Come and Learn About Open Athens!
On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, the HCC Libraries will be switching our off-campus login method for our databases and other electronic resources to OpenAthens!
Come and learn more about Open Athens with Digital Resources Librarian, Jennifer Stidham! Two sessions of an informational webinar will be offered on the following dates - just choose the one that works for you!
- Wednesday, September 17 from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
- Friday, September 19 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Just go to https://hccs.webex.com/meet/jennifer.stidham a few minutes before start-time for either of the above. You'll learn more about logging in to library resources with Open Athens, how to "Athenize" your old links to library electronic resources to work when we go live, and more! If neither time works for you, one of these will be recorded and posted in this guide soon after the second session.
******You can now watch a recording of the above webinar in EduTube******
Welcome to Open Athens!
What It Is:
OpenAthens is a secure access management solution that helps people around the world access digital content using single sign-on (SSO). It enables libraries, publishers, and organizations to give users simple, reliable access to research and resources from anywhere.
What it does:
OpenAthens acts as an intermediary between users and library resources, verifying user identities and granting access to subscribed content. You may have already used it at other area institutions.
How it works:
When a user clicks on a link to a library resource like a database, OpenAthens intercepts the request and redirects them to a login page where they authenticate with their existing institution credentials (e.g., HCC Eagle ID and password). Once authenticated, they are redirected back to the resource.
Logging in With Open Athens
How do you log in to HCC library resources with OpenAthens?
When you are off-campus and click on an online library subscription resource link from an Eagle Library Search (a link to an eBook or eVideo) or from our Databases A-Z List (Ebsco, JSTOR, ProQuest, or Gale, for example), you will see an HCC login screen. You will just use your HCC Eagle ID to login - W# for students and firstname.lastname for staff and faculty. Your password is the same one you always use with your Eagle ID for HCC email access, Canvas, etc.
Your OpenAthens entry screen will probably look like this.
How do you log in to resources with OpenAthens when you are not using a library link?
OpenAthens allows users to access the library's licensed online resources directly from content provider websites, so long as the content provider has this feature configured on their website. Every content provider is different, but users must follow these steps to sign in.
First a little vocabulary....by "Content Provider," we mean a publisher or similar vendor that the library has a subscription with for resources such as article databases, journals, streaming videos, or eBooks.
Using the example of JSTOR.org, look to the top of the page for the "Log in through your library" link or in the upper right corner for a login option. Then click on "Find My Institution" and search for and choose "Houston Community College" to be taken to the OpenAthens login screen. In this way, OpenAthens can help you access licensed resources even when you are away from our Databases A-Z list.