Sponsorship Manager Releases New Features and Implements Access Changes to Library e-Resources

If you sponsor SUNet IDs, you'll want to know about a few changes to Sponsorship Manager that rolled out last month.

University IT's Middleware and Integration Services (MaIS) team implemented two changes to Sponsorship Manager on April 30, with the goal of improved business processes, increased efficiency, compliance with licensing agreements and money savings for the university.

Sponsorship Manager is an administrative web application that allows authorized individuals to sponsor people for computing services like SUNet IDs and email accounts. Continue reading for details about these changes.

Change Sponsee Information

UIT created a new option to allow sponsors to change the name and birthdate of his/her sponsee, only if the sponsee’s primary affiliation with the university is sponsorship. Previously, these changes needed to be addressed by UIT support staff. By allowing sponsors to manage these components themselves, it improves the overall business process and increases efficiency.

Access to Library e-Resources No Longer Default

UIT also partnered closely with the Stanford University Libraries (SUL) IT team to implement library e-resources access policy changes. Until now, all sponsored affiliates have had access to library e-resources by default. A new policy regarding access to library e-resources is currently in effect and will be phased-in through August 15.

The new policy requires sponsors of SUNet IDs to specifically sponsor accounts for library e-resources if the academic affiliate requires library e-resource access to perform Stanford-related teaching, learning or research. Sponsors providing access to library e-resources must attest that account holders are doing Stanford-related work. This change only affects those with sponsored SUNet IDs and will not affect students, faculty and staff.

When asked why this change is being made, Tom Cramer, Associate University Librarian states: “The university spends tens of millions of dollars on licensed journals and databases per year. This change is being made to comply with our licensing agreements which limit use to the bona-fide research and scholarly work of Stanford’s academic community.” This will lead to cost savings for the university.

Access to library e-resources can be added to either base or full service SUNet IDs, and there is no fee for the library sponsorship. Access to library e-resources does not include physical library services such as building access, borrowing materials, inter-library services, etc.

Phased Transition Period for Library e-Resource Access

Over the phase-in period, newly created sponsored SUNet IDs, as well as existing and renewed sponsored SUNet IDs that have not been specifically sponsored for library e-resource access, will continue to have access by default.

Starting August 15 and beyond, all sponsored SUNet IDs will be blocked from access to library e-resources unless they have been additionally sponsored for that access. All newly created sponsored and renewed SUNet IDs will need to be sponsored for library e-resource access after August 15.

The transition period from May 1 to August 15 will provide sponsors of SUNet IDs the time to determine which of their sponsees legitimately require access to library e-resources. The libraries will communicate directly with those that this policy change affects. Sponsors (or their designates) can login to Sponsorship Manager to sponsor “Library e-resources” access to those accounts that require access.

For additional information, please visit the Sponsorship Manager, Sponsoring Someone for Library e-resources page.