Off Campus Access to Databases
EZProxy

Off campus (remote) access to the Library's electronic resources is provided through software named EZProxy. (pronounced "EasyProxy")

You need to use your Dominican network (email) username and password when prompted.

You use the library's website the same both on and off campus. If you know the brand name of the database you wish to use, start on the library's homepage, then click: Articles | Research Guides > A-Z List of Online Resources > brand name of database (i.e., ERIC)

If you are off campus, an EZProxy Login screen will appear. Just follow the directions!

1. Why do I need to use EZProxy?
Online databases and electronic journals subscribed to by Dominican University are restricted, by the vendors, to use by current Dominican University students, faculty and staff ONLY.

Most online vendors control access by your computer's IP address. Anyone coming from a campus IP address gains access, but users are refused access if they are coming from outside this IP address.

To provide off-campus access for Dominican's authorized users, proxy server software -- EZProxy--is used. It performs two primary functions:

• Authenticates users as Dominican students, staff or faculty by requiring a login, thus ensuring compliance with vendor restrictions
• Serves as an on-campus intermediary (with a valid IP address) by passing information between off-campus users and restricted online resources.
  

2. What resources are available from off-campus?
All of the library's electronic resources are available from off-campus. This includes databases for finding articles, the online catalog--I-Share Online, and electronic reserve items. Electronic reserve items require a different authentication.

3. What do I have to do to use EZProxy?
EZProxy requires no configuration on the user's part. The connection to EZProxy is coded into the regular links to databases on the library's web pages. When you click on a link to an online library resource, EZProxy checks whether your computer is on-campus or off.

If you are on-campus, you will bypass EZProxy and be sent directly to the resource.
If you are off-campus, you will be required to login with your Dominican network (email) username and password, then be sent to the resource.

4. How do I get a Dominican network (email) account?
You must have a Dominican University network account to use EZProxy. Go to the Information Desk in the Tech Center (lower level Lewis Hall) and request a network application. Once you complete the application, the Lab Assistant will tell you when to expect activation of your new account.

5. I am a distance education student. That is, I will never come to the River Forest Campus for my classes. How do I get a Dominican network account?
If you only attend classes off campus, for the entire duration of your degree program, please see your instructor about your group network account.

If you are a faculty member who only teaches off campus, please contact the library's webmaster, Molly Beestrum, at 708.524.6886 or mbeestrum@dom.edu

6. My username and password don't work when I login to EZProxy.
If you believe you know your Dominican network (email) username/password and are typing it correctly and still can't login, you may wish to check that:

• the CAPS LOCK key is not on (usernames/passwords are case-sensitive)
• you are NOT preceding your username with "dom\" (just your username is required)
• you are NOT adding "@dom.edu" to your username
  

The EZProxy administrator must specify all the domains (i.e., silverplatter.com) and computer hostnames (i.e., spweb.silverplatter.com) for which EZProxy should be used. In this case, all the online library resources.

Database vendors often change domain names, or pull content from new computer hosts without ever informing libraries. Thus, when a hostname error occurs, EZProxy's configuration must be updated to include the new host for proxying.

To expedite correction of this error, please note:

• the name of the resource you were trying to access
• the computer hostname line listed on the error page
• and report it to the library's webmaster, Molly Beestrum, 708.524.6886 or mbeestrum@dom.edu

This problem will be corrected as soon as your notice is received.

9. How long will I be connected to EZProxy?
You will remain connected to the proxy server software as long as you keep your browser open. This means that you only have to input your username and password once (for up to sixty minutes of connection).

10. More Troubleshooting...

• You may not be in our system!
  For various reasons, your username or password may not be in our EZProxy system. If you have filled out a Dominican network (email) application and have checked the above troubleshooting suggestions and are still unable to get in, please call the Reference Desk at 708.524.6875 for assistance.

• Internet Explorer 6.x is your browser
  This is the most common problem with remote access. For some reason, Internet Explorer 6 defaults to a higher level of security for cookies than the databases can accept. To change this:
  • From the menu at the top of IE, select Tools
  • Select Internet Options
  • Select the Privacy tab
  • This is probably set to Medium; change to the Low setting
  • You may need to exit Internet Explorer and open it again.
    The Low setting still restricts some cookies -- those that provide personal information and those that don't have a compact privacy policy.
    
