Troubleshooting Database Access and Service Interruptions

Due to the constantly evolving nature of technology, database access problems are reported to librarians frequently. The information here is meant to serve as:

Click on the database name that you are having problems with:

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  |  Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) | CQResearcher | ebrary | EBSCOhost | E-Library
| ERIC | FirstSearch (OCLC) |  ILLiad
Journal Search | JSTOR | Library Catalog | Literature Resource Center |
netLibrary  |  Oxford |  ProQuest | RefWorks

Alphabetical listing of databases with their access and improvement notes:

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z

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Don't see your database listed? Contact us

General Tips

1. Access all databases through the library website links whenever possible. Other pathways may prove to be problematic (for example, sometimes there are problems accessing databases through UASOnline links).

2. The only usernames and passwords you should need:

Your UAS username and password for off-campus access (see the Help Desk Login FAQ to look up your computer username.)

RefWorks Group Code (when off campus)

Refworks, ebrary, and netLibrary have special account usernames you set up for yourself

Some off-campus users may require a username and password for EBSCOhost databases, and for Gale/Infotrac databases. Contact us if you live in Alaska or you are an affiliate of the university, and we will provide you with this information.

3. If you are having problems accessing or using a database, it is always a good idea to try another browser or browser version. In other words, try Internet Explorer if you experience problems in Netscape Navigator. Many databases provide information about known browser compatability problems in their Help sections. We address browser issues (when known) with databases listed on this page.

4. Remember - there is a reason for each and every access problem! Sometimes it is a downed server, sometimes it is a wrong password, sometimes it is a compatability problem with the browser or operating system you are using. We can help you get to where you need - please contact us so that we are aware of problems and may help you!  ^

General Outage Notices 

Monday, December 03, 2007
Internet Problems, Monday Morning
 
From approximately 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM, there have been difficulties reaching Internet sites from the Univerisity of Alaska and reaching UA from other Internet providers.

We received reports from technicians with Statewide IT indicating that there were Internet routing problems that appear to originate from UA's Internet provider in Washington state.  They further indicated that our provider is currently running off a backup which should provide service, though there may be further slowness or delays.

B

C

Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)

 

Supported browsers for CSA databases:

Netscape 6.0 or newer, Internet Explorer 5.0 or newer
(older versions may produce random errors)

"Locate document" is a new feature that has been added to CSA. This link allows you to search our library catalog, to see if we have the book or journal you need - before you request an Interlibrary Loan.

Fairbanks Fisheries students and faculty having off-campus access problems? You must contact Gabrielle Hazelton 796-6451. She will provide your student information to the Help Desk, so that your profile is added, allowing you off-campus access to this database.

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CQResearcher

Our licensing for this database allows for 5 concurrent users. If you cannot gain access, try accessing from another computer if possible. If you still cannot get in, chances are that 5 people are currently using CQResearcher. Try again in an hour. Report if you continue to have problems. ^

E

ebrary

Message from ebrary TECH SUPPORT:

Dear ebrary Customer:

ebrary is scheduling monthly system maintenance on the first Tuesday 
of each month, from 8:00PM to 10:00PM US Pacific Time.  During this 
period, the ebrary service may be unavailable.

We are scheduling this on a standing monthly basis to provide earlier 
notification to end-users and streamline the maintenance process.

Please contact support@ebrary.com or your account representative with 
any questions or concerns.

We appreciate your business and support.

There are some browser incompatability problems with viewing books in ebrary. If you experience difficulties, please contact us so that we may document these problems and assist you.

Following is a list of supported and non-supported browsers by ebrary:

Windows: 95, 98, 2000, 2000 Professional, XP, XP Professional:

Internet Explorer (IE) 5.x - supported
IE 6.0 - supported
AOL - default browser not supported, IE is supported for AOL users
CompuServe - not supported (problems)
Netscape 4.7 - supported
Netscape 6.0 - not supported (problems)
Netscape 7.0 - supported

Macintosh:

IE 5.x - supported
Netscape 4.7 - supported
Netscape 6.0 - not supported (problems)
Netscape 7.0 - supported
Safari - will be supported (within 30 days of product release)

*You must download the ebrary reader at first (once only) in order to view ebrary ebooks. Instructions for this download are at the ebrary site.

