This help page is for library patrons using technology available from the
College Hill and Irving Street Libraries.

COMMON ACCESS PROBLEMS

Your barcode is not recognized:

• You must be a City of Westminster Resident or Front Range Community College (FRCC) Student, Staff, or Faculty member with a valid library card to use the online resources.  **Patrons not residing within the City of Westminster or affiliated with FRCC should contact their city or county library for information about access to these types of databases.


• Your library card number is 14 digits long. Be sure to enter all of the digits in the correct order. It begins with 2302.



• Be sure to enter the library card number WITHOUT spaces.


• The number is located on the front of your library card.


• Library cards do expire. Call the library with your barcode during business hours and (in most cases) we can renew your card over the phone.

Your PIN is not working:

• Your PIN number is a four digit number. It can be one that you assigned or it can be the last 4 digits of your phone number.



• If your PIN is not working, you probably changed it to be something other than your phone number, or you changed your phone number and the library did not change your PIN. Call the library with your barcode during business hours and we will tell you what PIN is on file. You will NOT be able to access the databases or place holds until your PIN matches what the library has in your patron record.

Anti-virus and/or Firewall software issues

• If you have set the cookies properly through the browser and still get a Username/Password prompt when trying to access the databases:
  
  
  1. Check the settings of the anti-virus program (ex: McAfee or Norton) installed on your computer.
     
  2. Check the settings of the firewall software program installed on your computer.
     
  3. Check the settings of any other cookie-blocking software installed on your computer, such as spyware programs like Pest Patrol or Spybot.
     

     NOTE:  If any of these programs is set to block cookies, you will need to change the settings to allow cookies in order to access all of the library databases.

Web Accelerator programs

If you have set the cookies properly through the browser and still get a Username/Password prompt when trying to access the databases it may be your web accelerator program. A web accelerator can be a setting found in a standard browser or it can be incorporated into a browser customized by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).  An accelerator downloads or "pre-fetches" pages that are linked to the one you are currently viewing.

• If is it a setting in a standard browser, find the setting and disable it for the time that you will be searching the online databases.


• If it is built into the customized browser provided by your ISP, then you will need to stop using the customized browser. Log on to your ISP, then minimize the customized browser and open a standard browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or Mozilla. ISP's known to offer built-in accelerators include:
  • AOL's Top Speed Technology
  • Earthlink's Accelerator
  • Netzero's HiSpeed
  • Netscape's Web Accelerator

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WEEKLY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE: All remote library services are briefly unavailable for weekly maintenance between 9-10 p.m. on Thursday nights. This includes access to the catalog, databases, online and phone renewals and downloadable audios.

Known problems if you are using AOL:

• Access to the online databases does not work well through the AOL browser. In order to use the online databases, follow these directions:
  1. Connect to AOL.
  2. Minimize AOL.
  3. Open a separate browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
  4. Connect to the online databases using this other browser.

TROUBLESHOOTING ERROR MESSAGES

"No authorized links"

If you login to the online subscription databases, but only see the message "No Authorized Links" on the left-hand side of the screen, then there is a problem with the cookies on your computer. The software that we use for authentication to our online subscription databases requires cookies in order to work properly.  Access problems with cookies can arise from the following:  1) the time on your computer is not set properly; or 2) cookies are not properly enabled/allowed on your browser; or 3) the previous cookie is still active on your computer because you did not log out of the databases correctly or 4) you used the back button in the browser for navigation or 5) Java is not enable on your computer.

• TIME AND TIME ZONE SETTINGS:
  First check the time and time zone on your computer. The time is show in the bottom right-hand corner of the monitor. This is especially critical during the change to and fromDaylight Savings Time
  • To adjust the settings, double click on the time and wait until the Date/Time Properties window opens.
  
  
  • On the "Date & Time" tab, check that your computer has the correct date and time. Be sure that am or pm is also correct.
  
