Athens authentication: frequently asked questions

Is my browser compatible with AthensDA?

In order to access protected services using Athens, your browser must be set up to use both SSL and cookies. All modern browsers support these features.

However, we have had some problems reported by users of Google Chrome. If your Athens login isn't working we suggest that you try again using a different web browser.

Some Mac users have reported problems logging in when Internet Explorer on a Mac. If you are using a Mac we recommend that you use Safari, Firefox or Opera.

If you are experiencing problems it may be that a personal or network firewall is affecting your cookies and SSL.

The cookie doesn't appear to be on my PC - what should I do?

You need to Reading Athens Cookie on every PC you use. You should only need to do it once on each machine (although the cookie will expire after five years). If in doubt, download the Cookie before you start.

However, if you download the Athens cookie on a machine in one of the University PC facilities managed by IT Services it will be stored in your personal settings, and it will be accessible from any University PC facility once downloaded.

If the cookie does not appear to be working, use the “Login to Athens now” link at the bottom of the Athens information home page. This bypasses the need for the cookie, but your login will end when you close that browser window.

I have the cookie but I can't log in - what is going wrong?

Some people have reported problems logging in to Athens-protected resources even though they have the cookie and a valid username and password. Usually this is because the web cache on the PC has become full.

To clear your cache in Internet Explorer go to the Tools menu and select Internet Options. In the Temporary internet files section click on Delete files to empty the cache.

Can I access Athens-controlled resources outside the UK?

 Most Athens-protected resources can be accessed from outside the UK. However, there are some non-standard licences which do not allow this. Each resource has its own terms and conditions - please check these for details.

I am showing my students how to access resources - what should I tell them?

We advise you to show your students how to pick up the Reading Athens Cookie by following the link from these Athens information pages - this is very simple and just involves following a couple of links. Once they have the cookie, whenever and however they try to access an Athens protected resource on that PC they will be directed to the Reading login page. Read more about the Reading Athens Cookie

If you want to show students the list of databases for their subject, get them to download the cookie and then go to our Subject help pages.

How do I find a list of all the Athens protected resources I can access?

You can view a list of all the Athens-protected resources you can access on the eduserv MyAthens. You will need to have the Reading Athens Cookie on your machine.

MyAthens - is it still available?

Yes, the MyAthens facility still exists but it will just give you a list of Athens-protected resources (you will need to have the Reading Athens Cookie on your machine before logging in).

We recommend that you use the Library's Databases a-z list to access Athens resources, as this will show you all databases you might want to use (not just Athens-protected ones).

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