Off-campus Access

Directly from the Library website

If you click a link from the library website to an off-site resource (e.g. PubMed or Google Scholar) you will be prompted for your MAC ID. Upon logging in, you will be taken to the website and authenticated as a McMaster University Library user.

Configure Google Scholar

To get links to full-text from your Google Scholar results, set up your preferences in Google Scholar:

1. from the Google Scholar home page, click Settings
2. select Library links on the Scholar Settings page
3. in the Library Links box, type mcmaster
4. on the results list select McMaster University Library - get it @ Mac
5. click Save

Your search results in Google Scholar will now have find it @ Mac and/or get it @ Mac links that you can click to get to the full-text in the library's electronic collection.

Install a browser bookmarklet

Sometimes you might follow a link to one of our subscribed online resources from somewhere other than the library website (like an email message or another webpage), and because you didn't start at the Library website, you are not recognized as a subscriber.

Enter the Off-campus Access bookmarklet! It's a script or short program you can add to your browser that allows you to quickly authenticate yourself as a McMaster user and access content that requires a subscription.

Installing the Bookmarklet

• Firefox users: right-click this link 'Off-campus Access Bookmarklet' and select 'Bookmark This Link...'. Alternatively, click and drag the link to your 'Bookmarks' toolbar.
• Internet Explorer users: right-click this link 'Off-campus Access Bookmarklet' and select 'Add to Favourites'. Alternatively, click and drag the link to your 'Links' toolbar. You may be prompted with a security alert warning you that the link may not be safe. It is fine to click 'yes' to continue.
• Safari users: right-click this link 'Off-campus Access Bookmarklet' and select 'Copy link'. Bookmark this page by selecting 'Add Bookmark' from the Bookmarks menu. Go to where you saved this bookmark (e.g. Bookmarks Bar) and right-click the bookmark. Select 'Edit Address'. In the Address section, right-click and select 'Paste' to paste the bookmarklet code.
• Chrome users: drag this link 'Off-campus Access Bookmarklet' to the bookmarks bar. If the bookmarks bar is not displaying, press Ctrl-Shift-B.

Using the Bookmarklet

• click the link as normal
• once the page loads, click the Off-campus Access Bookmarklet in your Favourites/Bookmarks
• the bookmarklet will direct you to the Off-campus Access login page where you can login with your MAC ID
• after you click the 'Log in' button, you will be redirected back to the resource page, but the website will now recognize you as a McMaster user.

Usage Notes

• The Off-campus Access Bookmarklet should work with most browsers as long as JavaScript is enabled.
• Once you have added the Off-campus Access bookmarklet to your browser, you should be able to gain access to restricted resources at the click of a button. In some cases you may need to use the browser's 'Back' button to return to the resource URL, not the vendor's login/error page.
• The Off-campus Access Bookmarklet only provides access to those electronic resources we have subscribed to. If you follow a link to a resource that McMaster has not subscribed to, the Off-campus Access Bookmarklet will not provide you with access to that resource!