Get started
UNC University Libraries provides off-campus access to a wide array of electronic
databases and journals. Start at the
Libraries home page.
Choose
Article Databases to find a database
in your subject. If you have a journal in mind, use the
E-Journal Finder.
Enter your
Onyen and password (or PID for UNC Hospitals staff) at the prompt.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't my ID work?
University Libraries databases are available to UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff only, who must enter an Onyen, PID, or other log-in to access most resources.
Forget your Onyen or password? Retrieve your Onyen at http://onyen.unc.edu. If your PID does not work, please contact the Davis
Library Circulation Desk at 962-1053 [Hours] or the Health Sciences Library
Circulation Desk at 962-0800 [Hours] or use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department.
Why is the link to my reading broken?
Students: Have reserve reading to do? Try starting from the
E-Reserves page at
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://eres.lib.unc.edu/
Instructors: Building a course page? While it is often possible to link to an article within library databases, it does not always work to cut and paste links from your browser bar. The reason: the University Libraries pay for access
to many high-end databases with proprietary, protected content. All off-campus
users need to enter an
Onyen and password to use UNC databases.
To build links to articles
in UNC databases, it is necessary to add a
special prefix to a link. Links
built this way will then point to a page where a student can
enter an
Onyen and password.
Learn to make a stable link with the Library's
LinkGuide or
URL Builder.
What if the database I need is not working?
Please
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department or contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151.
We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
Access from home
You should be able to connect to most of our electronic resources from home by entering your
Onyen and password number when prompted. You will need to start from our Library web pages in order to be authenticated through our proxy server.
Connection problems at home?
Sometimes firewalls set up on local networks at home
cause problems with the proxy server. The proxy server is hardware that handles requests to access UNC Libraries subscription databases.
A firewall is a device that works as a security system. It filters outside Internet connections and dial-in lines.
Make sure your firewall is set up correctly by referring to our
Instructions for Firewall Users/Administrators page. If you need help configuring your firewall to accept requests
from the library proxy server, please contact your vendor or
use this form to
contact the Library Systems Department.
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Access from work
You should be able to connect to most of our electronic resources from home by entering your
Onyen and password when prompted. You will need to start from our Library web pages in order to be authenticated through our proxy server.
Trouble accessing databases from work?
Sometimes office firewalls do not work
with the library proxy server. The proxy server handles requests to access
UNC Libraries subscription databases.
A firewall is a device that works as a security system. It filters outside Internet connections and dial-in lines. In many offices,
use of a firewall is a common safeguard.
Make sure your firewall is set up correctly by referring to our
Instructions for Firewall Users/Administrators page. If you need help configuring your firewall to accept requests
from the library proxy server, please contact your local IT support. If you or anyone in your place of work
has questions, please contact the Library Systems Department using the
Report a Problem form.
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Bookmarks
Bookmarks saved prior to the installation of our newest proxy server will not work from off campus.
From off campus, all URLs for licensed resources need to be prefaced by
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url= in order
to work with the proxy server. The proxy server handles requests to access
UNC Libraries subscription databases.
You can update your bookmark links by editing them
to include the prefix (
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=) or you can delete the old bookmark, re-visit
the link from off campus, and add a new bookmark.
Don't want to type the links out? Use the Library's
URL Builder.
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Broken Links
Instructors, broken links on your course page, in Blackboard, or in e-reserves? Students, broken links in
your RefWorks database or is a link your instructor sent not working off campus?
This is because the URLs that link to articles within UNC Library subscription databases need to be
stable, not just cut and pasted from the browser bar. To create a stable link, you need to use a
prefix which will take you or other off-campus users to a screen which asks for your
Onyen and password.
How do I make a URL using the proxy prefix?
- First, start with the prefix, http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=
- Second, identify a stable URL or DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for the article. (Ask a librarian for help with this,
if you cannot identify the stable URL. Unfortunately, there are not consistent link-naming practices across all scholarly databases.)
- Add the proxy prefix to the stable URL. The final version will have two "http://"'s.
For example,
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=1388445268.
Don't want to type the links out? Use the Library's
URL Builder.
If you have questions about using the proxy prefix or link management, please feel free to contact
Chad Haefele in the
Davis Library Reference Department
for more information at
chaefele@email.unc.edu.
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Browser setup
With our old proxy server, you had to adjust the settings in your browser. This is no longer
necessary.
If you are experiencing problems related to your browser, please
go to
Article Databases & More main page, locate the link for the database in question, click the
[info] link for that database, and check to see whether a database requires use of a specific browser and browser version. Certain databases do not work correctly
in browsers other than Internet Explorer.
If the problem seems to be something else,
refer to another topic in the left-hand menu above,
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department, or
contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
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Community member access
Copyright restrictions and licensing agreements for databases largely limit off-campus access to Carolina
students, faculty, and staff. However, community members may access most of the 40,000+ e-journals by visiting any of the libraries on campus in person.
All North Carolina residents can obtain access to a wealth of resources through
NCLIVE. Access to NCLIVE from home is easy once you have a
password you can obtain from your local public library.
