Skip to Main Content

Working Online

This LibGuide answers many frequently asked questions about how to have the best experience when accessing and working with online materials.

Library Services & Your Devices

Access to University Systems & Library Research Services

 

On-Campus

Using University-Provided Devices

In virtually all cases, students, faculty, and staff can access University systems and Library systems and research services from computers and other devices owned by Piedmont University, or located at a Piedmont University facility, and expect to have full access and functionality to those systems. The security configuration of University-owned devices and the University's local area network does not inhibit or disallow your use of a University system or Library research service.

Using Personal Devices

Students, faculty, and staff can use their own personal computers or other devices to access the University's local area network and its systems or Library systems and research services at on-campus locations. They should be able to do so successfully so long as the configuration of those personal devices does not inhibit or disallow your use of a University system or Library research service.

You should note that a laptop, tablet, or phone supplied for your use by your employer or other third-party is not a personal device. Such devices may have security configurations that will inhibit or disallow your ability to access Library online services, even if you are on-campus and logged onto a University network. The Library and IT Services cannot help you disable or bypass such security configurations.

If you have access problems on-campus, you can call on the Library for assistance either by contacting a member of the Library's staff directly or using Ask A Librarian. If the Library can't resolve your issue, we may refer you to IT Services.


Off-Campus

Using Your Personal Devices at Home

Students, faculty, and staff can also use their own personal computers or other devices to access the University's systems or Library research services off-campus at their own homes, using their own internet-service provider. They should be able to do so successfully so long as the configuration of their personal devices or their internet service provider's networks does not inhibit or disallow your use of a University system or Library research service. 

If you have access problems off-campus, you can call on the Library for assistance either by using Ask A Librarian. If the Library can't resolve your issue, we may refer you to IT Services.

Using Devices or Networks You Do Not Own or Control

Students, faculty, and staff may want to access Library research services from a computer or a network at a public library; from other public-access computers, devices, or networks; or from networks and devices owned and configured by their employer.

It is possible that a local area network or a computer or other device owned or controlled by some other entity than Piedmont University may have a security configuration that inhibits or disallows use of Piedmont University systems or Library systems and research services.

It is not possible in such situations for IT Services, the Division of Online Learning, or the Library to help you disable or bypass security configurations created by others to manage their own devices and networks. Your option is to continue your work on your own device or to use a device located at a Piedmont University facility.