To meet the needs of our faculty and students for off-campus access to the Library’s digital resources, two methods are currently available: CARSI (CERNET Authentication and Resource Sharing Infrastructure) and WebVPN.

We highly recommend using CARSI as your primary choice. It requires no plug-ins and allows you to access subscribed electronic resources directly using your Single Sign-On (SSO) Authentication account.

I.    CARSI Access
Service Introduction: 
CARSI is a federated authentication service provided by the China Education and Research Network (CERNET). It is designed to offer university faculty and students a convenient way to access licensed electronic resources off campus. Through CARSI, you can log in with your campus unified identity account and directly use the library’s subscribed e-resources.

Target Audience:
All currently enrolled students and employed faculty/staff who hold a valid campus identity account.

Access Methods (Choose one of the following):

1.    Via the CARSI Official Website: Visit https://www.carsi.edu.cn → Click “User Login” → Select “City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan)” → Redirect to the university’s unified authentication page → Log in to access the resource list.

2.    Via WeCom: Open WeCom → Go to “Workspace” → Find and click the “CARSI Resource Sharing” (CARSI资源共享) icon → Authentication is completed automatically → Access the resources.

3.    Directly via Database Platforms: Go to the target database website → Find the “Institutional Sign In” or “CARSI Login” entrance → Select “City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan)” → Redirect to the university’s unified authentication page → Log in to use the resources normally.

Detailed Guide: Please download the attachment CARSI User Guide.

II.    WebVPN Access
1.    Service Introduction:
To meet the needs of faculty and students for off-campus access to library resources during holidays, the IT Service has set up a temporary VPN (WebVPN). There is no need to apply for the activation of the WebVPN device. For detailed usage instructions, please refer to the attachment.

Please note that the WebVPN currently supports access to the library website and SIS system only. As the device is still under configuration, occasional unavailability may occur. We appreciate your understanding.

2.    How to Use:
For detailed instructions, please download and refer to the attachment WebVPN Connection Guide.

3.    Please Note:
If you experience temporary access issues or other problems, please contact the IT Service at it.servicedesk@cityu-dg.edu.cn. 
 

Detailed Guide: Please download the attachment WebVPN Connection Guidance.docx

Electronic resources subscribed by the Library are not available to alumni at present, due to the following reasons:
1.    License constraints: Electronic resources are licensed and priced according to the size of the University’s current student and staff population. The license is restricted to currently enrolled students and active staff members only and does not cover alumni.
2.    Authentication requirement: Access to all electronic resources requires a valid 
CityUHK (DG) campus SSO account. Alumni do not hold active campus credentials and therefore cannot complete the authentication process.
3.    Concurrent user limit: Some electronic resources have a cap on the number of concurrent online users. Priority is given to current students and staff to support teaching, learning and research activities.
 

At present, the library purchases a collection of about 70,000 paper books, about 350,000 electronic books, and more than 30 databases of various types, covering Chinese, English and a wide range of subject categories.

In addition, the library also collects OA(Open Access) resources, receives books donated by individuals and organisations, and preserves some valuable non-book materials through digitalisation and other means.

After being organised and processed, the above documentary resources can be retrieved through Primo, the library's resource discovery system.

The library is currently in the stage of building a basic collection, and the collection resources are being enriched and opened one after another.

Primo is the library's resource discovery system for readers, providing a unified search for all kinds of collection resources. Primo can be accessed through the search box on the homepage of the library website or the menu bar of its official WeChat Account. By entering the keywords of the resources you want to search, you can search for books, e-books, journals, articles and other types of literature resources in the collection.

For paper resources, the search result will give information such as location, call number, and loan status; for electronic resources, the search result will give access links. Please note that electronic resources subscribed by the library usually need to be accessed under the campus network environment or authenticated by logging in to CARSI, etc. (For details, please refer to the introduction of the databases on the library's website).

After searching in Primo, the library's resource discovery system, if the target resource is not found, or the resource status is unavailable, you can submit a request or an acquisition request (login required). You can also go to ‘Purchase Request’ from the Primo top menu and submit a purchase request form. If you have a large number of resources to propose, please contact the library by email.

Please note that, in principle, materials that already in the library's collection will not be re-ordered. Due to the high costs of journals and databases subscriptions,

recommendation should be made by faculty members. If students want to recommend a purchase, they are advised to consult with teachers, who can then send an email to library.

You can access Primo, the library's resource discovery system, through the search box on the homepage of the library's website, or through the menu bar of its official WeChat Account, ‘Library-Lib Card’. After logging in, you can manage your library account to view current/past loans, request status, violations, and fines.