Database Access Help / Frequently Asked Questions

Using this library's electronic reference resources and databases from outside the library requires:

• A valid library card number.
• A browser that supports javascript and accepts session cookies.

Where do I find my library card number?

This is the barcode that is located on the back of your library card. When entering your library card number, be sure to enter the entire number without spaces.

I cannot access a database.

 Please try the following:

• Verify your barcode. Your barcode should have 14 digits and should be entered with no spaces between the numbers (20080001234567 not 2 0080 00123 4567).
• Has your library card expired? If you need to check the status of your card or if you need to renew it, please contact the Circulation Desk at 810.632.5200.
• Verify that you are using Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 6 or higher, or Netscape Navigator 6 or higher (or Safari if you are using a MAC). Version information is usually available under your browser's Help > About menu.
• The AOL browser will not work with some of our databases. If you are using the built-in Internet browser in America Online, Compuserve, or another ISP, we suggest that you download and use a separate copy of another browser such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Netscape Navigator.
• In order to access some of our databases, you must use a browser that supports JavaScript. For Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator, this means using version 4.0 or above; Firefox and Safari support JavaScript. If your browser does not support JavaScript, you may receive error messages such as "patron not found."
• Verify that cookies are enabled on your computer (read below for instructions on how to do this).

I keep getting "Sorry, Your Identification is not recognized." What could be wrong?

Double check that you have entered your barcode correctly. If it has been awhile since you've used your library card, it may need to be renewed. Please contact the Circulation Desk at 810.632.5200.

Although my library barcode number is accepted, I still get prompted for a login name and password by the reference resource site.

Try connecting to one or more of the other reference resources. If you can get to other resources, the problem may be a temporary issue at the first site you tried to access.

Is your browser set up to accept session cookies?

In order to get remote access to the library's reference resource databases, your browser must accept cookies.

How do I verify that cookies are enabled on my computer?

The authentication program we use for remote access to our databases requires cookies in order to work properly. Additionally, many of the databases themselves require cookies in order to allow you access. If you have your cookies disabled, or if the cookie is corrupted, you will not be able to access the databases: you might see an invalid authorization notice or a message that says "welcome to [[null]]." If you are not sure what cookies are, you can get more information from the Unofficial Cookie FAQ.

• In Firefox, choose the "Tools" pull-down menu and select "Options." Click on "Privacy" and then on the "Cookies" tab. Make sure that the "Allow sites to set cookies" checkbox is checked. Checkboxes "for the originating site only" and "unless I have removed cookies set by this site" should not be checked. Also check to see that you have no sites listed under "Exceptions" by clicking the "Exceptions" button.
• In Internet Explorer 6.x, choose the "Tools" pull-down menu and select "Internet Options." The Internet Options dialog box will open with the "General" tab showing. Choose the "Privacy" tab at the top of the window. Then, use the sliding bar to change your privacy settings to "low" or "accept all cookies." You may be able to use the "medium" or "medium high" settings, but some databases may require a lower setting. When you've changed the setting, click OK.
• In Netscape Navigator 6.x or 7.x, choose the "Edit" pull-down menu and select "Preferences." The preferences window will open. Choose the "privacy and security" option from the list on the left and double-click it. A sub-menu will appear below. Click on the "cookies" label to display those options on the right side of the window. Click on one of the "enable cookies" options. If you're not sure which one to choose, choose the "enable all cookies" option.

If cookies are enabled, but you still cannot connect to any databases, try deleting all cookies and then trying again. We have found that some times the cookies that databases leave on your hard drive can become corrupted.

Clear cookies from your computer: how do I do this?

• In Firefox, choose the "Tools" pull-down menu and select "Options." Click on "Privacy" and then on the "Cookies" tab. Click on the "Clear Cookies Now" button. Close the browser and then re-open it. You should now be able to access the databases.
• In Internet Explorer 6.x, choose the "Tools" pull-down menu and select "Internet Options." The "Internet Options" dialog box will open with the "General" tab showing. Mid-way down the box, you'll see a heading labeled "Temporary Internet Files" with three buttons labeled "Delete Cookies", "Delete Files" and "Settings". Click on the "Delete Cookies" button. A confirmation box will appear that says "Delete all cookies in the Temporary Internet Files folder?" Click OK. Close the browser and then re-open it. You should now be able to access the databases.
• In Netscape Navigator 6.x or 7.x, choose the "Edit" pull-down menu and select "Preferences." The preferences window will open. Choose the "Privacy and Security" option from the list on the left and double-click it. A sub-menu will appear below. Click on the "Cookies" label to display those options on the right side of the window. Click on the button labeled "Manage Stored Cookies" ("View Stored Cookies" in Netscape 6.x). The Cookie Manager/Viewer window will appear. Click on the button labeled "Remove all Cookies." Then click OK to close the Cookie Manager and then click OK again to close the Preferences window. Close the browser and then re-open it. You should now be able to access the databases.

Clear temporary Internet files (cache) from your computer. How do I do this?

Once you've cleared the cookies from your browser, you may also need to clear your temporary Internet files to ensure that your browser is pulling a fresh copy of the Web page, and not an old copy that's stored on your hard drive. Every Internet browser keeps copies of the Web pages you visit in its memory (or cache). This facilitates a quicker download when you re-visit that page. Clearing the cache forces the browser to actually re-visit the server and get a fresh copy of a particular Web page, rather than using the cached copy.

