Off-campus access to the databases is provided for:
currently enrolled students, faculty and
staff
of the Auraria institutions (CCD, MSCD, UCD & AHEC).
Q.
How do I search the databases from off-campus?
Q. When I entered my name and id, it said 'patron not found'. Now what?
Q. My record is correct but when I submit my login information from home the page just clears the information I entered and I have to fill it in again.
Q. My record is fine but I am denied access.
Q. How do I get an article or book that is not available online?
Q. How do I search the databases from off-campus?
A. Whether you are on- or off-campus the method of finding database(s) to search & searching them is the same. You can approach it in several ways starting at the Library homepage :
Quick start route (try this when looking for articles for an undergraduate class assignment)
- enter your search term(s) in the Quick start search box (This searches for your terms simultaneously in the titles of all the articles found in 12 of our largest databases and may take some time. The articles are listed most recent first but you may also sort them by author, title or the journal they were published in. Look to the left to see them keywords associated with the articles in the list.)
- click on show abstract to read a brief summary of the article
- click on the title of the article and fill in your name and nine digit school id (or your ssn, if the first
one doesn't work) to see the article in that database
- hints
for searching databases
Advanced search route (try this when you are researching more deeply into a specific subject)
- choose Advanced search on the home page.
- below the search boxes you will see several general categories. You may either:
- place a check in the box to the left and thus search all the databases associated with that category,
- or you may expand the category and pick and choose the databases you wish to search together.
- remember that typically the more databases you search at once the slower the response time so be patient.
- also remember that these searches (Quick and Advanced) display only the first results that come back to you ... meaning the fastest database gets the most hits displayed not the most relevant hits or the most recent ones. To really mine a database you need to search the database's 'native interface'. [The native interface is the one you see when you go straight to the database, e.g. Academic OneFile, or family of databases, e.g. the Gale databases.]
Subject-specific databases for your research
- go to the a-z list of databases (Databases under Research Tools on the left end of the green bar).
- choose a database, or family of databases, to search in three different ways
- from the recommended multi-subject databases
- from the alpha list, when you know the name of the
database
- by using the subject dropdown menu
- click on the title of the database and fill in your
name and nine digit school id (or your ssn, if the first
one doesn't work)
- enter your search term(s) in the search box (Each database will have it's own search box. Take some time to examine the options available to you. For example, in some cases you may be able to add more databases to your search and save time. The resulting articles are typically listed most recent first but you may also sort them by author, title or the journal they were published in. Look for keywords or subjects associated with the articles in the list.)
- hints
for searching databases
Q. When I entered my name and id, it said 'patron not found'. Now what?
A. Registered students and current faculty and staff will sometimes be denied access. Usually
this is because their information is not yet in the Library's database.
If your id is not in the Library's database then come to
the Library Circulation Desk and register (library
hours). You will need a photo ID and something
to show you are a current student, faculty or staff (registration, campus
ID etc.).
Remember to test your remote access
by logging into a database as soon as possible. If you are still actively denied access (you get a message such as 'patron not found') check back with the Library Circulation Desk, 303-556-2639, for an error in your record.
Students, faculty and staff who live outside Metro Denver should contact the Library Circulation Desk or the Distance Support Librarian.
Q. My record is correct but when I submit my login information from home the page just clears the information I entered and I have to fill it in again.
A. This problem is usually corrected by resetting your browsers' privacy settings to allow pop ups and set cookies. You may have more than one pop up blocker working if you have installed tool bars and widgets, and will need to turn all of them off while you are using the databases.
Q. My record is fine but I am denied access.
A. First determine what Internet Service
Provider (ISP) you use to connect to the internet.
Then follow the directions for that provider listed
below. Make sure you are using the latest or nest to latest version of your browser.
- WebTV will not work with the proxy server you
need to use a different ISP
- AOL/Compuserve users should first update to
the latest AOL version: if it still doesn't work
use an Internet Explorer or Firefox browser instead of the
AOL browser to access
the databases
- MSN users should use an Internet Explorer or Firefox browser instead of the MSN browser
- Mac users should see notes
for Mac users
If you are still unable to connect email or call the Distance
Librarian, 303-556-2791.
Q. How do I get an article or book that is not available online?
A.
Articles that are not available electronically may be requested through our InterLibrary Loan service (ILL). The article will be found and conveyed to you electronically. If the article is physically available in the Library in paper or microfiche format then students that live in the Denver Metro area must come to the Library and make their own copies of the article. Any faculty member anywhere and students that live outside the Denver Metro area and are taking courses exclusively online may request articles that reside in the Library via ILL and the request will be filled if the request includes the information that you are a distance student.
