Checklist: Access to e-books, e-journals and databases

Many information media are not freely available on the web. In order to use them, you need to purchase licences. Although the University Library has already licensed a large number of such offers, there are also a large number of information media to which you do not have access from the university network. You can obtain licence information via the traffic light system in the Electronic Journals Library (EZB). The database information system (DBIS) contains only licensed or freely accessible offers. If you have found the page of the e-journal, e-book or database by other means, e.g. via a full-text link or a search engine, you should check the licence information in these reference tools.Many information media are not freely available on the net. To use them, you need to take out licences for which a fee is charged. Although the University Library has already licensed a large number of such offers, there are also a large number of information media to which you do not have access from the university network. You can obtain licence information via the traffic light system in the Electronic Journals Library (EZB). The database information system (DBIS) contains only licensed or freely accessible offers. If you have found the page of the e-journal, e-book or database by another means, e.g. via a full-text link or a search engine, you should check the licence information in these verification tools.

The access authorisation to licensed e-books, e-journals and databases is usually controlled by the provider via a so-called IP check (control of the network address). For successful access, the computer must therefore be located in the university network of the Paderborn University.

Access from outside the university network is possible via VPN (Virtual Private Network) or the authentication system Shibboleth (DFN-AAI).

For some offers there are time restrictions or a password is required for access. Information on such access restrictions can be found under the icon 'i' in the short list of the Electronic Journals Library (EZB) and the entry pages of the offers in the Database Information System (DBIS).

If you access the internet via a proxy server or if your computer is located within the university network but behind a firewall, there may be problems with the IP check (checking the network address) by the provider. Some providers do not accept IP addresses assigned by proxy servers. In this case, you must set direct access to the network in your browser configuration. Certain settings on a firewall can also prevent access to a licensed database. Please contact your network administrator regarding the local settings. If you cannot access the database from your PC, the PCs in the library are available for research.

A few providers require mandatory acceptance of cookies. In this case, set your browser to accept cookies. If you are unable to make any settings on your browser, please contact your system administrator.

A few providers require JavaScript to be activated. Internet browsers with JavaScript disabled will be rejected. In this case, set your browser so that JavaScript is activated. If you are unable to make any settings on your browser, please contact your system administrator.

If you have problems opening PDF files, we recommend that you install the latest version of Adobe Reader (Adobe download page). In some cases it may be necessary to integrate the Adobe Reader as a plug-in in the browser. If you are unable to change the settings in your browser, please contact your system administrator.

Some providers open the PDF files in pop-up windows. If you have blocked pop-ups in your browser, you must deactivate this function to enable the PDF files to be opened.

If access to a licensed e-book, e-journal or database is not possible, please let us know by sending a message to erw@ub.uni-paderborn.de. We will try to solve the problem as soon as possible.