  
  • On the "Time Zone" tab, check to be sure that "Mountain TIme (US and Canada) is showing in the drop down window.
    
    
• ENABLING COOKIES:
  Next check to see if cookies are properly enabled on your computer
  
  
  • Enabling Cookies in Internet Explorer (for versions 6.0 or higher):
    
    1. Go to the File Menu bar and click on Tools.
       
    2. Highlight and click on Internet Options which will open a settings window.
       
    3. Select the Privacy Tab.
       
    4. Check your current cookie setting. If it says "Medium", then the cookies from databases will be blocked.
    5. Click on the small grey "slider" and drag it down to the bottom until you see the words "Accept All Cookies" pop up.
    6. Click on "Apply" at the bottom of the settings window.
    7. Click on "OK" to close the settings window.
       
       
  • Allowing cookies in Firefox:
    - Go to the Menu bar and click on Tools.
    - Highlight and click on Options.
    - Highlight and click on Privacy.
    - Check the box labeled "Accept cookies from sites".
    - Click OK and close the browser.  When you re-open the browser you should be able to access all of the online databases.
    
    
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• LOGGED OUT INCORRECTLY:
  You might have exited the database portal without clicking on the grey DATABASE LIST button in the yellow navigation window on the left. If you did so, you will not be able to get back in without deleting the current session cookie on your computer.

  To delete a cookie, do the following:

  • Internet Explorer 6
    - Go to the Menu bar and click on Tools.
    - Highlight and click on Internet Options.
    - Click on the General tab
    - Look for the section entitled Temporary Internet Files. Click on the Delete Cookies, then click OK.
    - Close Internet Explorer.
    - Re-open Internet Explorer and navigate back to the library database webpage. This time when you log in, you should see the full list of available databases.
    
    
  • For Internet Explorer 8
    - Click on "Tools", then "Internet Options" at the top of the browser window.
    - The window will open to the "General" tab
    - Look for the section entitled "Browsing History".
    - Click on the "Delete" button in this section.
    - To delete the cookies, check the box next to the "Cookies" setting. You can leave all other boxes unchecked.
    - Click on the "Delete" button and wait for the cookies to be deleted.
    - Click on "OK" to close the settings window.
    - Close Internet Explorer.
    - Re-open Internet Explorer and navigate back to the library database webpage. This time when you log in, you should see the full list of available databases
    
    
  • Firefox v. 3.5.5
    - Go to the Menu bar and click on Tools
    - Highlight and click on Clear Recent History
    - Choose a Time Range to Clear
    - Click Details
    - Check the box labeled Cookies
    - Click the button labeled Clear Now
    
    
• USED THE BACK BUTTON:
  You might have tried to navigate using the BACK button on the browser instead of the navigation options within the particular database. If you did so, you may need to delete the session cookie before you can continue
  
  
• JAVA NOT ENABLED AND/OR INSTALLED:
  The software that we use for authentication to our online subscription databases requires Java in order to work properly. If you have Java disabled in your browser, you will have to enable it in order to use the databases. If you are using a newer version Microsoft's Internet Explorer (v.5.0 or higher), then Java will probably be marked as enabled, but in fact, Java isn't installed as a part of the browser. (Think of it as have a light switch turned on, but no bulb in the lamp.) If this is the case, you will need to download Java from the Sun Java website. Click on the address listed below and follow the directions for downloading the Java version that is compatible with your computer's operating system. Java Technology Downloads
  
  

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  Username/Password Prompt

  ENABLING COOKIES:
  Newer versions of browsers have changed where the choices are for enabling/disabling cookies.  By default, the browser comes with cookies enabled at a setting of "MEDIUM".  In this case, some of the library's online databases may work, but others will prompt you to enter a Username and Password.  If you receive such a prompt, then try changing your cookies settings to "ACCEPT ALL" or fully "Enabled". This link to the Symantec website provides additional information on how Norton Internet Security handles cookies.

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