Athens
This guide introduces you to the Athens
authentication service.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is
1. What is Athens?
Athens is a registration system which
controls access to many of the databases
and other resources purchased by
Information Services.
Athens allows the same username and
password to be used for a variety of
databases. These are hosted by a number
of different services, and they can all be
accessed via the eLibrary Gateway
(available through the Information Services
website or the portal) or, in most cases,
directly via the web address of the host.
Students and staff need to follow different
procedures to obtain an Athens username
and password:
2. Using the self-registration
interface to obtain a Classic
Athens username and
password (first year
undergraduates only)
If you are a first year undergraduate you
can access most resources using your
campus (Novell) username and password.
When you try to access a resource, you will
see an option to log in using alternative
methods. Follow the instructions under
section 6 to access resources in this way.
In some cases, however, you may not be
able to login using your campus (Novell)
username and password and instead you
will be asked for an Athens username and
password. To obtain this, go back to the
registration software available on the PCs
in the Information Services Computer
Resource Areas (ISCRAs) and other
networked PCs in the Libraries. PCs will
display the Windows XP login dialog box.
Log in to the software by keying in the
username register (no password) and
click on OK. Then follow the link to create
an Athens username and password.
3. Using the self-registration
interface to obtain a Classic
Athens username and
password (all postgraduate
and research students;
undergraduates other than
first year)
Students should obtain an Athens account
by using the registration software available
on the PCs in the Information Services
Computer Resource Areas (ISCRAs) and
other networked PCs in the Libraries. PCs
display the Windows XP login dialog box.
Log in to the software by keying in the
username register (no password) and
click on OK.
Alternatively, you can register by visiting
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/self-reg
You will be given an Athens account as well
as a username for use on the local PC
Network.
4. Forgotten your Classic Athens
username and password?
If you have forgotten your Athens
username and password you can look it up
again by visiting the self-registration
software at
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/self-reg
N.B. Your Athens password remains as the
initial default password you were given
when you self-registered. If you have
forgotten what your default password is,
click on the show default password
button to display it. If you want to change
your Athens password, you will need to go
to the Athens website at
http://www.athens.ac.uk
Log in to MyAthens and follow the links. If
you forget the password after you have
changed it, please contact your Subject
Librarian.
Alternatively, you can register by visiting
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/self-reg
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September 2005
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5. Using a Self-registration
Account to create a Personal
Athens Account (staff)
There are two different way of accessing
resources, as below:
Staff should set up an Athens Personal
Account by using the Athens interface. You
first need to obtain details of your Selfregistration account from your Subject
Librarian. (Full contact details can be found
at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/
support/library/subject.phtml.) You can
then access the Athens web site and create
your own Personal account:
First year undergraduates
Go to http://www.athens.ac.uk using any
PC on campus

When presented with the Athens
interface select Self-registration.
 Type in the Self-registration Account
username and password (which you
have obtained from your Subject
Librarian).
 At the next screen, fill in the online
form:
- add to the characters shown beside
the username to create a personal
username (N.B. your username
consists of the whole string including
the characters already shown)
- select a password
- complete the rest of the form
- Click on the Submit button and wait
for the confirmation screen to appear.
 Make a note of your personal
username and password; it should not
be shared with others.
Should you forget your Athens details,
please contact your Subject Librarian.
For more help see the User guide to Athens
– creating your own personal account at
http://www.athensams.net/myathens/
selfreghelp.php
6. Logging in to resources
A wide range of resources, including fulltext electronic journals and bibliographic
databases are accessible with an Athens
account.
For a full list, see the eLibrary Gateway,
accessed from the Information Services
website http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is or
from the portal
http://my.nottingham.ac.uk. All resources
requiring an Athens username and
password are identified.
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September 2005
When you reach the login page of the
service you wish to access, select the
option to log in using alternative
methods. Then, search for the word
Nottingham and select University of
Nottingham. Confirm this choice and
then click on the log into Athens using
Novell password option. Enter your
Novell username and password and log
into your chosen resource.
Some resources will require you to use a
specific Classic Athens username and
password. If this is the case, you will not
see the option to log in using alternative
methods. Instead, you will need to
request an Athens username and
password. (See section 2: Using the selfregistration interface to obtain an Athens
username and password)
Undergraduates, other than first year;
all postgraduate and research
students; staff
Once you have an Athens account you
may access resources via the eLibrary
Gateway or, in most cases, directly via the
web address of the host. You do not
have to go to Athens to access
resources. The only reason you might
wish to return to the Athens site would be
in order to amend any of your registration
details which are held there or to change
your password.
7. CHEST code of conduct
Users of the databases purchased by
Information Services are bound by the
CHEST Code of Conduct and its associated
Copyright Acknowledgement
http://www.chest.ac.uk/conduct.html
All University of Nottingham employees
and students are assumed to have read
and agreed to abide by the standard Code
of Practice for Users of the University
Computing Facilities, see
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/about/
policies/it-code-of-practice.phtml
This applies to the use of the network and
its resources and which encompasses the
CHEST conditions.
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