Manual Home >> Searching and Finding >> Problems with access to databases/journals in Vera

What to do when a patron calls to report that an electronic resource/database/ejournal isn't working.

- Check 3-Down to check if the problem has been reported (http://nic.mit.edu/3down/)

- Make sure that…

• It's a resource to which the MIT Libraries subscribe (check VERA)
• If the patron is off-campus, make sure:
  • that the user has MIT web certificates installed
  • that it is a "Go" resource (green "go" button appears in VERA).

- If that doesn't work, see Troubleshooting Problems: Off-Campus Access to Electronic Journals.

- Be certain, if it is a problem accessing full-text, that…

• We subscribe to full-text for that resource
• The date is one for which full-text is available
• Check out the VERA faq
  (http://river.mit.edu/mitlibweb/faq.html)

- Try to get into it yourself

• If you have the same problem, report errors to digprob@mit.edu
• If you can get in…
  • Ask the patron if he or she is trying to access it off-campus
    • If the issue appears to be off-campus access, make sure that he or she is accessing it through VERA, not Barton (URLs in Barton will not work for off-campus access, even with certificates)
    • If that is not the problem, direct the patron to the faq page http://libraries.mit.edu/about/faqs/remote.html.
    • If there is no help there for the problem, report it to digprob@mit.edu or encourage the patron to report it using the error form at http://river.mit.edu/mitlibweb/contact.html
  • If the patron is on campus, go directly to the reporting form at http://river.mit.edu/mitlibweb/contact.html
  • If the user is off campus, recommend that they try installing VPN ("Virtual Private Network") to simulate being on campus.

If you do not have time for these steps because the desk is too busy, just send a description of the problem to digprob@mit.edu.

See also Solving Access Problems by the MIT Libraries Digital Acquisitions team.