Generally, the Internet Explorer browser works better than Netscape for ebrary. You must download the ebrary reader to view books - this may require you to submit a work-order to the help desk if you are using an on-campus computer that does not have the ebrary reader installed.

Message from ebrary Technical Support: ebrary service may be unavailable at times during the 8:00PM-12:00AM PDT (-0700 UTC) planned maintenance window on Monday 24-Jul-2006.  We will be performing software maintenance on database systems.While we always attempt to minimize user impact, the ebrary service may be unavailable at times during that period. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  Please contact support@ebrary.com or your account representative with any questions or concerns. ^

EBSCOhost

Announcement

Dear EBSCO Customer,

Please note that the personalization folder feature in EBSCOhost (My EBSCOhost), may be unavailable for a few hours on Tuesday, May 6th, in order that we may implement the new EBSCOhost features and functionality announced on 4/15/08. For a quick review of the upcoming features, see this top story: http://support.epnet.com/support_news/detail.php?id=448&t=h .

We apologize for any inconvenience this brief interruption in folder service may cause. All of the other functionality and features in EBSCOhost will remain operational during this time.

We hope that you will visit EBSCO's Support Site (http://support.ebsco.com ) to learn about new features, search among thousands of FAQs, download Flash tutorials, Help Sheets or User Guides, or communicate with Technical Support at any time, using the EBSCO Support Form (http://support.epnet.com/contact/askus.php).

If you are trying to access EBSCOhost databases from a college campus other than the University of Alaska, you may have difficulties accessing the State of Alaska suite of databases (if the college campus you are on also subscribes to EBSCO). There is a work-around for this problem.

Go to this page: http://search.ebscohost.com/userlogin.asp

This page will ask you for login information. Contact the Egan Library for this Ebsco UserID and Password. We will verify your status as a University of Alaska affiliate and provide you with this information. Thank you.

New USER ID for off-campus access to EBSCO databases! If you access EBSCO through SLED Databases for Alaskans, and are prompted for a USER ID from EBSCO, that USER ID is a new one. Please Contact the Egan Library or call 1-800-440-2919 for this new ID.

Accessing articles with EBSCO persistent links- If a professor has linked to an article in EBSCO using a "persistent link" and you cannot get to the article by clicking the link, it may be because you do not have an EBSCO cookie on your machine. Go to this EBSCO cookie push URL:

http://search.ebscohost.com/PushAuth.aspx?custid=XXXX&group=XXXX&show=n

You will see a blank page, but this should add a cookie to your machine. After restarting your browser, you should then be able to gain access to the article throught the persistent link.

Alternatively, you may Contact the Egan Library for an EBSCO UserID and Password. We will verify your status as a University of Alaska affiliate and provide you with this information. Thank you.

Browser Information

EBSCOhost interfaces are best viewed via these browsers:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5+
Firefox 1.5
Macintosh: Safari 1.1

e-Library

July 2006 e-Library is no longer offered through the Databases for Alaskans.

ERIC (website)

There have been problems reported when accessing PDF files of full text from the ERIC website. Adobe Reader version 6.0 seems to have difficulty reading ERIC files. If you have this version on your computer, it may be helpful to get the upgrade to 7.0 in order to view ERIC documents. Visit the Adobe site for the latest version of Acrobat Reader for PDF files. ^

FFirstSearch (OCLC)

It is advised that when you go to OCLC FirstSearch databases, you start by linking to them from the library website. FirstSearch will ask for a username and password if they do not recognize you as a UAS affiliate.

In the OCLC FirstSearch version of ERIC, when linking to "Access EDRS - ESubscribe & EDRS order options" Netscape Navigator version 4.8 will not display ERIC documents. Error message: Parameter Incorrect. Please try another browser or version to access EDRS full text.

Use Internet Explorer when exporting records from OCLC FirstSearch to RefWorks. ^

I

ILLiad

June 2007 - upgraded ILLiad to version 7.2.  Once testing is complete ILLiad system web pages will be new and improved.  This should not negatively effect current user accounts.

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J

Journal Search

 A-to-Z Maintenance on 10 November 2007

The A-to-Z® Administrator site database software upgrade scheduled for 6 November 2007 has been postponed. The A-to-Z Administrator site will now be unavailable on 10 November 2007, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Central time (19:00 GMT) for approximately four hours to implement the upgrade. As before, the A-to-Z® Reader Site will remain available during this period.

