diff --git a/layouts/pages/index.ejs b/layouts/pages/index.ejs
index a502eb88..6a22bd03 100644
--- a/layouts/pages/index.ejs
+++ b/layouts/pages/index.ejs
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
 
     <header id="masthead" class="masthead" role="banner">
       <div class="container">
-        <%- include('partials/userTools') %>
+        <% if (!isPublic) { %>
+          <%- include('partials/userTools') %>
+        <% } %>
       </div>
     </header>
 
@@ -18,11 +20,11 @@
         <%- include('partials/search', {style: 'homepage', focus: 'autofocus', msgOnFocus: template('search.placeholder')}) %>
 
         <div class="featured-cat">
-          <% if (modules.length) { 
+          <% if (modules.length) {
             modules.forEach((module, i, all) => {
           %>
             <%- include('partials/landingModule', module) %>
-          <%  })  
+          <%  })
           } else { %>
           <!-- Eventually we might display a warning here about why this space is empty. -->
           <% } %>
diff --git a/layouts/partials/footer.ejs b/layouts/partials/footer.ejs
index 1ccff568..fd887ccb 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/footer.ejs
+++ b/layouts/partials/footer.ejs
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@
   <a class="button btn-footer" href="<%- page.link %>"><%= i + 1 %></a>
     <% }) %>
   <% } %>
-  <% if (locals.editLink) { %>
-    <a class="button btn-footer" href="<%- editLink %>" id="edit-button" target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.edit') %></a>
-  <% } %>
-  <% if (locals.parentId) { %>
-    <a class="button btn-footer" href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/create?usp=drive_web&folder=<%- parentId %>" %> target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.create') %></a>
-    <a class="button btn-footer" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/<%- parentId %>" target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.viewFolder') %></a>
+  <% if (!locals.isPublic) { %>
+    <% if (locals.editLink) { %>
+      <a class="button btn-footer" href="<%- editLink %>" id="edit-button" target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.edit') %></a>
+    <% } %>
+    <% if (locals.parentId) { %>
+      <a class="button btn-footer" href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/create?usp=drive_web&folder=<%- parentId %>" %> target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.create') %></a>
+      <a class="button btn-footer" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/<%- parentId %>" target="_blank"><%- template('footer.buttons.viewFolder') %></a>
+    <% } %>
   <% } %>
 
   <p class="help-text"><%- template('footer.helpText') %></p>
diff --git a/layouts/partials/nav.ejs b/layouts/partials/nav.ejs
index cd81cc5d..4cd4cb83 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/nav.ejs
+++ b/layouts/partials/nav.ejs
@@ -37,11 +37,12 @@
       </p>
     </div>
 
-    <% if (locals.editLink) { %>
-      <div class="tool">
-        <a href="<%- editLink %>" id="edit-button" target="_blank">Edit<i class="fa fa-pencil" aria-hidden="true"></i></a>
-
-      </div>
+    <% if (!locals.isPublic) { %>
+        <% if (locals.editLink) { %>
+          <div class="tool">
+            <a href="<%- editLink %>" id="edit-button" target="_blank">Edit<i class="fa fa-pencil" aria-hidden="true"></i></a>
+          </div>
+        <% } %>
     <% } %>
 
   </div>
diff --git a/layouts/partials/userTools.ejs b/layouts/partials/userTools.ejs
index 2bd5819b..1eedf482 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/userTools.ejs
+++ b/layouts/partials/userTools.ejs
@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
-<div class="user-tools">
-  <div id="user-profile">
-    <a class="btn-user-whole" href="#me">
-      <button class="button btn-user-initial"></button>
-      <span class="user-fullname"></span>
+<% if (!locals.isPublic) { %>
+    <div class="user-tools">
+      <div id="user-profile">
+        <a class="btn-user-whole" href="#me">
+          <button class="button btn-user-initial"></button>
+          <span class="user-fullname"></span>
 
-      <i class="fa fa-angle-down" aria-hidden="true"></i>
-    </a>
-  </div>
+          <i class="fa fa-angle-down" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+        </a>
+      </div>
 
-  <div id="me" class="overlay">
-  	<a class="cancel" href="#"></a>
-  	<div class="popup">
-      <a class="close" href="#">&times;</a>
-      <i class="fa fa-spinner fa-pulse" aria-hidden="true"></i>
-    </div>
+      <div id="me" class="overlay">
+      	<a class="cancel" href="#"></a>
+      	<div class="popup">
+          <a class="close" href="#">&times;</a>
+          <i class="fa fa-spinner fa-pulse" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+        </div>
 
-	</div>
-</div>
+    	</div>
+    </div>
+<% } %>
diff --git a/server/routes/categories.js b/server/routes/categories.js
index f714faaf..de9b9945 100644
--- a/server/routes/categories.js
+++ b/server/routes/categories.js
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ const {parseUrl} = require('../urlParser')
 router.get('*', handleCategory)
 module.exports = router
 
