- Have questions or need more help with the issues below? Contact us here
RefWorks & Illumina: Maintenance this Weekend
Posted on March 5, 2009 @1:11 pm by irobb
To quote:
“We need to upgrade the operating system on our central storage array this weekend. The work is scheduled to begin at 10pm on Sunday March 8 and end by 1pm on Monday March 9. Because so many Scholars Portal services make use of the storage array, we need to schedule downtime for the following services during this maintenance period:
RefWorks
Illumina”
We assume these times are EDT (eastern daylight savings time) rather than PDT.
No CommentsMyiLibrary & UBC Wireless: *Reminder*
Posted on March 3, 2009 @2:50 pm by irobb
For wireless / laptop users, MyiLibrary will ask for a login and password if you try to link to a title from the OPAC, unless you connect via VPN. To avoid this, you need to connect to VPN after you log onto the UBC wireless network but before clicking the link from the OPAC record. See VPN (Virtual Private Network) for steps in setting up the VPN connection.
No CommentsContemporary Women’s Issues: No Access *UPDATE*
Posted on March 2, 2009 @5:30 pm by irobb
CWI is back in action.
Previously…
Contemporary Women’s Issues database (from Gale / RDS) does not recognize us. I have contacted Gale. Stay tuned.
Google Scholar & eLink: .ca VS .com *UPDATE*
Posted on March 2, 2009 @11:51 am by irobb
A plugin called LibX seems to play a roll in the way eLink buttons are displayed. Ed from Systems reports Google is also going to run an update (soon?). So, keep watching for an improvement on this front.
Previously…
We are not sure why (we are investigating) but the eLinks show up better in Firefox using http://scholar.google.com than http://scholar.google.ca . And links are not showing up as often as they should in Internet Explorer. So, if you can, for now use Firefox and go to the .com site for Google Scholar.
No CommentsAmerican Geophysical Union: Website Down*UPDATE*
Posted on February 26, 2009 @12:01 pm by irobb
www.agu.org and all its web pages are back.
Previously…
The wheel-o-death, she spins and spins. All American Geophysical Union ( www.agu.org ) journal sites are down. Stay tuned for their return.
Guest Stations in Branches: Databases “…don’t look right”*UPDATE*
Posted on February 17, 2009 @10:21 am by irobb
Turns out some adjustments are possible. Health Reference Center and the Alexander Street Press sites should be displaying correctly on the Guest Machines now.
Previously…
A patron on a “Guest” work station in a branch complains that something is wrong with the Gale database they are looking at. You look and see boxes and red “X”s where images should be. And where’s the “Send” button to email an article? But everything seems OK on a log-in machine. What’s going on? Guest stations are only allowed limited access to resources and the internet. Some Gale databases are self-contained, and display fine. Others (Health Reference Center, British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries, Canadian Periodical Index, etc.) have links to images and other elements of their display. These links are blocked on Guest machines. Patrons wishing to have full access to resources as well as all the components of a resource to which UBC subscribes, must work from a log-in machine.
DocDels & InterLibray Loans: *UPDATE*
Posted on February 9, 2009 @10:54 am by irobb
They’re back!
Previously…
According to David Winter:
“Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan ordering is not available at the moment due to a server problem in Ottawa. We are waiting to hear from Ottawa as to how long we will be down.”
EZproxy Changes: New Server/New Login Screen
Posted on February 6, 2009 @12:59 pm by irobb
As you have probably noticed, EZproxy has had a shake up. You may have become aware of the changes after you hit a “Click Here” for passwords or authentication and received an error message. Or a database became temporarily unavailable. Or you were surprised (and frustrated) by the new green & gold “EZproxy Login” page.
Apologies.
The EZproxy had to be moved to a new server. Some of the background for the reasons behind the move can be found in Rue’s RSVPN email [or see post below]. We had hoped the changes would be mostly behind the scenes (other than the new login page), obviously there were some angles we didn’t take into account. We are patching things as we go. Please email us with any problems you encounter.
