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CUNY Office of Library Services |
GENERAL QUESTIONSAuthor: WebBH
~ How does off-campus access work?
~ I notice not all licensed resources permit off-campus access. Why is that?
~ Does "Find it!" work with RPA off-campus access?
~ I was on campus and clicked on a "green house" to connect to a database, but didn't have to enter my barcode. Why not?BARCODES
~ I don't know if I have a barcode on my ID card. What should it look like?
~ I get a message that my barcode is invalid or inactive. What should I do?TECHNICAL SUPPORT
~ I just sent a message to "WebBH" because I experienced a problem. How long will it take to get an answer?
~ When can I use home access?
~ I tried home access and got the message "Could Not Connect To Library System" in my browser. What do I do?
~ What kind of browser do I need to be able to use the electronic resources from home?
~ I get the error message "Authentication failed due to insufficient credentials" when I try to access an EBSCO database.PROXY SERVICE
~ I have a proxy account from my school. Should I use RPA to access the CUNY-wide resources?
~ Where can I find more information on proxy service and/or remote access from my school?
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: How does off-campus access work?We have implemented an application called "RPA" (Remote Patron Authentication) to allow members of the CUNY community with a valid library ID (usually called "barcode") to access the CUNY-wide licensed resources.After clicking on a green house icon at http://libraries.cuny.edu/resource.htm, you can either use your primary barcode (without spaces) or your social security number (without hyphens) to authenticate. If you have several barcodes, use the primary one.
RPA takes the barcode number you enter and checks to see if it exists in the patron file of CUNY's library system, "CUNY+ Catalog" (for backup, go to CUNY+ backup). If you have a valid borrower record, you are allowed to connect to the electronic resource you selected.
Q: I notice not all licensed resources permit off-campus access. Why is that?
- Either the database is public and available for free, hence you don't have to authenticate yourself; or
- Some of the database vendors are not compatible with RPA for technical reasons. Simply put, they don't have the appropriate "protocol" in place to communicate with the RPA software. We are trying to bring these vendors aboard as well.
Q: Does "" work with RPA off-campus access?
- No, "Find it!" will not work properly with RPA. In order to use "Find it!" you should use your school's proxy server.
- Please see the help file for more information about "Find it!"
Q: I was on campus the other day and clicked on the "" to connect to a database, but didn't have to enter my barcode. Why not?
In RPA, we have registered the Internet (IP) addresses of the various CUNY campuses. If your computer is located on one of the CUNY campuses, you don't have to authenticate yourself because you are allowed to access that resource by default using the "" button.
BARCODES
Q: I don't know if I have a barcode on my ID card. What should it look like?It is 14 digits long, for example: "2 2635 00039 9974". It must be entered without spaces.
Q: I get a message that my barcode is invalid or inactive. What should I do?Make sure you didn't mistype the barcode and that you entered it without spaces. Then you must visit your campus library's circulation desk and have the staff there re-activate your barcode.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Q: I just sent a message to "WebBH" because I experienced a problem. How long will it take to get an answer?We try to answer these reports within 24 to 36 hours. Problems that are sent on a Friday will be answered on Monday.Make sure to include the following information in your message:
- Name(s) of database(s) you tried to access
- Your library barcode
- Date and time of access attempt
- Any error messages that you might see in your browser.
Problems/Questions/Comments? Send e-mail to: webbh@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Q: When can I use home access?Home access should be available 24/7. If you encounter difficulties using the system, try again after about 15 minutes.
Q: I tried home access yesterday and today and got the message "Could Not Connect To Library System" in my browser. What do I do?In most cases, this message indicates a "temporary" problem. Be aware that 3 different computer systems and a variety of communications software packages and protocols have to work together to make RPA work. If one of these pieces fails temporarily, the whole authentication process is temporarily unavailable. Normally, all these systems restart automatically when they go "down" for any reason, and thus RPA should be working again after a few minutes. If you see this message, try again after about 15 minutes.
Q: What kind of browser do I need to be able to use the electronic resources from home?Browser requirements may vary from provider to provider. As a general rule, you should run either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape and you should upgrade your browser to the most recent version. If you are running another browser, by all means give it a try. If it doesn't work, check the browser requirements listed below. You may have to install MSIE or Netscape.Some database providers publish their browser and other system requirements, such as the following:
Make sure that your browser is set to accept cookies and that it can execute javascripts.
Q: Error Message "Authentication failed due to insufficient credentials" when trying to access EBSCO databases.This message is caused by software running on your computer that's interfering with the authentication process. It can be caused by cookie-blockers, firewalls or pop-up blockers. An example would be Norton's Internet Security software. You should temporarily disable this software and try to connect to the EBSCO database again.
PROXY SERVICE
Q: I have a proxy account from my school. Should I use RPA to access the CUNY-wide resources?No. You should already have your school's proxy server information configured in your browser, so you can just click on the yellow buttons at http://libraries.cuny.edu/resource.htm.
Q: Where can I find more information on proxy service and/or remote access from my school?If you need help with proxy account service from your school, the following links may be helpful:CUNY schools with remote access through proxy servers
- Baruch College: Faculty remote access to www subscription databases from off-campus locations
- Brooklyn College: Research resources using resources off-campus
- City College: Proxy Service for CCNY Faculty, Staff and Students
- Hunter College: Proxy Server
- John Jay College: Electronic resources available from home
- Lehman College: How to access Electronic Resources from Home
- Queens College: Off campus access
- Staten Island: Off-Campus Access to Library Resources
- BMCC: Research Help: Remote Access to the Databases
- Bronx CC: Off-Campus Access to Licensed Electronic Databases
- LaGuardia CC: Off-campus Database Access
CUNY schools with other types of remote access
- Grad Center: CITRIX or Grad Center: Virtual Private Network