+let isPublicUser = false
+
 const categories = getTemplates('categories')
 
 async function handleCategory(req, res) {
+  isPublicUser = req.userInfo.userId === '0'
   log.info(`GET ${req.path}`)
   // FIXME: consider putting this in middleware and save on req
   const {meta, parent, data, root} = await parseUrl(req.path)
@@ -40,6 +43,7 @@ async function handleCategory(req, res) {
     lastUpdatedBy: (meta.lastModifyingUser || {}).displayName,
     modifiedAt: meta.modifiedTime,
     createdAt: meta.createdTime,
+    isPublic: isPublicUser,
     editLink: meta.mimeType === 'text/html' ? meta.folder.webViewLink : meta.webViewLink,
     id,
     template: stringTemplate,
@@ -108,6 +112,7 @@ function prepareContextualData(data, url, breadcrumb, parent, slug) {
       return {
         url: `/${arr.slice(0, i + 1).join('/')}`,
         name: cleanName(breadcrumbInfo[i].name),
+        isPublic: isPublicUser,
         editLink: breadcrumbInfo[i].webViewLink
       }
     })
@@ -130,6 +135,7 @@ function createRelatedList(slugs, self, baseUrl) {
       return {
         sort,
         name: prettyName,
+        isPublic: isPublicUser,
         editLink: webViewLink,
         resourceType,
         url,
diff --git a/server/routes/pages.js b/server/routes/pages.js
index 9acd77f2..229e5e06 100644
--- a/server/routes/pages.js
+++ b/server/routes/pages.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ async function handlePage(req, res) {
   if (page === 'categories' || page === 'index') {
     const tree = await getTree()
     const categories = buildDisplayCategories(tree)
+
     res.format({
       html: () => {
         res.render(template, {...categories, template: stringTemplate})
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ async function handlePage(req, res) {
   }
 
   res.render(template, {template: stringTemplate})
+  res.render(template, {...categories, template: stringTemplate, isPublic: true})
 }
 
 function buildDisplayCategories(tree) {
diff --git a/server/routes/playlists.js b/server/routes/playlists.js
index 48ae0218..042cd14d 100644
--- a/server/routes/playlists.js
+++ b/server/routes/playlists.js
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ const {parseUrl} = require('../urlParser')
 router.get('*', handlePlaylist)
 module.exports = router
 
+let isPublicUser = false
+
 async function handlePlaylist(req, res) {
+  isPublicUser = req.userInfo.userId === '0'
   const {meta, parent, data} = await parseUrl(req.path)
 
   if (!meta || !data) return 'next'
@@ -66,6 +69,7 @@ function preparePlaylistOverview(playlistMeta, values, breadcrumb) {
     modifiedAt: playlistMeta.modifiedTime,
     lastUpdatedBy: (playlistMeta.lastModifyingUser || {}).displayName,
     createdAt: playlistMeta.createdTime,
+    isPublic: isPublicUser,
     editLink: playlistMeta.mimeType === 'text/html' ? playlistMeta.folder.webViewLink : playlistMeta.webViewLink
   })
 
@@ -97,6 +101,7 @@ async function preparePlaylistPage(data, url, parent) {
       return {
         url: `/${arr.slice(0, i + 1).join('/')}`,
         name: cleanName(breadcrumbInfo[i].name),
+        isPublic: isPublicUser,
         editLink: breadcrumbInfo[i].webViewLink
       }
     })
@@ -131,6 +136,7 @@ function prepareContextualData(playlistMeta, values, breadcrumb) {
       return {
         url: `/${arr.slice(0, i + 1).join('/')}`,
         name: cleanName(breadcrumbInfo[i].name),
+        isPublic: isPublicUser,
         editLink: breadcrumbInfo[i].webViewLink
       }
     })
@@ -141,6 +147,7 @@ function prepareContextualData(playlistMeta, values, breadcrumb) {
       sort: prettyName,
       name: prettyName,
       url: `${path}/${slug}`,
+      isPublic: isPublicUser,
       editLink: mimeType === 'text/html' ? folder.webViewLink : webViewLink,
       resourceType: resourceType
     }
diff --git a/server/userAuth.js b/server/userAuth.js
index cacd5a91..a99065a3 100644
--- a/server/userAuth.js
+++ b/server/userAuth.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const {stringTemplate: template} = require('./utils')
 
 const router = require('express-promise-router')()
 const domains = new Set(process.env.APPROVED_DOMAINS.split(/,\s?/g))
+const isPublic = (process.env.TRUST_PROXY || '').toUpperCase() === 'TRUE'
 
 const authStrategies = ['google', 'Slack']
 let authStrategy = process.env.OAUTH_STRATEGY
@@ -84,7 +85,8 @@ router.get('/auth/redirect', passport.authenticate(authStrategy, {failureRedirec
 router.use((req, res, next) => {
   const isDev = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development'
   const passportUser = (req.session.passport || {}).user || {}
-  if (isDev || (req.isAuthenticated() && isAuthorized(passportUser))) {
+  
+  if (isDev || isPublic || (req.isAuthenticated() && isAuthorized(passportUser))) {
     setUserInfo(req)
     return next()
   }
@@ -111,15 +113,17 @@ function isAuthorized(user) {
 }
 
 function setUserInfo(req) {
-  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' || isPublic) {
     req.userInfo = {
       email: process.env.TEST_EMAIL || template('footer.defaultEmail'),
-      userId: '10',
+      userId: isPublic ? '0' : '10',
       analyticsUserId: md5('10library')
     }
     return
   }
+
   const email = isSlackOauth ? req.session.passport.user.email : req.session.passport.user.emails[0].value
+
   req.userInfo = req.userInfo ? req.userInfo : {
     userId: req.session.passport.user.id,
     analyticsUserId: md5(req.session.passport.user.id + 'library'),
diff --git a/test/utils/bootstrap.js b/test/utils/bootstrap.js
index bf780fb8..cc3fa1dc 100644
--- a/test/utils/bootstrap.js
+++ b/test/utils/bootstrap.js
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET = 'abc123'
 process.env.SESSION_SECRET = 'abc123'
 process.env.APPROVED_DOMAINS = 'test.com, (.*)?ar.org, demo.user@demo.site.edu'
 process.env.GCP_PROJECT_ID = 'fake-project'
+process.env.PUBLIC_SITE = true
+
 const userInfo = {
   emails: [{value: 'test.user@test.com'}],
   email: 'test.user@test.com',