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University of Alberta Libraries

University of Alberta

Electronic Resources - Troubleshooting

The following might be of assistance if you encounter problems accessing one of the Library's electronic resources. If not, please contact us.

Things to try first

  • Press your browser's Refresh button.
  • Close your browser and re-try.
  • Re-start your computer and re-try.
  • If you have another browser on your computer try using it. Older browsers might not work with some vendor interfaces. Also, some vendors design with a particular browser in mind (usually Internet Explorer).
  • Try to access a few other restricted resources. If you are able to use everything except one resource, there is a problem with that vendor's server. Please try again later.

Problems connecting from off-campus

Some of our resources are restricted for use to the University of Alberta community. More details on connecting to these resources from off-campus are available on our Off Campus Access guide. Here are a few things you can try:

  • Make sure you are not trying to access content outside the range of our full-text subscription (for example, you attempted to access older issues when we are only entitled to the current year, or vice-versa).
  • If you are trying to access the databases from an off-campus workplace, check your network security configuration, or check with your network security administrator. Some workplaces use firewalls or other security features in their network configuration that prevents access to our electronic resources. If you get an error message such as Alert: 2048 Connection Refused, this is probably the case.

Error messages

  • If the error appears to be a software problem (e.g.. Need Acrobat Reader or browser incompatibility, etc.), please check your software documentation or contact your department's computer support staff.
  • One of the most common web page error messages is 404 Not Found. In some cases, this means that the vendor's server is down. Try again later, and if it's still down, let us know.
  • Some resources only allow a limited number of simultaneous users. If you see an error message like number of ports exceeded, please try again at a later time.

Enabling "cookies"

Some of our electronic resources use cookies. (More information on cookies is available here.)

Add Blocking Extensions

Ad blocking extensions for Web browsers can sometimes cause problems with databases or ejournals. If you experience problems with a particular library resource, considering exempting that domain from your ad blocking software.

Pop-Up Windows

Some products and services (e.g. our GetIt service) make use of pop-windows. Pop-up windows are commonly used by advertisers, and as a result, some browsers and helper applications (e.g. Yahoo Toolbar) have settings that block these pop-up windows. If you're clicking on a link and nothing is happening, check your settings and allow pop-up windows to display.

Contacting us

If the following information isn't sufficient, please contact us. We can provide a better response if you provide as much of the following information as possible:

  1. A brief description of the problem including, if possible:
    • What product (e.g. database, e-journal) were you in when the problem occurred?
    • What error message did you get?
    • Include an example if possible. If you were trying to get to a particular citation, include the citation. Sometimes the problems are very specific, and the more information we have the easier it will be to resolve the problem.
    • Describe the steps taken working through the example until the problem is encountered.
  2. Information about your computing environment, e.g.
    • Did the problem occur on campus or when connecting remotely?
    • What browser are you using?
    • What operating system are you using?
    • If connecting from off-campus, who is your Internet Service Provider?
    • What time did this happen? (as precisely as possible)
    • What is your computing ID? (ID only - never share your password!)