Books. When you make an ILL or Prospector request for a book, video or cd, the item will be delivered to, and should be returned to, Auraria Library. We do not mail books.
However you have some other options for obtaining the book.
- If you are located in Colorado look for the book in Prospector, the combined catalog of the major libraries of the Front Range from Pueblo to Laramie. You may login from your local library if they participate and have the book sent there.
- Locate a library near you that has the book using Worldcat (http://www.worldcat.org/). Auraria Library along with many, many libraries worldwide support this free public service by subscription. Sign up for a free account and you'll see a lot of features including book reviewing and, bookmarking).
- Request the book through your local library's ILL service. Interlibrary loan is a common service in all public and academic libraries. Locate the libraries near you using the resources on our "other catalogs" page.
- Look for an electronic version of the book or if you are a faculty member request that the Library purchase an electronic copy.
- Faculty researchers should consider asking the publisher for a review copy to review or study a new book in depth.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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Internet Service Provider
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are companies such as
CompuServe, US West, and AOL, that provide access to the
Internet. CCD Online suggests The
List as a good way to locate an ISP. Most ISPs charge
a monthly rate; however, there are some free ISPs available.
Free.com
has a list of free ISPs with reviews and comments. (USE
AT YOUR OWN RISK! LONG DISTANCE CHARGES MAY APPLY).
UCD faculty and staff using
the VPN access will NOT be routed through the proxy and won't be asked to login.
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Web Browsers
While some parts of the Library system will work with IE versions
as old as 3.0, most won't.
Upgrade to the newest or next newest version. Click here to download
the latest Internet
Explorer browser.
Netscape was purchased by AOL and development ceased in March 2008. See Netscape for some IE alternative browsers including Firefox and Flock.
AOL or CompuServe users, and those using MSN browsers, first need to upgrade their connection
to the latest version. If there are still problems,
often the use of a separate browser (IE or Firefox) will
be sufficient to establish a connection. The MSN browser, and the older AOL or CompuServe browsers will NOT support the
proxy server.
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Confirm Your Library Patron Status
You must be a current student, faculty or staff in good standing to use
the Library services from off campus. All other patrons
are invited to come to the Auraria Library for access to
these materials. Auraria Library Hours
& Location
Check
your access at the beginning of the semester before you need it in an emergency. The circulation desk is only open when the Library is open (hours) and the distance librarian will respond during standard working hours.
You will be denied access
to these databases when you are off the Auraria Campus if you:
- owe fines of any size to the Library, or
- have a severely overdue book, or
- are not a current student, faculty or staff of University of Colorado Denver (downtown campus), Metropolitan State College at Denver,
or the Community College of Denver.
Name and ID
The proxy server will ask for your name and student ID.
If you are asked for id and password, then you have not
reached the proxy server. You will need to go to the instructions
for other denials.
If you are listed in Auraria Library's database you will
be able to use the databases just as you do in the library.
To verify you are in our database, check
your patron record on Skyline.
If your name and ID number are rejected, you will need
to present a picture id and class registration info at the
Circulation desk in the Library and you will be added to
the database. If you do not live in the Denver Metro area
email or leave a message for the Distance
Librarian, 303-556-2791.
Once you've logged into the proxy server, use the databases
just as you do inside the Auraria Library building or on
the Auraria campus.
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Proxy Servers
Why use a proxy server?
Many of the databases (article indexes) provided by Auraria
Library are purchased from commercial companies. In our
contract with them we agree to limit access to students,
faculty and staff of CCD, Metro, UCD and AHEC. If you are
not using a computer on Auraria campus or one of the extended
campuses like CCD East or Metro North, the database companies
do not know that you are affiliated with Auraria Library,
so you are denied access. The Auraria Library proxy server
tells the database company you are "OK" and are
permitted to use their product.
What is a proxy server?
The proxy server is a computer located at Auraria Library
that has a database of people who can use the Library and
a program to check your identification and interact with
other programs like the article databases. A databases will
talk to the proxy server and not to you because it knows
the proxy server is on Auraria Campus. The proxy server
takes information from you, talks to the database, then
sends information from the database back to you.
How it works
A lot of things happen very quickly and automatically when
you click on an article database.
- Your computer tells the proxy server it wants to use
that database
- The proxy server asks you to give your name and student
id and you enter this information and push the SUBMIT
button
- The proxy server looks you up in the Library's patron
database.
- If you are in there, the proxy server sends what you
type on to the database and sends you back the responses
- If you are not in there (or you had typos when you entered
it), the proxy server says sorry, etc.
- When you leave the database or have let it sit idle
for a certain length of time, the proxy server (and the
database) stop responding and you will need to login again
Once you login to the proxy server, you will not see this
happening. It will seem like you're talking to the database
directly.
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