VPN vs. Library Proxy Server

Dear Sassy: I know there are two ways (VPN and Library's Proxy Server) to access Library resources from home but I never really understood the difference between the two. Which one should we direct patrons to use?
~VPN vs. Proxy

Dear VPN: This is a very timely question! Our campus now has the VPN software available as a download (versus having to go to computer services and get a disk) all you need is your LSUMC-MASTER username and password (the same one for your email). When you download, there will be some certificate error pages - just accept them, this is a trusted source.

Using the VPN software enables patrons access to some of the clinical applications while the Library's proxy server does not, but both allow access to the Library's resources. Now that the VPN is available online it is best to direct everyone to the download instead of the Proxy server. In fact, the freshman all ready have the VPN client installed on their machines.