Access to the university network and use of e-resources

'Internet-enabled PC' in the ULB
With your laptop in the ULB
A computer somewhere in the university Münster
From home or outside
With the VMware Horizon Client (for CD-ROM databases)
Shibboleth
For external users

In our category "research" you will find a variety of electronic offers: catalogues, bibliographies, lexica, full text databases, journals, etc. Not all offers are freely usable on the internet.

For licensing reasons, numerous journals and databases are only available on the university network. The IP address of the computer from which the user accesses the product is the test criterion for the access authorization. Therefore, the products purchased and licensed by the ULB may only be used from PCs of the domain "uni-muenster.de" ("128.176.*.*").
Members of the university: You have unhindered access to these products on the PCs in the ULB or in the PC rooms of the University of Münster. When you are working on your own PC, you have to connect it to the computer network of the university via Wi-Fi or VPN beforehand.
External users: Users of the ULB who are not members of the university have access to the university network at the PCs in the ULB.

Some journals and databases are available via the VMware Horizon Client or Shibboleth for members of the university.

You are working on an internet-enabled PC in the ULB

Obviously, the PCs in the ULB Central Library, as well as in the Medical Branch Library, the Social Sciences Branch Library, the library in the House of the Netherlands, and the Newspaper Archive, are attached to the university network. The necessary additional software for using some databases or journals (VMware Horizon Client, Acrobat Reader, etc.) is already installed.

• You need an identification to authenticate yourself on the computer.
• You may use your own USB stick on the PCs in order to, for example, save research results or other data.
• You can print on the copiers.

You are working with your own laptop in the ULB

There is Wi-Fi in the ULB Central Library as well as in the Medical Branch Library and the Social Sciences Branch Library. Workplaces for laptops are also located here.

• You need a password* for network access in addition to your WWU standard password. You can set it up yourself in the IT Portal.
• You have to set up the Wi-Fi connection on your laptop once. There are detailed instructions for this; you can get a printed instruction at the information desk. WWU IT's user support
• If you want to use a database from the ULB offer that only exists on CD-ROM, you have to install additional software – VMware Horizon Client.

You are working on a computer somewhere in the University of Münster

The computers in the institutes of the University of Münster, in the PC rooms, etc. are attached to the university network and therefore meet the IP address test. If you are working in a PC room, you obviously also need a WWU user ID to log in to the computer.

If you want to use a database from the ULB offer that only exists on CD-ROM, additional software – the VMware Horizon Client – would have to be installed; this might not always be the case! In this case, ask the responsible supervisor of the PC room.

You are working on your computer at home or outside

In order to also get access to the complete ULB offer (for example, licensed databases and journals) from home or from a different location, you need a VPN connection. This provides you with an IP address from the university identifying you as a legitimate member. For this purpose, you need a WWU user ID, a password for network access*, a one-time password and a VPN client.

It is not possible to use beck-online from home via VPN. For external use, you must first register for beck-online in the university network and activate the 2-factor authentication. Then you can log in and search beck-online from home.

If you want to use a database from the ULB offer that only exists on CD-ROM, you have to install additional software – VMware Horizon Client.

Some products are available via Shibboleth regardless of the network.

*Your password for network access is required when you wish to connect your own computer to the computer network of the university and thus with the internet, for example via Wi-Fi or VPN. For safety and technical reasons, the password for network access must differentiate from the WWU password. As a university member, you can create a password for network access yourself online in the IT Portal.

VMware Horizon Client for using CD-ROM databases

Some databases and lexica are published on CD-ROM, which we have installed for you on virtual computers. To use these databases online, special software must be installed on your PC – the VMware Horizon Client.
For licensing reasons, only members of Münster University are permitted to use these databases.

We have provided instructions on how to download, install and set up the client to use the CD-ROM databases.

Access electronic products from anywhere via Shibboleth

You can access these products from anywhere using Shibboleth with your WWU user ID:

• LinkedIn Learning video trainings
  • Login via WWU IT single sign-on
  • Providing personal information is not strictly necessary
• IOP Journals
  • Login on the journal's website via „Access through your institution“
  • Choose „Universität Münster“
  • Enter your WWU user ID and password into the WWU IT SSO form
• IEEE Xplore Digital Library
  • Login via "Institutional Sign In"
  • Choose "Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek Muenster"
  • Enter your WWU user ID and password into the WWU IT SSO form

The terms used for the Shibboleth login and the University of Münster can vary depending on the provider: „Institutional Login“ / „Login via your Institution“ / „Login via Athens/Shibboleth“..., „Universität Münster“ / „WWU Münster“ / „Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster“... If necessary, select „German Higher Education and Research“ or „Deutschland [DFN-AAI]“ first.

DO NOT USE the personal login not connected to the university.

External users

Users of the ULB who are not members of the University of Münster have limited access to the university network. They can log in to a PC in the ULB Central Library's ground floor reading room that is connected to the internet and the university network with a login ID, and they can also access the internet with their own devices via a free guest Wi-Fi; however, they cannot set up a VPN connection from their own computer (no matter where) to the university network.
Students of other universities can use Eduroam, but cannot access the Münster University network with it.