    
• Asked to accept a certificate
  If you are asked to accept a certificate when you log into a database, click Yes and then continue to the database. This is a result of the update to the proxy server software. Since EZProxy now supports Secure Socket Layers, you may be asked to accept a certificate at sites that use SSL
  
  
• Either AOL or MSN is your Internet Service Provider
  Try connecting through your ISP, minimizing it, then opening up Internet Explorer or Netscape on top of your AOL or MSN.
  
  
• You are using a MAC and your browser is MSIE for MAC
  The recommended solution is to switch browsers to Netscape, Opera, or Mozilla. Microsoft has stopped support for IE on the MAC. We suggest trying new Mozilla Firefox (recently renamed from Firebird). For details go to: http://www.mozilla.org
  

• NetZero HiSpeed or Juno SpeedBand is your Internet Service Provider
  If you are getting error messages with NetZero HighSpeed, try turning off HiSpeed in NetZero's toolbar. With Juno, try turning off high speed, but also look to see if your proxy server is turned on; if it is, turn it off. You can enable these features again when you are through using the library's databases.
  
  
• You have a pop-up blocker, personal firewall or ad blocker on your computer
  Disable the pop-up blocker while you are using our databases. You can always go back and enable it again for general Internet use. For personal firewall software, such as Norton Security, make sure that cookie blocking is set to "none" and that the browser privacy box is unchecked. You can always go back and recheck these later. Ad blocking software may have settings that block cookies. Set the program not to block cookies.
  
  
• Corporate Firewall
  Many corporate or government systems use a firewall for security purposes. You may need to ask your network administrators if they can reconfigure your network to allow access to EZProxy.

• Error message: "Error has occurred in script on this page."
  If you get this error, check another library database such as EBSCOhost or FirstSearch. If you can use these, you don't have Javascript enabled on your machine. To enable Javascript:

  Internet Explorer: Click on TOOLS> INTERNET OPTIONS> SECURITY> CUSTOM LEVEL. Under SCRIPTING, select ENABLE for all.

  Netscape 7.x:
  Click on EDIT> PREFERENCES> ADVANCED> Scripts & Plugins. Select ENABLE JAVASCRIPT FOR NAVIGATOR.
  

• Issues between the NETZERO ISP and EZProxy
  There are known conflicts between our proxy server software (EZProxy) and the Netzero Internet Service Provider. A possible solution is provided below: (for use With Internet Explorer verison 5.5. and 6)

Follow these steps:

1. Launch Internet Explorer
2. Go to Tools | Internet Options...
3. Click on the Connections tab
4. Scroll through the Dial-up settings to locate NetZero, then click on NetZero and click Settings...
5. Under Proxy Server, click Advanced...
6. In Exceptions, scroll to the end of the list, then type a semi-colon (;) followed by the host name of the EZproxy server
(e.g. type: ezproxy.dom.edu). All the other sample entries have an asterisk (*) in front, and although it won't hurt, that isn't required for this entry.
7. Keep clicking OK until all the windows close and you are back in Internet Explorer.

At this point, access to EZproxy should be restored.

11. Problems with Article Links in Emails (From Off-Campus)

Q. When off-campus, clicking on an article link in an e-mail that I sent to myself from an article citation database sends me to a page where they ask for username and password information? What do I need to do to get the article?

A. You are attempting to link to a paid database resource, but you are not going through our proxy server. Therefore, you are not being granted access to the requested resource. Follow the below directions.

Add this url:

http://ezproxy.dom.edu/login?url=

IN FRONT OF any URL that needs authentication IN THE location bar at the very top of the browser (where you type in an internet address). For instance, if you send yourself an article link in EBSCOhost it will have the following similar URL:

http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=8227851&db=aph&site=ehost

Follow these steps:

1. cut and past the article link into the location bar
2. paste the ezproxy url in front of it with NO SPACES in between the two urls (http://ezproxy.dom.edu/login?url=)
3. hit return on the keyboard.
   
   The URL should look like this:

http://ezproxy.dom.edu/login?url=http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=8227851&db=aph&site=ehost

12. Article Links in Blackboard
Note to instructors who use Blackboard: You can allow your students to have off campus access to articles by following the directions above (#11 ) when you compose links for your students. You may also create links within your Blackboard course to the library's databases by copying and pasting the URL from the library's website.

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If you are still experiencing difficulties, please contact the Library's Reference Desk at 708.524.6875.

Last update: Tuesday, February 21, 2006