to the url of a subscribed library resource, such as an article from a database.

Use Cases for Proxying Links

The most common use cases for proxied links are:

• Creating a link to an RPI-subscribed article or e-book to read at home or elsewhere off-campus (i.e. outside of RPI's IP range)
• Embedding media or linking to the resource in the LMS
• Sharing links to library material with other RPI users

Session URLs, Permanent/Persistent URLs, Proxied URLs

Let's look at three types of URLs you will encounter while using the library

1. Session

https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=9287b224-079e-4071-bc61-bb734ce16056%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=rpi.952750529&db=cat08351a

This URL is a session-specific unstable URL and will expire with your session. You won't be able to access the item from this URL later, even if you proxy it. These URLs are often the result of copying a url from the address bar of your browser when using a library database or platform. Always use the persistent link generator in the database to generate a stable URL.

2. Permanent/Persistent

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat08351a&AN=rpi.952750529&site=eds-live&scope=site&authtype=ip,guest&custid=s9001156

This URL is a stable, permanent URL that will persist after you leave the platform. You won't be able to access the resource off campus, however. You need to add the proxy prefix.

Depending on the database, this family of links may be referred to as permanent URLS, persistent URLS, durable URLS, stable URLS or PURLs and Permalinks. For our purposes, they are all the same.

3. Proxied

https://login.libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat08351a&AN=rpi.952750529&site=eds-live&scope=site&authtype=ip,guest&custid=s9001156

This URL is both persistent/permanent and proxied. You will be able to access the resource from anywhere.

Most of our databases add the proxy prefix for you when you generate a persistent/permanent URL. However, certain databases, like JSTOR, will not generate the proxy information for you when you are using the database on campus. That is why the library has created this tool.

About the Libraries' Proxy Service

RPI Libraries uses a web proxy referral server to give access from outside the library's computer network to restricted-access websites that authenticate users by IP address. This allows the Rensselaer community at home or elsewhere to login through our server and gain access to our subscription-based resources, such as our wide selection of bibliographic databases and other electronic resources. Our Libproxy software works by dynamically altering the URLs within the web pages provided by the database vendor.

Note: public websites should not be proxied because they are not in our hosts file. In general, Open Access content does not need to be proxied. The proxy service and this tool are intended for use with RPI Libraries subscribed content from vendors and publishers.

If the text libproxy.rpi.edu appears somewhere in your URL, it is proxied for off-campus use. If libproxy.rpi.edu does not appear, you can use this tool to proxy it for you, or simply add the prefix https://login.libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url= to the beginning of the URL manually.

See Connecting from Off-Campus for more info.