How Single Sign-On Can Enhance Your Library's Services: A Librarian's Guide to Single Sign-On

Single sign-on (SSO) is a beneficial tool for both library patrons and staff. By automating the user access procedure and eliminating the need to remember numerous passwords, SSO can make accessing library applications and library resources more convenient and safe. This article will discuss the benefits of introducing SSO for library customers and library personnel, ranging from increased security to improved management information.

What is single sign-on?

Single sign-on (SSO) technology permits users to log in to numerous applications and library resources with a single set of credentials. SSO enables users to log in with a single username and password, thereby improving the user experience and library operations. One click gets you in!

What benefits does single sign-on offer library patrons?

Single sign-on (SSO) eliminates the need for users to remember numerous usernames and passwords. Users can enter into the library administration software, their online accounts, and other library services with a single username and password. This login method improves the user experience and makes it easier for library patrons to immediately access the materials they require. Instead of needing to memorize numerous sets of credentials, library patrons can access their accounts immediately with a single login. This eliminates confusion and frustration among library patrons who are already overwhelmed by the variety of services available.

When connected into library management software, users can access department- or interest-specific materials via their homepage. In addition, users get immediate access to My Account and its features, such as my current and previous loans, my reservations, my saved searches, and my ratings, among others.Moreover, SSO provides enhanced security for library users. Because only one set of credentials is required, all of the user’s personal information is kept secure by employing a centralized login. This contributes to the protection of the user’s privacy and ensures the security of their data.Overall, single sign-on improves the user experience for library patrons by making accessing library services easier and more secure. It simplifies access to the catalogs and users’ accounts, minimizes confusion, and boosts security.

How does single sign-on help library employees?

Single sign-on from a centralized user registry, such as Microsoft Azure Active Directory, can provide a number of benefits to library personnel. By introducing SSO and user synchronisation, library personnel are no longer required to create or manage user accounts for library software or other applications and library resources. By removing the need for multiple usernames and passwords for each user, library personnel can spend less time dealing with account lockouts and password resets. This makes it much simpler for them to keep correct records and concentrate on providing superior customer care.

Single sign-on provides a secure method for ensuring that only authorized users have access to the library’s resources, lowering the risk of data breaches and assisting with subscription agreement compliance.

How does single sign-on contribute to the improvement of management data?

Using single sign-on, library personnel will be able to know at any given time how their resources are being utilized, allowing them to make more informed decisions. By automatically signing users in using SSO, library staff can provide more detailed reports based on crucial user information such as location, type, and department. Using this information, segmented reports on user behavior and preferences can be generated. If users are not logged in, only general information, such as the number of searches, can be reported. Using this data to inform future decisions on how to best serve the library’s patrons is beneficial. Because all user activity is recorded in a one location, the library staff may simply determine which resources are the most popular and which may need more attention. With single sign-on technology, libraries are able to simply collect and analyze this data, resulting in more accurate and thorough reports.

How secure is single sign-on?

Single sign-on is secure because users only need to remember a single unique password, instead of different passwords for each application. When users only have to remember one password, the risk of password fatigue drops significantly, and with it the rate of time-consuming password resets. What’s more, since they only need to log on to one secure platform, once per day, you eliminate the chance of users repeating passwords or using weak passwords across multiple insecure applications.

Secondly, the SSO authentication system is encrypted and protected with security protocols such as HTTPS. The security of single sign-on can be further enhanced through the use of strong authentication methods such as two-factor authentication, as well as providing proper levels of access control and access logging.

How to implement single sign-on in your library

Implementing SSO can be quite straightforward, but it is essential to understand the stages involved in setting it up. You must first determine whether SSO is already available in your organization. If so, you will need to coordinate with your IT department or SSO service provider to configure SSO for your library management software and online library resources. You must also select library management software that supports SSO. The majority of library system providers will charge a one-time cost to establish up the link to the SSO identity platform, but thereafter, it requires minimal upkeep. Your IT personnel and the SSO supplier will exchange metadata and configure SSO. All that is required is testing.

If you want to synchronize data with the authorised identity platform, you must indicate which data is imported and which is updated. This service will save you time when creating and upgrading user accounts and credentials, thus synchronization is advised.In addition, for library management system access, you may want to examine whether you solely give SSO access or whether you offer both SSO and regular username/password access. If not all users have access to your organization’s single sign-on platform, you may be required to provide both access methods. This may be the situation if your system is utilized by both registered and guest/external users.

If single sign-on is not currently available in your organization, you must either request that your IT department source and implement an identity platform for the entire organization, or you must source a library-specific identity platform. Okta, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, AuthO, and OneLogin are a few examples of enterprise-wide identity platforms. Wonde, JISC, and Open Athens are all specialized library and education providers.

What options does Bailey Solutions provide for single sign-on?

In both of its library management software systems, KnowAll Matrix and Simple Little Library System, Bailey Solutions provides single sign-on (SSO) through a variety of common techniques. Support is provided at no additional cost in your Software-as-a-Service subscription, for which we charge a nominal setup fee. This SSO option allows smooth access to your library system for both users and staff. Contact us if you are interested in learning more.

To establish seamless logins to other apps and online library resources utilized by your organization/library, you will require an enterprise-wide or library-specific identity provider.