Changes you will notice with the new EZproxy server? Obviously the login page. Barcode and PIN as before, but with room for CWL to be added later. Room, also, for more information, unlike the previous pop-up window. For those who set up password or authentication “Click Here”s, a new URL [contact eResources for details]. Some personal bookmarks may need to be changed. Also, see this *IMPORTANT* note about Barcode/PIN authentication:
“The patron barcode/PIN information in the authentication server is now being updated every 30 minutes. Once a patron’s PIN has been modified, it will be available to EZproxy within 30 minutes. To avoid confusion, please ensure that your patrons are informed of this delay after you have changed their PINs.” — Joerg Messer (Programmer/Analyst, Systems)
So, for at most 30 minutes after a patron changes their PIN it may work for their account, but not for the EZproxy. Other than that, patrons should find resources as accessible as before. Again, ANY eResource problems that pop up, please email us at lib-ejhelp@interchange.ubc.ca
No CommentsRSVPN: *The Official Word*
Posted on February 6, 2009 @12:06 pm by irobb
We have been fielding many RSVPN (one of two off-campus, CWL-authenticated connections to the Library’s eResources) emails at lib-ejhelp. You’ve been frustrated by RSVPN’s unstable performance (or non-performance). So have we. Here is the official word on the RSVPN state of affairs. Hope this helps to clarify things. And please, do continue to email us at lib-ejhelp@interchange.ubc.ca with WHATEVER eResource problems you encounter.
[The following is taken from the lib-all email Rue sent on 06Feb2009]
Over the past two months or so, we’ve been experiencing a series of acute and transient yet persistent problems with the RSVPN service, one of several remote access methods to our electronic resources. Because this affects our users, I wanted to provide you with some background on where we are with remote access to our online resources.
Methods of access to library electronic resources:
*Direct access via IP – service provided in conjunction with campus networking, UBC ITS
*Remote access via VPN (requires CWL) – service provided in conjunction with campus networking, UBC ITS
*Remote access via RSVPN (requires CWL) – service provided in conjunction with campus networking, UBC ITS
*Remote access via library proxy server (requires library barcode/pin and browser configuration) – service provided by Library IT
In most cases, access to our resources is controlled by IP address, the network address of the computer you’re using. For UBC networked computers, we utilize a range of known addresses that we share with our vendors to facilitate access and access is easy and fast for on-campus users. For remote users, or persons who are not on the UBC network, a number of possible access points have been developed, all of which have issues of their own. In the case of the health facilities, we have two specific problems – many users are on health authority networks which are separately maintained and configured and many users do not have the ability to obtain a UBC campus wide login account (CWL). Using the library’s proxy isn’t always a solution because many users work on locked down computers and can’t make the necessary configuration changes.
As the list above implies, the Library is part of the connection path that includes the campus network, campus ID management, and campus IT support. In the case of RSVPN, we have been relying on UBC ITS for the back-end hardware to support the service. Unfortunately, they’ve had a series of issues on their end, including dealing with hardware replacements, at a time that they are undergoing a top to bottom review and reorganization of services and priorities.
The good news is that they are making progress on several fronts, including moving ahead with updating the RSVPN service. The bad news is that such a large project will take months to complete. Their target date for full implementation is late summer. However, the Library will be an early adopter and tester and we’re hopeful to see improvements as soon as possible. UBC ITS also is making headway on improved identity management, which will provide users with easier and more secure authentication methods. The Library is also working with UBC ITS and the health authority IT departments to define a problem notification and escalation process for RSVPN.
Additionally, the library is moving to consolidate its proxy services under EZproxy, which will provide easier use (no browser configuration changes needed) and additional support options in that area. We are also in the final stages of hiring a new Systems Librarian with the working title of E-Access Librarian, who will be tasked with coordinating all aspects of electronic access to our resources, including remote access. One of the first jobs for this new hire will be to work with our various access methods and improve the service and information provided to our users.
We don’t like to see any of our users having access problems to our resources and we take any problems very seriously. Remember to report any access problems that might be subscription or resource related to lib-ejhelp@interchange.ubc.ca and any problems that might be technical or network related to the Library Help Desk, library.systems@ubc.ca. It’s sometimes hard to diagnose a problem, so don’t worry too much about where to send the problem. The two desks do coordinate on problem solving.
————————————————————
Renulfo (Rue) Ramirez
Associate University Librarian, Library Systems & Information Technology / Technical Services
University of British Columbia
rue.ramirez@ubc.ca
Journal Info: *New Tool*
Posted on February 6, 2009 @11:28 am by irobb
Ever wonder what a journal’s FRIDA level might be? What its ISI impact factor is? If there are “Open Access” alternatives to your favourite journals? Wonder no more! Journal Info reveals all this and more. Type in a journal title or Browse by Subject. Check it out.
“This service is provided by Lund University Libraries, Head Office with support from the National Library of Sweden”– says the site.
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