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Cook Library: Off-Campus Access Options

What Is Off-Campus Access?

Many of the online resources the Library provides are licensed from the resource provider. The licenses allow use by students, faculty, and staff affiliated with Towson University. Computers located on our campus are included in the license agreements, but your home computer is not.

To allow use of these resources from an off-campus location, the Library must validate you as an authorized user. Current students, faculty, and staff may be validated to use these resources. When accessing them from a remote or off-campus computer, you will need to provide your last name and your library number, which appears on your TU OneCard.

If you don't have your 14-digit library bar code handy, click the button below, then enter your TU username and password and we'll show it to you. (Clicking the button opens a new window. If you have a "pop-up" blocker enabled, you may need to allow pop-ups from towson.edu)

Why Use Off-Campus Access?

If the Library is closed, our online resources are still available for you to use from another location.

If you want to work from your home, your office, a friend's or relative's house, or even a cyber cafe, you may use the online resources in the same way you might in the library, including saving, printing, and emailing the results of your research.

If you are enrolled in an online class or if you are a distance education student taking classes in an online program, there are several things you can do to get the most from your online library.

Where Do I Find the Online Resources?

You can use the subject gateways to help you select resources appropriate to your topic. If you have already logged on , you will go directly to the resource. If not, you will be prompted to provide your library number and last name. Once you are validated, you will go directly to the resource you selected.

You may also use Research Port to begin your searches. You will be prompted to login with your library card number and last name, then you may choose from subject groups or A-Z lists or enter the name of a resource. With Research Port, you may search keywords across multiple databases at the same time. You may save links to your favorite resources, save your searches, and email the results of your research.