For information on rights and restrictions that apply to
specific resources, please contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
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Cookies
You must be able to accept cookies to gain off-campus access to library databases. When you access
UNC Library resources, a cookie is issued for the duration of the browser session.
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Course readings
The University Library provides workshops and one-on-one consultations for instructors who would
like to create an online course reading or assigned reading list. The workshops are usually offered
at the beginning of each semester and are for instructors
who have a secure Web page or a Blackboard site and cover how to link directly to articles and avoid broken links, how to
scan and quickly create PDFs, how to create, format, and organize a reading list in Blackboard, and how to
do this in adherence with copyright guidelines.
If the workshops have passed or do not fit your schedule, please
do not hesitate to contact the Library to set up an appointment for a quick, personalized consultation.
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E-mail alerts
Do you receive e-mail alerts for Library subscription databases? It is likely that the links in these e-mails
do not contain the prefix that is needed by our new proxy server.
If off campus, try adding the following to the front of the link:
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=
Don't want to type the links out? Use the Library's
URL Builder.
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E-Reserves
Reserves are designed to enable many students to use a few materials.
These materials may be books, articles, microscope slides, audiocassettes,
LPs, videotapes, CDs, CD-ROMs, or computer disks. Wide availability is
created by restricting loan periods.
Electronic reserves, made available on the Library website at
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://eres.lib.unc.edu, are provided in
a way which respects Fair Use rights, rightsholders, and copyright law. Fill out a few forms, submit paper copies
of your readings, and Reserves Processing in the Undergraduate Library
takes responsibility for all the scanning, e-reserves Web page maintenance, and copyright permissions.
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Help
Need help with off-campus access?
University Libraries databases are available to UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff only, who must enter
an
Onyen and password to access most resources.
Forget your
Onyen or password? Retrieve it at
http://onyen.unc.edu.
If your ID does not work, please contact the Davis
Library Circulation Desk at 962-1053
[Hours] or the Health Sciences Library
Circulation Desk at 962-0800
[Hours] or
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department.
If a database is down or you have any other difficulty, please contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
For other computer problems that do not have to do with library databases or your
Onyen, you may also contact ATN at 962-HELP, 24 hours a day, or
visit
http://help.unc.edu.
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Laptop (CCI) setup
Walk-in personal help is available to the UNC computing community
from the ITRC (IT Response Center), located in the lower level of the R.B. House Undergraduate Library
(next to the Pit). Be sure to bring you Onyen, which
you can set or change at
http://onyen.unc.edu.
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Linking
Links to Library subscription database articles not working?
If off campus, try adding the following to the front of the link:
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=
Don't want to type the links out? Use the Library's
URL Builder.
To create direct, stable links to electronic resources available through UNC Libraries,
you can also use the
LinkGuide to get linking instructions specific to the database you are using.
The University Library provides workshops and one-on-one consultations for instructors who would
like to create an online course reading or assigned reading list. The workshops are usually offered
at the beginning of each semester and are for instructors
who have a secure Web page or a Blackboard site and cover how to link directly to articles and avoid broken links, how to
scan and quickly create PDFs, how to create, format, and organize a reading list in Blackboard, and how to
do this in adherence with copyright guidelines.
If the workshops have passed or do not fit your schedule, please
do not hesitate to contact the Library to set up an appointment for a quick, personalized consultation.
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NC LIVE
What is NC LIVE? NC LIVE (North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education) is
sometimes described as the state's electronic library. Through NC Live you can access a range of different databases containing
magazine articles, national and local newspapers, business and professional journals, reference sources, and research material. NC
LIVE is made available through a partnership of public, academic, and community college libraries including Carolina, and is funded by
the North Carolina General Assembly and the state's independent colleges and universities. NC LIVE is available to anyone who uses an
NC LIVE partner library, whether at a public, academic, or community college library.
Are you at a screen outside the UNC Libraries Web site, where you need to enter a password, but your
Onyen or password does not work?
If you are a UNC instructor, student or staff and have reached a screen which prompts you to enter a password, this
is an error. Perhaps this is your first attempt to access a UNC database from off-site. You are being prompted for a password
as any member of the general public, which
your local NC LIVE public may normally supply, because
you are not recognized as a UNC-Chapel Hill user.
Make sure you are trying access the database by starting from the Library's website. This should allow you to authenticate through our proxy server with your
Onyen and password. You may
wish to check that your browser is configured to enable Java or Javascript and can accept cookies, both of which are required (see link below).
You should come to a screen that prompts you for your
Onyen and password, and once you enter this, you will be directed
to the database you are requesting. If you have problems, please
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department, or contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
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netLibrary (E-Books)
netLibrary is a large collection of e-books and audio books available through
NCLIVE.
Here are some tips for accessing netLibrary.
Accessing e-books
The titles on netLibrary are shared with other libraries within several different libraries across multiple states (This is
the type of agreement the Library has with netLibrary). The loan period for all e-books in the
shared collection is 2 hours, or you can "preview" an eBook for 15 minutes without
formally checking it out. An e-book is previewed in 15-minute increments; after 15
minutes of inactivity the e-book is released and may be checked out by another patron.
If an e-book is already checked out to another user,
you can't borrow or preview it, and there is no process for placing a hold on a title.