• In Firefox, choose the "Tools" pull-down menu and select "Options." Click on "Privacy" and then on the "Cache" tab. Click on the "Clear Cache Now" button. Close the browser and then re-open it.
• In Internet Explorer 6.x, you can clear the cache by choosing the Tools pull-down menu and choosing "Internet Options." Under the General tab, click the "Delete Files" button under the heading "Temporary Internet Files," then click OK. Close the browser and then re-open it.
• In Netscape Navigator 6.x or 7.x, you can clear the cache by choosing the "Edit" pull-down menu, and choosing "Preferences." In the left side of the new window that appears, double-click on "Privacy and Security," and then choose "Cache" from the sub-menu that appears. Then, on the right side of the screen, click on the button labeled "Clear Memory Cache" and click OK. Next, click on the button labeled "Clear Disk Cache" and click OK. Click OK to close the preferences window. Close and re-open the browser.

The browser is set up to accept cookies but some databases still prompt for username - what now?

If you are using Internet Explorer 5.5 or later, you may need to adjust your browser Privacy settings to accept cookies: to do this, go to the privacy settings are under Tools, Internet Options, Privacy. Drop it to the bottom while using the databases.

I am still having problems accessing the database.

Is java enabled on your browser? If you have a new computer and Internet Explorer 6+ was installed on it (as opposed to an older computer which was upgraded to Internet Explorer 6), java does not come with the install. So, you will have to download Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
To download Java Virtual Machine: Go to http:/www.java.com and click on the "Download Now" button. Java Virtual Machine will be downloaded and installed on your system. This may take a few moments. You may have to restart your computer following the installation.
Return to our Search Tools page and try again.

Do you have a personal firewall or a hardware firewall or router installed?

If you have firewall software installed on your computer (i.e. Norton Home Firewall, McAfee Personal Firewall etc.) you may have to reconfigure or disable your firewall in order to access these services.
First try disabling the firewall, then try to access the database again. If you can get in now, you will need to reconfigure the firewall.
Many firewalls automatically block cookies, java/javascript, .exe files. If your browser accepts cookies and you are still getting prompted for a user name and password, you probably need to change the firewall configuration to accept cookies from the library and from the database vendor, as well as to process java/javascript and .exe files.

Are you are in a school or office?

There may be a single firewall protecting the whole organization. Your technical support staff will need to configure the firewall to allow third party cookies to get access to many of the databases.

Final note on firewalls

It could be your Internet Service Provider (ISP) that owns the firewall. In that case, please contact your ISP for assistance.

After I enter my library card number, there is a long wait and I get the message "Time Out on Reply from Service"

Due to circumstances beyond our control, access to these services may be periodically disrupted, please wait a minute or two before trying again. If you repeatedly receive a "Time Out" message please contact the library to let us know. Thank you for your patience.

Are you using a Mac?

Netscape usually works better than IE on Macs. Safari works the best.

When I access a database, I get a prompt to download something?

You may have a download accelerator loaded on your computer. Real Player sometimes installs a download accelerator automatically, or you may have downloaded a separate download accelerator. To prevent the pop-up window from appearing on your screen, please disable your download accelerator. You will then be able to log-in from home to use our databases.

How do I uninstall RealDownload from my computer?

To uninstall RealDownload, click the Start menu, choose Programs, then Real, then RealDownload 4, then click on "Uninstall RealDownload". The change will take effect after you restart your computer.

What if I do not want RealDownload to handle a particular download?

If there's a download link that you don't want RealDownload to handle for you, just hold down the control ("Ctrl") key on your keyboard when you click the link. Your web browser will handle the download as if RealDownload wasn't even there.

Do you have Norton Internet Security, Norton Personal Firewall or Norton Antivirus?

Norton Internet Security may impede access to our databases. The setting that we have found that blocks access to our databases is called Browser Privacy. Browser Privacy prevents Web sites from finding out which Web site you last visited. For our login system to work, the browser must be able to tell the login system which Web site you last visited. When Browser Privacy is enabled, this is impossible. If you disable this feature while you use our databases, you should not have any access problems.

Here is how to disable and enable Browser Privacy:

Disabling Browser Privacy:

• On the left side of the Norton Internet Security window, click Privacy Control.
• Click the Settings For arrow and select the account that you want to change.
• Click Custom Level.
• In the Customize Privacy Settings dialog box, un-check the box that says Enable Browser Privacy.

Enabling Browser Privacy:

• On the left side of the Norton Internet Security window, click Privacy Control.
• Click the Settings For arrow and select the account that you want to change.
• Click Custom Level.
• In the Customize Privacy Settings dialog box, check Enable Browser Privacy.

Rest assured that our databases do not put any harmful cookies or "spyware" on your machine.

Norton has a separate Cookie Blocking control panel. If you block the library's site even one time using your Norton software, you may not be able to access our databases.

First follow these instructions for how to change the Cookie Blocking setting in Norton. Then click on the browser you are using, and follow the instructions to clear cookies and history before you try logging in again.

To change the Cookie Blocking setting:

• On the left side of the Norton Internet Security window, click Privacy Control.
• Click the Settings For arrow and select the account that you want to change.
• Click Custom Level.
• Select None to enable all cookies. You can change the Cookie Blocking setting to High or Medium after you are finished using the Library's databases.

Cookie Blocking has three settings:

• High: Blocks all cookies.
• Medium: Alerts you each time a cookie is encountered.
• None: Allows cookies.

If, after following troubleshooting steps listed in this document, you are still unable to access our databases, please contact the library for further assistance.