Frequently Asked Questions
Activate Your OpenAthens Account
Q: I recently received an email with "OpenAthens - Activate your Auburn University Libraries account" as the subject line. Is this message legitimate?
Yes! If you got a message from noreply@openathens.net, this is a real invitation to activate your new alumni user account through OpenAthens.
AU Libraries now offer select electronic resource access to all degree-holding alumni. This exclusive access is also still available for dues-paying members of the Auburn Alumni Association.
Q: I did not receive an account setup email even though I'm an Auburn University Alum.
We send activation emails based on the email address on record with the Auburn Alumni Association. Please get in touch with us at libhelp@auburn.edu so we can help verify your account information.
Q: Can I use my existing auburn.edu account to access library resources through OpenAthens?
If you are an active student, faculty, or staff member at Auburn University, you will already have full access to our Libraries' electronic resources. (See our A-Z Database List for details on licensed materials at AU Libraries.)
When you access a resource that requires authentication, you will be redirected to Auburn's single sign-on page if you are not already logged into your account.
If you have an active auburn.edu account, you can skip setting up a separate Alumni-specific personal account through MyOpenAthens.
Note: If you use an auburn.edu email but are not currently a student, faculty, or staff member at Auburn, you may need to follow the OpenAthens activation email to set up a personal account.
Q: I received an OpenAthens activation email, but I'm not an AU Alum or wish to be removed from your contact list.
If you believe you were sent an OpenAthens email by mistake, or want to be removed from our mailing list, please let us know at libhelp@auburn.edu.
We will cancel your pending OpenAthens account and notify the Auburn Alumni Association to update their information records.
Reset Your Alumni Password
Q: How do I reset my OpenAthens alumni password?
To reset your OpenAthens account password:
- Start by visiting https://my.openathens.net/auth.
- Click "Forgotten password?" under the login form. This will direct you to a page with two options.
- Instead of using the first option to "Find your Institution," click the "Reset your OpenAthens account password" link directly beneath this search tool.
Q: I'm trying to reset my OpenAthens password, but the online form asks me for my Banner ID.
If you use the "Find your Institution" option to search for Auburn University when resetting your OpenAthens password, this will lead you to Auburn's main authentication page designed for active students, faculty, and staff to reset their primary auburn.edu accounts.
For this alumni service, you instead want to reset the password for your personal OpenAthens account. Please see the "How do I reset my OpenAthens alumni password?" question above for step-by-step instructions on resetting your password.