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Electronic resources can have problems for a variety of reasons. This page will provide you with some basic troubleshooting tips as well as other library help resources. Because of licensing restrictions, library databases and digital resources need to be accessed via the Library website, by proxy, Virtual Private Network (VPN), or on the campus wifi.
You can learn more about these connection methods from the library guide Access Databases from On and Off Campus.
Depending on your method of connection, there are some common errors you may come across.
If the VPN connection is giving you trouble, check to make sure it is set to "Tunnel_ALL" and not the default "Split_Tunnel" setting.
If the page did not provide the Shibboleth prompt to log in, try first to:
Simultaneous Users
If you get a message that says all the seats are filled (or something to that effect), this means that the Library subscription allows for a limited number of users to access the material at a time. Try again in a little while to see if space has freed up.
Inconsistencies in SFX data
Sometimes, the library website does not reflect the most recent subscription information. Some resources we may have previously had access to are not available for a number of reasons, databases may have shifted content, an embargo may have changed, or the database may have dropped a publisher. If the SFX page says we have a subscription for Journal X for dates Y through Z, but you find items within that range are unavailable, you can report the problem using the SFX Report a Problem form. The Electronic Resources department will confirm our subscription information and contact the vendor about access problems.
If these are not the errors you are running into, please Ask a Librarian for assistance with troubleshooting.
