Frequently Asked Questions
Access to Resources | Policies and Procedures
Access to Resources
I am receiving a login screen asking for my NetID and password when I try to connect to a resource. What is this?
Some of the online resources linked to on the Take Us To School! pages are subscription services and available only to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students, faculty, and affiliates. For remote access to these resources, you are required to authenticate via the library’s proxy server–hence the intermediary login screen. If you don’t have a NetID, you can access subscription databases (and any other resources linked to from these pages) in person at the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library public computers. You may also email, phone, or chat online with the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library information services desk for assistance.
What do I do if I can’t remember my NetID or password?
Your NetID is often your email username (the part preceding the @) but NOT always. Your NetID password is set by you.
I am having a problem getting into one of the online databases, but it was fine last week — what happened?
If a publisher changes something like a password and forgets to tell us, access to that database can be cut off. Also, databases go down periodically due to technical glitches. Often we don’t know about these problems until someone like you can’t get in. If you’re having an access problem, please use the steps outlined here to report the issue.
I know my NetID and password are correct, but still cannot access a database. I confirmed that the database isn’t down. What’s going on?
If you are having difficulty accessing a remote resource from a school network, you may want to check with the network administrator at your site. Some schools employ filtering or firewall technology, which has the potential to interfere with or prohibit remote authentication.
Policies and Procedures
I am trying to obtain a book that I know is in the Library’s collection. Can this be delivered to me at my new temporary off-campus address?
The short answer is no, we cannot ship a loan to you at your remote location at this time. However, we can scan a portion of the book, up to one chapter, and deliver it to you electronically. To do this, please specify the pages needed from the book. If you don’t know the page numbers, please ask us to send you the Table of Contents (TOC) using the Doc Express forms (accessible online, NetID login required). After examining the Table of Contents, you may then select your pages and send in another request for the actual material. You may request this copy service for a volume located on campus through Doc Express. Likewise, if you are interested in a volume located elsewhere, you can request a Table of Contents through the interlibrary borrowing office. Once you have identified the passage you want copied, you simply submit a more detailed request through the interlibrary borrowing office, specifying page numbers. It is extremely important that you fill out the notes field in the online request form. A good note would be “I am residing Off Campus until XX, loan delivery not available, please send TOC and I will resend with exact pages.”
What about I-Share Online requests — can these be picked up at one of the I-Share libraries that may be close to me?
Yes, I-Share Online requests can be delivered to a partner library (not residential address) for pick up when you are temporarily located somewhere in Illinois other than Urbana-Champaign. Library staff can assist with these requests. Contact Central Access Services at (217) 333-8400 and they will assist you by placing the request and specifying your temporary pick-up location.
Do I have to pay to get copies of articles and books?
Requests for scanned (PDF) copies of journal articles or book chapters located in the Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can be sent through the Doc Express service as a convenient alternative to obtaining the material yourself onsite. It is a free service.
I am not currently enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — can I use any of the remote services?
You can access the online catalog and selected websites, but you will not be able to use many of the electronic resources. Interlibrary Loan and Doc Express services are also restricted to the faculty, staff, students, and sponsored visiting scholars of the University.
When items are delivered electronically, what exactly happens?
In most cases we post a PDF file to a web site on a library server. The web address is emailed to you. When you open the file using Adobe Acrobat, you can then read it online or print it out. In rare cases, the document may come as a PDF email attachment. Please make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. Old versions may not be able to handle recently scanned files.
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