Off Campus, Online, and Wireless Access

Online access to the Libraries’ licensed electronic resources is available through EZProxy to currently enrolled MSU faculty, staff, and students currently enrolled in at least 1 credit hour. Resources listed with the green IP icon or available as “Full Text for MSU Authorized Users” require use of EZProxy. If you are off campus or using a wireless connection, you will automatically be prompted to log in with your MSU NetID and password.

If you have any problems accessing library resources from our Electronic Resources page, our online catalog, or SearchPlus, please call Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or send an email to reachout@msu.edu: Opens in a New Tab.

Who has access to electronic resources?

EZproxy is available to MSU faculty, staff and enrolled students through their active MSU NetID. Students must be enrolled in at least 1 credit in order to be authorized. If you have problems logging in with your MSU NetID, please call us at 517-353-8700 so we can troubleshoot with you.

When do I need to use EZProxy?

You will need to use the EZProxy if you are trying to access restricted resources from off campus or campus wireless.

Which electronic resources require EZProxy?

Resources that have a green IP icon  require the use of EZProxy. Resources that have a globe icon are public resources which do not require authentication. The resources that do require authentication should automatically prompt you for it when you click on the link.

How do I create a stable link to an e-journal, e-book chapter, or streaming video?

Please see our Stable Links for Electronic Resources: Opens in a New Tab guide for instructions on creating a stable link to an online, proprietary library resource.

How do I access MSU Library resources when using Google Scholar?

If you are accessing resources through Google Scholar and want to ensure your access to MSU Library resources is seamless, do the following:

1. Go to Google Scholar: Opens in a New Tab
2. Click the menu to the left of My Profile, in the upper-left corner
3. Click on "Settings"
4. Click on "Library Links"
5. Search for Michigan State University
6. Select "Michigan State University Libraries – MSU Text Access" and "MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - ProQuest Fulltext" by checking the boxes
7. Click "Save"
8. Do your search in Google Scholar
9. Click on the link for "MSU Access" that will appear to the right of the title of the resource and you'll be prompted for your NetID and password to access that resource. Please Note – if you click on the title and not the "MSU Access" link you won’t be taken to the resource.

Common Problems with Electronic Resources: What should I do if...?

Blank page:

If you see a blank page when accessing an electronic resource through the Libraries' website, check the menu on the right to see if there is a link to open the resource in a new window. If there is no link, please call Reference and Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or email us at reachout@msu.edu to let us know what resource you were accessing so we can investigate.

Article does not load:

If you receive a page not found, bad request or time out error, or you are prompted to pay for the article, it's possible the link has not been updated to use off campus access, or a workplace firewall is blocking access. Please call Reference and Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or email us at reachout@msu.edu to let us know what resource you were accessing and the link you followed, so we can investigate.

Receive an error about EZProxy:

If you receive an error saying that EZProxy has not been set up the electronic resource, please call Reference and Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or email us at reachout@msu.edu to let us know what resource you were accessing and the link you followed, so we can investigate.