Troubleshooting Workflow for Electronic Resources


There are more ways for E-Resource access to go awry than can possibly be described in this guide, but here you will find general help in beginning to troubleshoot a problem. For the purposes of this guide, E-Resources are defined as anything included in the Electronic Journals list or on the E-Resources & Databases page. Please contact Jennifer if you have any additional questions.

Start Here

It is always best to follow the exact path that a patron is using to access electronic content, so walk through all steps with the patron starting from the Library homepage. Three common errors make up the bulk of our access problems:
  • Enable Proxy: If the patron is off-campus, make sure s/he has enabled the proxy.
  • Don't Bookmark: Most electronic resources do not allow bookmarking. Bookmarks often embed session IDs and other security information that expires--either immediately upon exit, or at some later point. Therefore, make sure that the patron is not accessing content through a bookmark.
  • Check Coverage Scope: If the patron is attempting to use an e-journal, make sure that the desired issue is included in the scope of coverage dates and that there is not a note indicating access restrictions (e.g. on type of content such as research articles or on location such as no remote access). [If the scope note indicates that we should have access, but access is denied, check here.]

Check to see if the resource connects from inside the Library? If no, make sure other databases are working.
  • If other databases work, then the database in question is probably experiencing troubles on the vendor end. Notify Jennifer and she will contact the vendor; she will also indicate a service alert on the A-Z list; notify subscribers of E-Resources News; notify the rest of Reference; and document the problem for future reference.
  • If other databases do not work, there is probably a network problem originating in the Library or perhaps a campuswide router problem. Notify Jennifer and she will check with Systems to discover the source of the problem.

General things to keep in mind:
  • You can try clearing cache to make sure old session information is not impeding the search. Directions for Clearing Cache.
  • Double-check that there are no browser or operating system requirements for the database in question. These are usually available on the "MORE" screen of the database list.
  • Make sure that the patron is using a relatively recent version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Netscape. Many databases require this and have not been tested on more off-beat browsers.
  • Are there access limitations? Some resources are only available from on-campus or have simultaneous user limits.
  • If you are conversing through e-mail, you may want to use some of the canned responses available on the FAQ page.
Is the patron on-campus or off-campus?
On-Campus Off-Campus
On Campus Procedures

Determine the IP address of the patron. To do this, find out where on campus the patron is located and ask him to go to the following web address to determine how his IP address appears on the network: http://www.whatismyip.com. [Even better: use the command line to bring up DOS and execute an ipconfig /all command to see the underlying IP address.] Is the IP address within the 129.123.*.* range? Several Systems Administrators have been requesting non-routable IP addresses for campus academic units. These IP addresses do not appear as 129.123.*.*. Additionally, some SysAdmins have locked down their machines with aggressive firewalls. Chemistry, Biology and Natural Resources folks have seen these problems.
  • If the IP address is within that range, there is probably a firewall at play. If the patron is faculty or staff, ask him to contact the departmental Systems Administrator to determine whether or not there is a firewall or other security measure in effect. It is best to have the person work with the departmental or college systems adminstrator in these cases.
  • If the IP address is not within the specified range, the patron needs to request a routable IP address from the USU Help Desk. Alternatively, several faculty have set up their on-campus machines to go through USU proxy by default. The proxy option will provide immediate access but the patron must have already established a cc.usu.edu email account. Obtaining the routable IP address is a preferable long term solution from the Library perspective.
Always make sure to let the patron know that if Network & Computing Services or the departmental Systems Administrator does not solve the problem to his satisfaction, he should make sure and get in touch with Jennifer.

Off-Campus Procedures

Nine times out of ten, off-campus access problems stem from difficulties in setting up the USU proxy. Please keep in mind that while we can troubleshoot USU proxy, the Help Desk maintains this service and will probably be able to answer questions more efficiently. Nontheless, walk through the proxy set-up with the patron before making this referal. Check the following once you believe proxy has been properly configured:
  • Make sure that the patron is actually being asked to login to USU proxy. Many times the patron is actually being asked to login to the database service rather than the proxy. You can ascertain this by asking if the login appears in the browser window or as a pop-up window that has USU Proxy in the blue bar. If the patron is not seeing the proxy login box, something is not right about the browser configuration. You will probably need to refer this person to the Help Desk.
  • If the patron is definitely prompted to login to USU Proxy, make he is using the correct login information. The login information is identical to the cc.usu.edu email account. This is often the problem as people want to login with an A Number or with the old E-Z proxy login.
Inaccurate E-Journal Scope Note

On occasion the scope note in the E-Journal list does not accurately reflect the holdings to which we have access. If you discover this problem, please report it to Acquisitions right away so that we can investigate the matter and, if necessary, change the holdings. There are many problems that can cause a cessation of all or partial online access. These include the cancellation of a print title, changes in policies relating to free online with print subscriptions, vendor requirements to revalidate existing subscriptions, etc. In such cases it is not possible to know whether access has been correctly or inadvertently terminated without further research. If you want to investigate a bit on your own try the following:
  • Check EBSCONet to see if we hold a current subscription and whether or not mention is made of paid or complimentary online access
  • Check Horizon to see if notes reflect anything about the addition or cessation of online access
  • Check ERM to determine package or publisher rights
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    Date last updated: 07/27/06