Answer

OpenAthens is a library authentication management system. It facilitates NYU patrons' access to the online resources that NYU library has paid for.

When a patron accesses NYU-subscribed resources from a location on NYU's campus, in most cases their IP will be recognized as NYU by the resource, and they will have access to NYU's subscriptions without needing to pass through any authentication.

When a patron accesses NYU-subscribed resources from off campus, OpenAthens checks the patron’s credentials, then lets the resource vendor know that the user is from NYU and should be granted access to NYU subscriptions. It does this either by sending the user through on an NYU IP (proxy) or by passing an NYU ID to the vendor (SSO). 

If an e-resource vendor is a member of the OpenAthens federation, patrons can go straight to the resource platform from off campus and log in as an NYU user there, without going through the library catalog or using a special link. The language for this login option varies by vendor site, but it’s typically presented as the option to ‘log in via your institution’, or ‘login via OpenAthens’. Patrons should select NYU from the dropdown, and they will be directed through the same NYU login process that they would go through if they accessed via the library catalog.