Getting Connected! Tips for Connecting to Electronic Resources

Can't connect to a specific online full-text journal or a database? Check its status on the Outages and Downtime Page. If the title is not listed and you experience problems in connecting to the database, electronic journal or other resource you need, check the information below for quick answers.

If you are still experiencing problems, please contact us. Please give us as much information as possible, such as:

Was there an error message? What did it say?
What kind of operating system are you using? Windows98? Macintosh OS9?
What browser are you using? (for example, Internet Explorer 5.5)
What did you try to do when the problem occurred?

Report IUCAT problems to the University Information Technology Services (UITS) Help desk at 812-855-6789 or use their form . You can also contact them by email or via live help (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Please note: IUCAT is down for maintenance every morning from 2:00 - 2:30 am and on some Sunday mornings from 2:00 - 10:00 am. All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Educational Access to Bloomington Resources--Users from campuses outside Bloomington who are teaching or enrolled in classes on the Bloomington campus may request access to electronic subscription databases, books and journals during the time they are teaching or enrolled in a Bloomington class. Complete this form to request temporary access.

MAKING A CONNECTION (ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS)

I am connecting from an Internet Service Provider such as America Online or A T & T WorldNet. How do I get access to the indexes and the electronic journals?
Many of the resources made available by the IU Bloomington Libraries require signed purchase agreements or licenses that restrict the use of the information to IU-B affiliated faculty, students and staff or to patrons in the IU-B Libraries. Some resources can be accessed from outside the libraries, others are restricted to on-campus, and still others may be accessed from anywhere by anyone. You may connect to any resource from off-campus that has the following icon/picture next to its name on the lists:

Database available without restriction.

Database available to authorized IU Bloomington users (on or off campus)

This resource may only be used by current IU Bloomington faculty, staff and students. When you log on to one of these resources, you will see a box that prompts you to type in your ADS Network ID/username and your password/passphrase. Once you have logged on, you will be able to use any IU Bloomington Libraries resource available for use off-campus until you close your browser.

You may also connect to electronic resources through IUCAT. When you connect to IUCAT, you will see a screen that asks you to select your campus. Click on Bloomington. You will be asked for your ADS Network ID and password/passphrase TWICE to log in to IUCAT.

I am connecting through the IU Bloomington modem pool PPP connection. Do I have to do anything special to use indexes and electronic journals?
When you connect through the IU Bloomington PPP connections, you should not have any problems connecting to most resources, including those restricted to a computer on the campus: (Database available to users on the IU Bloomington Campus only)

Access to the libraries’ resources is controlled by the computer’s IP (Internet Protocol) address. Computers connected to the Internet through the IU PPP connections will have the correct IP address to allow you to use the resources you need. IUware software is required to connect to the modem pool. It is available from the IU Bookstore or electronically through IUware Online.

I want to connect to library resources from my residence hall, my campus office, or a Student Technology Cluster. What should I do?
You should be able to connect to any resources marked with

Database available without restriction

Database available to users on IU Bloomington Campus only

Database available to authorized IU Bloomington users (on or off campus)

You will not be asked for your Network ID or password/passphrase.

The computer is asking me for a username and password. What should I do?
There are two occasions when you might be asked to give a username and password. The first is when you are connecting to the IU Bloomington Libraries web resources from a commercial Internet Service Provider (e.g. America Online). A box asking for your network ID and password will display. Type in your IU Network ID and password/passprhrase. If you do not know this information, bring a picture ID to the Wells Library W121 (Information Commons) during their office hours and they will reset your password. The second occasion when you might be asked for a username and password can occur when the IU Libraries does not have a subscription or has only a partial subscription to the resource you are trying to access or when you are connecting directly to the publisher’s web site, instead of connecting through the IU Bloomington library web pages.

Need help? Ask a Librarian

When I type in my username and password/passphrase, the computer tells me I am not authorized to use the database. I have been able to connect before. What is happening?
The IU Bloomington web pages use the University's ADS (Active Directory System) to allow users to connect to databases and the My Account functions in IUCAT. If you get a message saying you are not authorized to access the page or your account cannot be found, first try to synchronize your passwords/passphrases at https://password.iu.edu/. The synchronization should be complete within about 20 minutes. Try to connect again. If you still cannot connect, your account may not be in the proper campus network group. (Occasionally, an account is moved to an incorrect campus network group unintentionally.) IU Bloomington faculty, students and staff should send an email message to valid@indiana.edu and request inclusion in the Bloomington network group.

I am trying to connect from inside a company or an organization, but I cannot make the connection.
For security of its systems a company or organization may set up a firewall which blocks access by outside users. If the firewall blocks ports in the range 2048-4550, you will not be able to reach any proxied IU Bloomington Libraries web resource. Please contact the company’s or organization’s technical support for assistance.

I am affiliated with the Bloomington campus and with another IU campus. What can I use?
You will be able to access electronic resources from one Library’s web page but not from the other. If you can’t access resources from the IU Bloomington Libraries web site, select the other library from the List of Libraries at Other IU Campuses. If you need to access resources that are only available from the IU-B Libraries web page, contact your local computer center to request inclusion in the Bloomington network group.

HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT URL TO CONNECT TO THE RESOURCE YOU NEED

Connect from the IU Bloomington Libraries web pages
Most resources available on the IU-B Libraries web pages have access restricted to IU-B faculty, students, and staff. If you are affiliated with another IU campus, select your library from the List of Libraries at Other IU Campuses .

Connect through IUCAT
The IUCAT records describing electronic resources are often shared by libraries on several campuses. If access is restricted to one or a few libraries, that restriction is explicitly stated with the URL. Look carefully at the URL to determine whether the Bloomington campus has access to the resource. Examples of URLs where Bloomington users have access to the resource include:

URL: [Bloomington, Northwest, South Bend] http://www.jstor.org/journals/13249347.html
URL: [Bloomington] http://www.ala.org/acrl/c&rlnew2.html
URL: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS22843

You will also have access to any electronic resource that is held in the ONLINE library.

Why connecting directly to the publisher’s web site usually will not work
When you bypass the IU Bloomington Libraries web site, you bypass the licensed access to electronic resources that was purchased for IU-B affiliated faculty, students, and staff. A direct connection to the publisher’s web site will usually result in restricted or no access to that publisher’s resources.

IUCAT DOES NOT DISPLAY THE LIBRARY LIMIT BOX

IUCAT uses session cookies to maintain the default library setting to the Bloomington campus. These cookies disappear when you close your browser. Be sure that cookies are enabled. You can find instructions in the Knowledge Base on how to enable cookies in Internet Explorer and in Firefox.

BEFORE YOU CALL US

Are your passwords/passphrases synchronized?
Synchronize your passwords/passphrases at the Password Maintenance web page. Further explanation of password/passphrase synchronization is available in the Knowledge Base.

Do you have “cookies” disabled?
To access many of the resources from the IU Bloomington Libraries web page, to use electronic reserves, and to see all of the options in IUCAT, you must have cookies enabled. You can find instructions in the Knowledge Base on how to enable cookies in Internet Explorer and in Firefox .

Is the security setting on your workstation web browser set too high?
A setting for High Security on a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, may prevent connections. We recommend setting the default to “medium” security.

Does your firewall allow access to ports 2048-4550?
Vendors who provide subscription access to databases are using an increasing number of ports through which our local proxy server must find an opening. Be sure that your firewall or the firewall provided by your Internet Service Provider allows access to ports 2048-4550.

If you continue to have problems connecting to databases from off-campus, you might consider installing a Virtual Private Network on your machine. For more information on VPN, check the Knowledge Base.