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Contacts for Library Electronic Resources

by Kerry Keck — last modified Jul 20, 2011 04:27 PM — History

Note: The intended audience for this document is the Fondren Library staff.
The document is, however, available as a possible resource for other members of the Rice University community.

Abstracts & Indexes - Fulltext

Top 8 steps for "troubleshooting" problems with Fondren Library EResources:

    1. Check the Fondren Library DigiServices Alerts for information about known problems (see also question #4).

    2. Confirm that:
        • the problem is still occurring. Often problems are transitory or resolved by the publisher by the time you receive the error report.

        • the user is on a Rice computing account (if they are trying to access remotely via cable modem or DSL, they will need a Rice VPN account (prefered) account or a proxy
        New: Fondren Library has been able to verify over 98% of our digital resources now have the proper IP ranges to permit access on campus to users of both the 'old' and 'new' Rice network. If they are having difficulty using resources on campus, please be sure to log a problem including the title and issue they're having difficulty accessing.

        • the resource they're trying to access is actually one for which we have permission (is it too old? is it still on order? etc. - see the links below (by publisher) and/or check in the online catalog (Webcat) or Ejournal Portal (for years of online journal coverage). Assistance with interpreting the order records in the online catalog is available from Acquisitions and Cataloging.)

        • if they are using the proxy system, the resource they are trying to access has been added to the proxy (the library's web listing includes the ON PROXY designation or - for ejournals - the Ejournal Portal note designates ON PROXY). Click here for additional issues related to the proxy of specific library resources.

        • neither the link from WebCat nor the link from the library web lists works. If a resource has changed location, this may have been "caught and fixed" in one place but not the other. Report problem links to eresources@rice.edu

    3. Check to see if the resource works on another workstation and if other resources are working on the original workstation. If all online resources are very slow or non-responsive, the problem is probably here at Rice: contact library IT and/or the Consulting Center by phone or contact the Help Desk (see question #7 for information you should try to include in the problem report).

    4. Consult this listing for information about the specific resource. Note that some vendors have their own "troubleshooting" sites, and even "status" pages that indicate if they are engaged in routine maintenance or know they have a problem - be sure to look at these links!

    5. If they are being asked for a password for accessing a journal, check the journal entry in the Ejournal Portal ... a small handful of our journals DO require a password and the passwords are in the Ejournal Portal under the phrase "Please see 'Fondren Library resources passwords (Rice only)' ".

    6. If the problem is with opening an PDF file, please be aware that there is an Adobe setting that may affect this, and a known software conflict with Norton Personal Firewall (NPF) and Norton Internet Security (NIS). Click here for information on "work arounds" for PDF problems.

    7. If the problem remains unexplained, contact the vendor by phone or email ... or ask the user to do so. Be prepared to be specific about what you're experiencing (error message text, when [exactly] does the error occur, are they using a PC or a Mac, what flavor and version of browser are they using, etc.)

    8. OPTIONAL: There are a number of quick technical "tricks" that you can try to resolve basic problems with the browser. Click here if you'd like to try to help the user with these.

    9. If the problem continues and/or you are unable to contact the vendor, be sure to contact the Help Desk.

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