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The Library VPN

Off campus access to the library’s online materials

Some UC Davis Library resources are limited to the university network, such as paid journal and newspaper subscriptions, library databases, streaming media services, and educational and clinical apps. To access these licensed resources while off campus, you must first connect to the library VPN.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, allows you to create a secure connection to the university’s network when you are not on campus. As a current UC Davis or UC Davis Health student, faculty member, or employee, you may access our licensed resources from off-campus by first connecting to the library VPN using the Ivanti Secure Access client with your UC Davis Kerberos (CAS) Login ID and UC Davis Duo authentication.

When should I connect to the library VPN?

On-campus locations already have access to library resources, as long as you are hardwired into the campus network or using Eduroam. 

You DO NOT need to connect to the library VPN from:

  • Campus offices 
  • Campus computer network on the Davis campus (including Open Access Labs)
  • Residence halls
  • UC Davis offices located off campus
  • Elsewhere on the Davis campus connected via Eduroam
  • UC Davis Health if connected via UCDH Prod wi-fi or UCDH VPN (Cisco AnyConnect) [login using Citrix credentials]

You DO need to connect to the library VPN if you are:

  • Located off-campus (and single sign-on is not an option for the resource you want to access)
  • On the Davis campus but connected to a wi-fi connection other than UC Davis Eduroam (e.g., UCD Guest)
  • At UC Davis Health but connected to a wi-fi connection other than UCDH Prod (e.g., UCDH Guest)

Please note that the library VPN is different from the Campus VPN Service, which does not provide access to library resources.

Not all library resources require the library VPN!

Vendors that support single sign-on allow you to access their journals, videos and other resources using your UC Davis Kerberos (CAS) Login ID and password instead of the VPN.

Free resources such as UC Library Search and others are open to all.

Install, Configure and Connect to the Library VPN

Duo now required. Please see our Library VPN FAQ on how to use Duo when connecting to the library VPN.

To connect to the library VPN, you must download and install Ivanti Secure Access on your computer or mobile device. You only need to install the application once on each device you want to use to access library resources. Keep in mind that you will need to update it periodically, as you would with any software. Note: you need administrator rights on your computer to install applications; if you do not have them, contact your department’s IT staff. 

Select your device to get started:   

Ivanti Secure Access should work for the majority of faculty, staff, and students; although it may not work with all operating systems. If you run into problems installing the VPN or connecting to licensed library resources, check the Library VPN FAQ and Troubleshooting.

License Restrictions on Electronic Resources

You are personally accountable according to the UC Davis Electronic Communications Acceptable Use Policy for respecting copyright and licensing requirements. 

Breaches of University license agreements could result not only in loss of your own access, but loss of access for the entire UC Davis community. Electronic resources available through the UC Davis Library are licensed by the university for non-commercial use by UC faculty, staff, students and on-site users, for educational or research purposes only. 

Additional restrictions may apply to on-site users of certain databases. The terms and conditions of the UC and UC Davis agreements with the vendors and publishers of these electronic resources regulate the use of these resources. These conditions include, but are not limited to, restrictions on copying, republishing, altering, redistributing and reselling the information contained therein. Fee-for-service providers may not copy and resell texts from licensed sources to non-subscribing individuals, institutions or organizations.

Specific examples of prohibited uses include systematically retaining or printing licensed content like an entire issue of a journal, transmitting an article to a mailing list or an electronic bulletin board, or enabling others to be able to dispense with a subscription. Restrictions vary from resource to resource and you should not assume that a permitted use at one site indicates a general rule applicable to all sites.

View redacted copies of agreements entered into by the California Digital Library (CDL) on behalf of the University of California system.