Online Access FAQ

Many library resources are licensed from vendors that limit access to UC faculty, staff, and students.

Access to licensed library resources requires authentication by logging in with your UC username + password and Duo Two Factor Authorization.

Contact IT@UC if you are having problems with your UC username and/or password.

• Phone: (513) 556-HELP (4357)
• Toll Free: (866) 397-3382
  

In many instances, Duo Two Factor Authentication is required to access licensed library resources. Contact IT@UC to get assistance with Duo.

• Phone: (513) 556-HELP (4357)
• Toll Free: (866) 397-3382

Affiliate and Guest users, please visit the Affiliate and Guest Access page for login information.

UC Health Affiliates: You must renew your access to library resource yearly! For more information, including how to renew, please visit our UC Health guide. 

Library Question? Visit our Contact Us page.

You will be automatically logged out of the library’s authentication server after 2 hours of inactivity.

To keep a session active, you must:

• Conduct all your research within the same browser you used to log in. You can use multiple tabs in the same browser.
• If you are working from bookmarks or favorites, make sure they are properly authenticated. More information on this is available in the Authentication/Proxy Link Troubleshooting FAQs.
• Do not type URLs directly into the address bar, instead navigate to resources from the library website or an authenticated link.

UC Libraries recently updated their authentication server which requires all links to library resources to be updated. For more information on troubleshooting these issues, go to the Authentication/Proxy Link Troubleshooting FAQs.

UC Libraries may not have access to the desired item. To double check if the library has access use the following links to search for your item:

If UC Libraries does not provide access to the item that you need, please request the item through:

If you need additional help, please contact your library.

Some resources may require a personal account and login on their site. Therefore, first-time users may need to setup a personal account before being able to access an item. Resources from UC Libraries that require a personal login include:

• Artstor
• ClinicalKey
• Google Scholar
• LibKey Nomad
• RefWorks
• SciFinder

If you are having problems with accessing library resources, here are some suggestions:

• Try a different browser or update your existing browser
  • Some resources may work differently with different browsers and some errors can be resolved by trying another browser or ensuring that your current browser is up to date. Many resources require Mozilla Firefox to use.
• Delete history, cookies, and cache
  • Clearing the search history, cookies, and cache stored in your web browser can resolve some problems and often allow browsers to work more efficiently.
  • Your browser must accept cookies to allow for the library’s authentication server, EZproxy, to monitor your authentication status. The EZproxy cookie is not used to track your use. This cookie will disappear when you exit your browser. If you share a computer, be sure to always close or exit your browser after you are finished researching.
• Disable pop-up blockers
  • Some e-resources require the use of pop-ups for content delivery.  Be sure the browser allows pop-ups generally, or from a specific vendor.

The proxy server is like a parking pass to enter a parking garage. Those with a parking pass can enter as they have already paid, while someone without a parking pass will be asked to pay per use of the garage. Similarly, the proxy server gives members of the UC community access to library resources because UC Libraries have already paid on your behalf. You will most likely never see a paywall. Those who are not in the UC community will be faced with a paywall. 

It’s also referred to as “the proxy” or “off campus access.”

UC Libraries has moved to a new proxy/authentication server which requires existing links to be updated to maintain consistent access. Previous links will no longer work after December 31, 2021. All links, including bookmarks, links in Canvas, on websites, etc., to these resources will need to be updated in order to maintain consistent access. 

Old links look like some variation of these links (bolded to show differences): 

http://uclid.uc.edu.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/record=b7845410~S39

OR

http://proxy.libraries.uc.edu/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com/book/chamblc

New links will look like some variation of these links:

https://uclid.uc.edu.uc.idm.oclc.org/record=b7845410~S39

OR

https://uc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com/book/chamblc

If the word “proxy” is present in the link at all, your link will no longer work after December 31, 2021, and will need to be updated.

If “oclc” is in the URL, that is likely a new link and does not need to be updated. 

Use the Proxy Converter Tool or get the resource's new URL. More information on these options are in the Authentication/Proxy Link Tools FAQs. 

In some cases, the vendor may not have updated information on their end. Please submit an error report so we can contact the vendor.

Additionally you may reach out to your library for further guidance.

The only Canvas content that will be impacted are links containing the old proxy information, such as articles linked for reading assignments. Any other content in your courses, such as files, pages, documents, PDFs, or discussion boards will be unaffected, unless you have library links in them. If you have embedded content via the LTI, that content will automatically update.

