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Accessing Digital Library Resources Off-Campus
(Remote Access)

Access to electronic resources provided by Seneca Libraries is bound by strict licensing agreements. Seneca Libraries must ensure that electronic resources are made available only to Seneca College students, staff, faculty, and to those located on-site at a Seneca College campus.

Troubleshooting Remote Access
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How Do I Access Digital Library Resources From Outside of Seneca?

View a complete list of Research Databases offered by the Seneca Libraries.

 

Remote Access - Troubleshooting Tips

Using a computer outside of Seneca College to access our electronic resources means that you are using a system that may have applications or configurations that block access to resources and applications over the Internet.

If you get an error message such as Access Error, Insufficient Credentials or You are attempting to access ProQuest from a page that has not been properly authorized, chances are that information (cookies, referring URL) required for remote access is being blocked by your computer. Blocked cookies or firewalls are the two most frequent reasons for failure to connect to our resources remotely.

The following are the most frequently reported remote access issues:

Make sure that your cookies are enabled in the browser	Check your browser's security settings to make sure that it accepts cookies. ProQuest's Browser Health Check at http://www.proquest.com/en-US/support/bhc/default.shtml checks your cookies and other browser settings. To enable your cookies, follow these instructions: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35851. Note: Internet Explorer 7+ has an embedded phishing filter - you may have to disable this functionality in order to access our resources.
Make sure that your referral URLs are not blocked	Check whether you are blocking referral URLs by clicking this link: http://search.epnet.com/testauth.aspx. If you do not see any values in "Referring URL=", chances are that your computer contains software products that block referral URLs. Alternatively, use ProQuest's Browser Health Check at http://www.proquest.com/en-US/support/bhc/default.shtml. Specific troubleshooting instructions for EBSCOhost products (Academic Search Premier etc.) are available at http://support.epnet.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?faq=1535.
Check your Windows Operating System	Windows XP SP2 users, please note: Window's Firewall is turned on by default. To adjust or disable the firewall, follow these Microsoft instructions. If you know how to manually open ports, use the following instructions on how to manually open ports 2048-2200.
Check if you have a firewall	Check the manuals of your home networking devices (such as wireless access points or broadband routers) to determine if they include built-in hardware firewalls. If you are uncertain whether a software firewall has been installed on your computer (for PCs with Windows), click Start, and then All Programs. Look to see if a firewall program is installed. Commonly used software firewalls for home users include: McAfee, Symantec, and Tiny Personal Firewall.
Configure your (non-Microsoft) firewall	Disable your firewall temporarily or adjust your firewall to allow connections to ports 2048-2200.
Make sure that Java is installed / enabled on your browser	Some resources (e.g., CSA's PsycARTICLES) may use Java applets and require you to have the latest Java version on your browser. If you are not sure if Java is installed, click the following link: http://www.jpowered.com/graph_chart_collection/javaenabled.htm. Not sure how to "enable" JAVA in your web browser?? Instructions can be found here: http://www.java.com/en/download/help/enable_browser.xml.

 

If none of the above resolves your access issues, try the following:

1. If you cannot log in, check the login screen - is it a Seneca College / Seneca Libraries page? If not, chances are that your cookies are disabled or that the service is unavailable.

For Seneca College / Seneca Libraries login screens, make sure that you have entered your learn account and password correctly. Try logging into MySeneca to test your access.

On Seneca Libraries login screens, make sure you have selected the correct account type: Seneca Student (or Seneca Employee, for faculty and staff).

2. Check the browser and Web site

3. Other possible reasons why you may not be able to access the resource:

• Try accessing other Seneca Libraries databases / articles. If you can, it may mean that the resource is down due vendor issues - please try again later.
• If you are using a computer that is part of another network (office, school, institution), it is possible that the network's firewall is blocking access to our resources. This is something that Seneca College cannot fix so you can either speak to their IT staff or come to one of the Seneca campuses.
• If your access problem persists for more than a day, check Seneca Libraries News for any announcements, then complete the online problem report form or send an email describing your problem (screenshots, error messages), the browser you have used, your ISP and the date & time of your access attempt to LibraryTechHelp@senecac.on.ca. Please do not use the email for non-technical library enquiries - see Contact Us for more library contacts.

 

How Do I Access Digital Library Resources From Outside of Seneca?

If you use Seneca College as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) using dial-in lines:
You are automatically authenticated by the college IP address, so you can access and use the electronic resources in the same way you would at Seneca.

Note: Part-time students have no access to Seneca College's dial-up service but may still access Seneca Libraries resources remotely by using their own Internet Service Provider.

If you use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than Seneca:
When accessing Seneca Library digital resources off-campus, you will be prompted to log in via an authentication screen. In this case, you are being asked to enter your My.Seneca (LEARN) account. The login screen will look like one of the following:

Students must have a valid My.Seneca (LEARN) account to access Seneca Libraries' digital resources. Once you have entered this information, you will be able to access and use the electronic resources in the same way you would at Seneca. Click here to find out how to activate your My.Seneca (LEARN) account or contact the Seneca College Student Help Desk for more information.

Students: Student e-mail accounts are usually composed of the student's first initial, middle initial and up to six characters from the last name.

for example: sejones

Faculty/Staff: Seneca staff accounts are usually composed of a user's first name followed by a period, then the last name.

for example: firstname.lastname