OpenAthens 全球调查：图书馆访问管理信心提升，运营压力仍在加剧

A new global survey commissioned by authentication leader OpenAthens reveals that libraries are significantly more confident and better supported in access management than they were a decade ago, while operational pressures not only continue but are increasing. The research also highlights the growing importance of trusted access in the age of AI, with more than half of respondents mentioning AI-driven demand for trusted information as a key reason access management matters.

Conducted in Spring 2026, the new global survey of librarians and information professionals reveals a sector that has moved significantly forward from where it was a decade ago. Remote access is now firmly established across libraries, while the rapid changes brought by AI are creating growing demand for trusted access to information.

Comparing responses with OpenAthens’ 2015 access management survey, the report explores how priorities, challenges, and perceptions have evolved over the past ten years. For librarians, publishers, and content and service providers, the findings highlight growing confidence and organizational support alongside continuing pressures around budgets, technical capability, and the increasing need to demonstrate the value of library services.

“A decade ago, libraries were still building confidence in access management and remote access was less established. Today we’re seeing a very different picture. Access management is now seen as a strategic need, but libraries continue to face significant resource and budget pressures. At the same time, AI is increasing demand for trusted information, making seamless and secure access more important than ever.”

Dan Mayers, head of product development at OpenAthens

Understanding of access management has increased dramatically since 2015

One of the key findings is the significant increase in understanding around key access management terminology, with confidence in single sign-on (SSO) increasing by 180% from 28.9% in 2015 to 80.9% in 2026. Confidence in concepts such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) rose from 14.5% to 55.5%, while Software as a Service (SaaS) increased from 24.0% to 55.1%.

The survey also found significant improvements in how access management is perceived within organizations.

In 2026, 82.4% of respondents agreed that access management decisions receive the necessary priority within their team, while 65.1% agreed it receives the necessary priority from other stakeholders. A further 71.5% agreed that ownership of access management issues is clear, 68.9% agreed investment in software is sufficient, and 64.5% agreed current solutions are flexible enough to meet evolving needs.

The findings suggest that access management is now more widely understood, supported, and embedded within organizational decision-making than it was a decade ago, in a pre-COVID-19 world.

The survey also highlights notable differences between sectors. Education respondents reported stronger confidence in understanding access federation management and discovery services, with only a 4.0% reporting that they were unsure about discovery services. Government respondents,however, reported the lowest confidence levels in both areas, while healthcare respondents were more likely to express uncertainty.

Remote access is now part of daily library workflows

The survey shows a decisive shift toward remote access compared with 2015.

Across seven of the nine access methods measured in both surveys, usage moved toward remote access. OpenAthens, Shibboleth, and Ping Identity all shifted from being used primarily for on-site access in 2015 to primarily remote access in 2026.

OpenAthens and username and password were among the most commonly cited methods for managing remote access in 2026, while IP address authentication continues to be more strongly associated with on-site access, despite also showing a shift toward greater remote use.

According to the findings, remote access is no longer perceived as an emerging challenge, but ithas become a routine part of library service delivery, reflecting changes in how users access information for study and research.

In line with this, the survey also found that demand for better mobile options has fallen sharply since 2015. In 2026, only 37 respondents selected better mobile options as a priority, compared with 191 respondents in 2015.

Access management remains critical for libraries to provide better user experience

Access management continues to be viewed as an essential part of meeting user needs, with 87.8% of respondents agreeing it is critical to their organization.

When asked why access management matters, respondents selected around three reasons each, with “providing a better user experience” as the most frequently mentioned, with just under 70% respondents choosing it. Demonstrating ROI and library impact, AI-driven demand for trusted access, and cybersecurity follow as the other main reasons, averaging over 50% of the responses.

User experience, emerged as a common theme among respondents who expanded on their answers, with license and contract compliance and the need to provide seamless access emergingas recurring themes.

The survey also found that priorities have remained remarkably consistent since 2015, withproviding a seamless user journey, easy remote access, and reporting functionality continuing to lead.

Operational pressures remain despite progress

While confidence and organizational support have improved, respondents continue to report significant operational challenges. More librarians are now agreeing that their team needs to take on additional IT responsibilities for access management, and maintaining access is increasingly difficult.

Budget constraints, technical capability, and managing access for different user groups are the most common challenges, along with limited internal IT support, inconsistent authentication methods, publisher platform changes, and sign-in issues that affect the user experience. Access issues often originate outside the library itself, requiring library teams to troubleshoot problems beyond their direct control.

AI is becoming a major strategic consideration to access trusted sources

The influence of AI on attitudes toward access management is growing rapidly. While it is not yet identified as one of the biggest access management challenges, more than half respondents said access management matters because AI is increasing demand for simple access to trusted sources.

AI-related changes are also among the most significant future concerns for libraries. Nearly half expressed concern that the rise of AI tools is enabling students to conduct research outside traditional library resources, and that this could become one of the biggest challenges over the next ten years.

This finding aligns with wider concerns about how libraries help users discover and access trusted information.

Looking at the future

More than half of librarians are worried about demonstrating the value of the library, identifying it as the biggest challenge facing their organization over the next decade. Respondents were also not optimistic about budget improvements, with constraints expected to remain a factor for nearly halfof respondents.

At the same time, libraries continue to manage resource constraints, technical complexity, and increasing demands on staff capacity, while expressing concern about AI-driven changes to research behavior, evolving technology, economic uncertainty, and cybersecurity threats.

As libraries respond to technological change, economic pressures, and evolving research behaviors, the survey highlights the continuing importance of seamless access, trusted information, and effective access.

Ten years after OpenAthens’ first global study of access management, the priorities remainfamiliar: helping users access trusted information quickly, simply, and wherever they are continuesto be central to the mission of librarians today, just as it was a decade ago.

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