Which Authentication Systems Are Academic Libraries Using?

p strongEZproxy remains the leading authentication platform among surveyed academic libraries, but expected growth in OpenAthens and Shibboleth points to a more diverse access environment./strong/p p Primary Research Group found that 54.55% used EZproxy, 27.27% used OpenAthens and 6.06% used Shibboleth none reported CAS as the primary system. Combined use of OpenAthens and Shibboleth was expected to rise from 33.33% at present to 48.48% within three years./p p Current performance is generally strong. A total of 87.88% were satisfied or very satisfied with off-campus reliability, and 81.82% said authentication failures occurred rarely. No respondent reported daily failures. Those numbers set a high bar for migration: a replacement must offer a clear improvement without disrupting access to licensed resources./p p The decision is nevertheless broader than uptime. Libraries must consider single sign-on, privacy, vendor integrations, remote troubleshooting, reporting, accessibility and staff dependence on campus identity teams. A system that works well for most users can still generate disproportionate difficulty for alumni, walk-in researchers, distance learners or users crossing institutional boundaries./p p Technology leaders should document failure types and affected groups before choosing a platform. They should also test high-value resources during pilots and define rollback plans. Authentication is nearly invisible when it succeeds, but it sits directly between patrons and the content libraries pay to provide./p p  /p