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About IP address recognition

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Learn how IP address recognition works to provide access to FirstSearch.

To log on automatically to FirstSearch, users click links that you add to your library's web pages. After clicking a link, users bypass the FirstSearch logon screen and begin their session on the FirstSearch screen that you specified in the link. Users access FirstSearch without entering a FirstSearch authorization number and password.

Automatic logon

IP address recognition is available for automatic logon to FirstSearch. For the easy to set up and maintain IP address recognition method, you specify which IP addresses may use your FirstSearch authorization or authorizations. You add links that lead to FirstSearch on your library's web pages. The links contain special IP address recognition URLs. The links work only for users with an IP address that you specified.

Remote access to FirstSearch

A user accessing your library's web pages from a remote location cannot use IP address recognition to log on to FirstSearch if the user's IP address, as it appears to FirstSearch, is not one that you specified for IP address recognition.

For the IP address recognition automatic logon method, you specify which IP addresses may use your FirstSearch authorization or authorizations. You add links to FirstSearch on your library's web pages. These links contain special IP address recognition URLs. The links work only for users who access FirstSearch from a workstation with an IP address that you specified.

Because workstations authorized to use FirstSearch are identified by IP address, the links can be placed on non-restricted web pages. When a user clicks one of these links, OCLC verifies that the IP address may access the library's account. If it may, the user is logged on to FirstSearch. (If the user's IP address may access the account but the logon cannot be completed, the system displays a message. For example, it displays a message if the maximum number of users for an authorization are already using FirstSearch.)

Anyone who tries to access FirstSearch from an unauthorized IP address receives a message and an opportunity to log on manually.

What IP address recognition can do

The following options are available through IP address recognition:

  • Authorization number. If you have multiple FirstSearch authorization numbers, you can specify for each link which authorization number is used to access FirstSearch.
  • Communications method. If you want to use a communications method other than the Internet, you can use OCLC Dedicated TCP/IP communications or Z39.50.
  • Direct article access. You can point users directly to the full text of journal articles available in the FirstSearch service. This lets users click a link to access the full text of a journal article and then return to your library's web pages without seeing other FirstSearch screens. This direct article access supports electronic reserves or reading lists that your library might provide on its web pages. More information about direct article access is available at FirstSearch direct article access.
  • Exit page. You can specify the Web page to which a user goes after exiting FirstSearch. For example, you could send the user to a particular web page or to the page from which the user entered FirstSearch. If you do not specify a page, the user goes to the FirstSearch manual logon screen after exiting.
  • FirstSearch screen. You can point users to appropriate resources by creating links to specific FirstSearch databases, Electronic Collections Online journals, or other screens within FirstSearch. For example, you can create a WorldCat link that takes users to a search screen for the WorldCat database, or an Education link that takes them to a database selection screen for the education topic area. The screen that you specify through automatic logon may override the default search screen or default topic area specified in the administrative module.
  • Language. You can specify the FirstSearch interface language to view instructions, labels, and help files in a language other than English.
  • Library logo. You can add your library's logo to FirstSearch through automatic logon or through a setting in the administrative module. If you do, your logo appears throughout each FirstSearch session at either the upper left or upper right of each FirstSearch screen, depending on where you designated it to appear. If you specify a library logo through the administrative module and through automatic logon, the logo specified in the administrative module is used.
  • Session control. FirstSearch uses a cookie to end any existing FirstSearch session whenever another FirstSearch session is started on the same workstation. For libraries that purchase a specified number of ports (simultaneous logons) as part of their FirstSearch access, this feature releases ports for use by other users more quickly than if the existing session was left to time out. You can turn off this cookie through automatic logon. More information about controlling FirstSearch sessions and about this cookie is available at Controlling FirstSearch Sessions.
  • Timeout periods. You can specify the inactivity timeout periods after which the user is logged off by FirstSearch. If you want to override the timeout periods set in the administrative module with shorter timeout periods, you can specify them through automatic logon. However, If you specify timeout periods through automatic logon that are longer than the periods specified in the administrative module, the administrative module periods are used.

What IP address recognition cannot do

The following list describes limitations of IP address recognition access to FirstSearch:

  • IP address recognition makes no effort to ensure that an IP address has not been "spoofed" by software at the client site.
  • IP address recognition cannot automatically update changes in authorizations or IP addresses. You must notify OCLC of such changes. However, you do not need to notify OCLC if your FirstSearch password changes. For information about notifying OCLC of changes, see Methods for setting up or changing IP address recognition access to FirstSearch.
  • OCLC does not collect or distribute statistics based on IP addresses (i.e., usage statistics broken out by workstation or IP address). FirstSearch usage statistics are based on FirstSearch authorizations and are available at http://www.stats.oclc.org.
  • A user accessing your library's web pages from a remote location cannot use IP address recognition to log on to FirstSearch if the user's IP address, as it appears to FirstSearch, is not one that you specified for IP address recognition.

Implementation steps for IP address recognition

To implement IP address recognition for your library, use the following steps:

  1. Gather the necessary information. For more information, see Information needed to set up IP address recognition access to FirstSearch.
  2. Set up IP address recognition. For more information, see Methods for setting up or changing IP address recognition access to FirstSearch.
  3. Add IP address recognition links on your library's Web pages. For more information, see Quick start to creating IP address recognition links to FirstSearch.

Compatible Web browsers

Users accessing FirstSearch with any of the following browsers can use IP address recognition:

  • Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Safari