Questions? Contact Customer Care at 1-877-327-2622 (U.S.A. and Canada) or +1-205-981-4000 (Worldwide), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., CT (12 p.m. – 10 p.m. GMT). Select option 1 for A-to-Z or option 2 for LinkSource. Fax: +1.205.408.6190. Email: eamsfeedback@ebsco.com.

A-to-Z Maintenance on 6 November 2007

The EBSCO A-to-Z® Administrator site will be unavailable on 6 November 2007, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central time (18:00 GMT) for approximately four hours to implement a necessary database software upgrade. The A-to-Z® Reader Site will remain available during this period.

EBSCO’s A-to-Z® Reader and Administrator sites, as well as LinkSource®, are scheduled for maintenance on Sunday, 10 June 2007, beginning at 10:00am Alaska Time for approximately one and a half hours. During this time, these sites will be unavailable.

Questions? Contact A-to-Z Customer Care at 1-877-327-2622 (U.S.A. and Canada) or +1-205-981-4000 (Worldwide), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., CDT. Select option 2, then option 1. Fax: +1.205.408.6190. Email: atozfeedback@ebsco.com

JSTOR

JSTOR collections are available as TIFF, PDF, or PostScript files. Some people may have trouble downloading or printing the content from JSTOR because the file sizes can be so large. The Economy setting works better for printing and download.

JSTOR now offers a helper-application to download, and users may set their printing preferences during a session. ^

L

Library Catalog

The Library Catalog has a 'keep' function so that you can print or export to RefWorks those items you are interested in.

When working with a List created during a Library Catalog (CCLIC) search, clicking-on the keep tab does not always work when using the Netscape browser. The result is that the selected record(s) are not listed when one attempts to view the list by clicking ‘Kept’.

Repeatedly clicking ‘keep’ until the tab changes to ‘remove’ may cause a record to be saved in a Kept list, but this often doesn’t work.

We recommend using the Internet Explorer browser when searching CCLIC. ^

Literature Resource Center

N

netLibrary

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O

Oxford Reference and Oxford English Dictionary

April 26, 2007 - Some Oxford Online products experienced technical problems which prevented users from accessing the databases including Oxford Reference Online.  The problem was resolved the same day by customer support.

P

ProQuest

Three ProQuest platform enhancements are scheduled for release on April 26th, 2008. To prepare for this release, a series of maintenance windows will occur on the following dates (maintenance window time in parentheses):

April 19th, 2008 at 22:00 EDT = 18:00 ALASKA time (2 hours)
April 26th, 2008 at 22:00 EDT = 18:00 ALASKA time (12 hours) 

ProQuest databases may be unavailable during maintenance windows.

ProQuest welcomes customer feedback. Please email your comments to platform.feedback@il.proquest.com or visit www.proquest.com/suggestions.

ProQuest has known display problems with some browsers, especially with Netscape Navigator 7.x version. If possible, try to use Internet Explorer to do searches in ProQuest. ^

R

RefWorks

Are you having Trouble accessing RefWorks from off-campus? You may need to use a GROUP CODE.

Try going directly to the RefWorks website at: www.refworks.com/refworks, enter the GROUP CODE (you should have received this code in an email from RefWorks if you have already signed up), otherwise, contact us and we will supply you with this code if you are a university affiliate.

There are numerous browser compatability problems in RefWorks. It is best to use:

Internet Explorer 5.0 or later
Netscape Navigator 4.7 or later

Word Processors (for creating bibliographies):

Word for Windows 97 or later, Word for MAC 98 or later.

** Use Write-n-Cite to insert RefWorks citations into papers written in MSWord. Write-n-Cite is a plug-in that you must download from the RefWorks site. If you are using an on-campus computer that does not have this plug-in already installed, you will need to consult with the Help Desk for assistance in downloading.

**If your Internet browser is set to block pop-ups, then this preference will have to be disabled, or set to allow RefWorks pop-ups in order for RefWorks to work properly.

Use Internet Explorer when exporting records from OCLC FirstSearch to RefWorks.

Internet Explorer generally works better than Netscape when using RefWorks. ^