The link validation tool in Canvas will quickly identify any broken proxy links.

To use this tool:

1. Navigate to the course you’d like to check links 
2. In the Course Menu, click Settings
3. On the right-hand side of the Settings page, click the Validate Links in Content link
4. Click the Start Link Validation button. Depending on the size of the course, this may take awhile
5. From the report, you can see if any links are broken and jump to the course page to fix them.
6. Refer to the FAQs for help addressing broken links

No, only links from third party vendor library resources need to be updated. This can include journals, ebooks, articles, databases and streaming resources. They will need to be updated regardless of how they are accessed (e.g. Canvas, websites, bookmarks, PDFs, etc.).

If the resource is free, or the library does not pay for it, the link does not require the proxy tool to access and will not need to be updated.

No. After August 10^th, you will need your UC credentials (username and password and Duo Two Factor Authorization) to access licensed library resources whether on campus or off campus. We recommend checking bookmarks or favorites (on browsers, mobile devices, etc.) to ensure they are up to date.

Use the Proxy Converter tool and these steps to turn an old, authenticated link and convert it to a new link.

1. Look for the word “proxy” in the URL
   • e.g. http://uclid.uc.edu.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/record=b7845410~S39 
2. If link contains “proxy,” use the Proxy Converter to create a new link 
3. Copy the new link and use it to replace the former link 
4. Check the new link to make sure it opens the library resource 
5. If you encounter an error, please refer to other FAQs for possible solutions or submit an error

Use these steps to get a resource's new URL with the correct authentication.

1. Look for the word proxy in the URL
   1. e.g. http://uclid.uc.edu.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/record=b7845410~S39 
2. If your link contains “proxy,” navigate to the UC Library website and search the appropriate database or catalog for your item 
3. Find the permalink. (Information on finding permalinks is available on the Libraries in Canvas Guide) 
4. If the permalink has “oclc” in it, proceed to Step 7
   1. e.g. https://uclid.uc.edu.uc.idm.oclc.org/record=b7845410~S39 
5. If the permalink does not have “oclc” or "proxy" in it, use the Proxy Generator to create a new link and proceed to Step 7 
6. If the permalink still has the word “proxy” in it, see the Using the Proxy Converter tool instructions and please report the database
7. Copy the new link and use it to replace the former link 
8. Check the new link to make sure it opens the library resource 
9. If you encounter an error, please refer to other FAQs for possible solutions or submit an error report

If you need to create an authenticated link to a library resource, use the Proxy Generator tool.

Client VPN

• UC’s Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client utilizes split VPN tunneling to conserve UC bandwidth
• Library resources cannot be authenticated via the VPN; login to library resources via the library website to authenticate and access library resources
• IT@UC VPN Knowledge Base Article

ClinicalKey access requires some extra steps for access.

It is recommended to set up a personal account using your UC email address. 

1. Set up at the UC Virtual Desktop website
2. Then go to the ClinicalKey website to set up a personal account.
3. Visit the ClinicalKey personal account instructions page for more information  
4. Once the personal account is set up and the user is logged in, select the option to remain logged in

If you are still experiencing problems with ClinicalKey, please contact the Health Sciences Library.

Link to available full-text articles with one click by downloading the libraries newly-subscribed browser extension, LibKey Nomad. You will be prompted to log in with your UC username and password as needed.

• Download Nomad at the LibKey Nomad website.  (Available for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi and Brave browsers)
• After download, enter University of Cincinnati as your institution.  More details: on the LibKey Nomad website help pages.

Do you use Google Scholar to search for scholarly publications?  Many UC-subscribed full-text journal articles and other resources are available to you at no charge. Follow these steps to configure Google Scholar so that links to UC full-text access appear in search results:

1. Go to Google Scholar
2. Sign in to your account (or create one if needed)
3. Click on the icon in the upper left-hand corner and select “Settings”
4. Click on “Library Links”
5. In “Show library access links for (choose up to five libraries)” type University of Cincinnati and click the search icon
6. Check the box next to “The University of Cincinnati – Find Full-Text at UC” and click “Save”

*Note: not all articles found through Google Scholar will be available at University of Cincinnati Libraries.

For more comprehensive coverage of library resources use the search options at the UC Libraries website.

For complex or in-depth searching of scholarly content, we recommend that you use individual databases in your subject or discipline.