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Off-campus access
Need help with off-campus access?
University Libraries databases are available to UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff only, who must enter
an ID to access most resources. Make sure you are accessing licensed resources by starting from the Library's web page. This should authenticate you through our proxy server using your
Onyen and password.
Forget your
Onyen or password? Retrieve it at
http://onyen.unc.edu. If your ID does not work,
please contact the Davis
Library Circulation Desk at 962-1053
[Hours] or the Health Sciences Library
Circulation Desk at 962-0800
[Hours] or
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department.
If a database is down or you have any other difficulty, please contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. You can also
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
For other computer problems that do not have to do with library databases or your
Onyen, you may also contact ATN at 962-HELP, 24 hours a day, or
visit
http://help.unc.edu.
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Passwords
If you are a UNC instructor, student or staff accessing a UNC databse from off campus, you should come to a screen that prompts
you for your
Onyen or password, and once you enter this, you will be directed to the database you
are requesting.
If, instead of an Onyen prompt, you have reached a screen which prompts you to enter a password, this may be a special
resource, e.g.
RefWorks, which requires UNC users to register individually and set their own unique passwords.
On the other hand, if you are trying to access an
NC LIVE database and have reached a page
requesting your NC LIVE user name and password, please make sure you were trying to access the resource by starting from the Library
web page. Next, you may wish to check that your browser is configured to enable Java or Javascript and can accept cookies, both of
which are required to use databases from off campus. For example, you can do this from
Tools > Internet Options > Advanced in
Internet Explorer or
Tools > Options > Content in Mozilla Firefox.
If you have problems or questions, please contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151.
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Proxy
What is a proxy server?
A proxy server is a computer that receives and handles requests fromyour computer to access particular resources. The Library uses a
proxy server to confirm your ID and give you access to licensed database content only to UNC students, faculty members, and staff.
This allows the Libraries to honor our agreements with database companies by protecting the valuable content they provide to the UNC
community from illegal downloads and hackers. Private companies and employers sometimes use proxy servers to prevent employees from
accessing certain types of content or to monitor Internet usage.
If you think you are having issues with the proxy server, please
use this form to report a problem to the Library Systems Department or contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151. We will look into it immediately and will refer problems to the appropriate contact.
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Proxy prefix
The proxy prefix is used to construct a link to Library subscription resources for users who are off-campus. This is standard
practice at UNC-Chapel Hill and many other college campuses. Links may direct users to databases at the search screen, journal home
page, and article levels.
How do I make a URL using the proxy prefix?
- First, start with the prefix, http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=
- Second, identify a stable URL or DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for the article.
(Ask a librarian for help with this, if you cannot identify the stable URL. Unfortunately, there are not consistent link-naming practices across all scholarly databases.)
- Add the proxy prefix to the stable URL.
The final version will have two "http://"'s.
For example,
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=1388445268.
Don't want to type the links out? Use the Library's
URL Builder.
If you have questions about using the proxy prefix or link management, please feel free to contact
Chad Haefele, Assistant Electronic Reference Services Librarian, in
the
Davis Library Reference Department for more information at
chaefele@email.unc.edu.
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RefWorks
Off-campus and having difficulties with links in your RefWorks database?
Please visit our
RefWorks help page first to see if your question
is answered there. You can also contact the Davis Library Reference Department through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by phone at 919-962-1151.
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Research Help
Off-campus, on the road, in a foreign country? You can still receive research help from the UNC Libraries, and UNC faculty, students,
and staff also have access to most Library subscription databases regardless of location. Always begin your research by starting from
the Library web page. This will take you through our proxy server to authenticate for access to licensed resources with your
Onyen and password whenever necessary.
Our librarians are ready to help you through
IM,
online chat,
e-mail, or by
phone.
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Telnet/SSH
If you wish, you may access the Library Catalog via SSH, which is identical to, but more secure than
a telnet connection.
Telnet is an Internet protocol and program that allows a user to log into a remote computer. It was commonly used prior to the
invention of the first graphical Web browsers.
Using telnet is often helpful when the Library website experiences problems, or if you are working from a slower than average dial-up
connection in a remote location. The new catalog requires a SSH (secure shell) connection, which is possible by downloading a free
copy of the software program, PuTTY.
More details are available at
http://www.lib.unc.edu/spotlight/telnet.html.
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URL Builder
The
LinkGuide is a tool on the University Library website which helps instructors create stable links to Library
subscription databases at the database main search page, journal, or article level.
If you have questions about locating or creating a stable URL, please feel free to
ask a librarian.
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Visiting scholar access
Are you a visiting scholar who needs access to Library subscription resources at UNC-Chapel Hill? Please contact the Davis
Library Circulation Desk at 962-1053
[Hours] or the Health Sciences Library
Circulation Desk at 962-0800
[Hours], depending on your visitor affiliation.
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Wireless
If you need help setting up your computer for wireless access, you can access the document,
Connecting to the UNC Network - Step 3: Wireless Setup on
help.unc.edu. Please note that in order to gain access to the wireless network, you must first
register your wireless card. These are built into the latest CCI-model laptops.
Other documents that may be of interest:
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