About Us

Introduction

In today's digitally driven academic landscape, uninterrupted access to scholarly information is essential for promoting research excellence, academic collaboration, and innovation. Recognising this necessity, the Central Library of Panjab University has implemented a secure remote access system that enables its students, faculty, and researchers to use subscribed electronic resources from any location beyond the campus network. Such remote accessibility is especially important in contemporary hybrid learning and research environments, where academic activities are no longer confined to physical spaces. This initiative not only strengthens research productivity and learning outcomes but also aligns with the University's commitment to delivering knowledge resources anytime, anywhere to its academic community.

To facilitate this, Panjab University provides federated authentication through its Shibboleth-based Identity Provider (IdP) portal. This system offers a secure single sign-on mechanism that allows authorised users to log in with their institutional credentials and seamlessly access licensed e-resources from anywhere in the world. Shibboleth operates within the framework of the Indian Access Management Federation (INFED), coordinated by INFLIBNET, which supports institutions nationwide in providing standardized and secure federated access to digital academic content.

Background

Traditionally, access to subscribed e-resources within the University campus was enabled through IP-based authentication. While effective for on-site users, this method restricts access to those physically connected to the campus network, limiting convenience and flexibility for researchers working remotely. To address this limitation, institutions increasingly require authentication systems that verify authorised users rather than their physical location.

Previously, Virtual Private Network solutions were commonly used to extend campus access externally; however, VPNs can be complex to configure, resource-intensive, and less scalable for large user communities. To overcome these challenges, the Indian Access Management Federation (INFED) adopted Shibboleth, a standards-based open-source authentication and authorization system. This technology enables institutions like Panjab University to authenticate users securely and grant seamless access to subscribed e-resources regardless of their geographical location, provided they have valid credentials and an internet connection.

By integrating Shibboleth-based federated access, Panjab University ensures a more user-friendly, secure, and scalable remote access environment for its academic community, thereby strengthening digital scholarship and supporting uninterrupted research and learning.

## Introduction
In today's digitally driven academic landscape, uninterrupted access to scholarly information is essential for promoting research excellence, academic collaboration, and innovation. Recognising this necessity, the Central Library of Panjab University has implemented a secure remote access system that enables its students, faculty, and researchers to use subscribed electronic resources from any location beyond the campus network. Such remote accessibility is especially important in contemporary hybrid learning and research environments, where academic activities are no longer confined to physical spaces. This initiative not only strengthens research productivity and learning outcomes but also aligns with the University's commitment to delivering knowledge resources anytime, anywhere to its academic community.

## Background
Traditionally, access to subscribed e-resources within the University campus was enabled through IP-based authentication. While effective for on-site users, this method restricts access to those physically connected to the campus network, limiting convenience and flexibility for researchers working remotely. To address this limitation, institutions increasingly require authentication systems that verify authorised users rather than their physical location.