Library content such as e-books and e-journals is provided through databases on external websites, and you will need to log in to access them.
Logging in from the Library website
You will be prompted to log in if you are trying to access a database via the Library website – for example a database link in your Study Programme Gateway – or if you select a search result from Library Search. Once you have logged in you will usually stay logged in for the rest of your browser session.
When you are prompted to log in, you will see the University of London login screen, which looks like this:
Students
Select ‘University of London Online Library (Distance Learning)’ and then log in with the same username and password you use to log in to your Student Portal.
Microcredential students
If you are studying a microcredential, choose the 'Microcredential students (Online Library)' option and enter your email address and password.
Staff
Internal University of London staff can log in by selecting 'University of London Online Library (Distance Learning)'.
If you are an external staff member, please request access using this online form. We will then give you an OpenAthens account. Once you have set up your account, whenever you are prompted to log in you should select 'OpenAthens' and log in with your OpenAthens username and password.
Exceptions
The Kluwer Arbitration and Lloyd’s Law Reports databases each have a separate system for logging in and more information is provided on the database pages.
Logging in from elsewhere on the web
If you reach an article or other resource from elsewhere on the web such as a search engine, you might need to follow some additional steps to identify yourself as a University of London student so the University of London login screen is displayed.
When this happens, you can follow the additional steps outlined in the Login Guide for that database, and once you see the University of London login screen you can follow the same steps as described in the 'Logging in from the Library website' section above.
If you are able to log in but the content you want to read is not available, this could be because the Library does not subscribe to that content. If this happens, please contact us and if possible include a link to the content you are trying to access.
Problems logging in
If you are unable to log in to a database because either the University of London login screen does not display or because your login details are not recognised, please see our Login and Technical Guide.