The terms of the library’s subscriptions to our research databases and online publications require us to limit off-campus access to only current students, staff and faculty. To provide off-campus access to these resources, we use a system called a proxy server, located in Hamilton Library at UH-Mānoa. This system is (mostly) automatically updated from UH student and employee information systems, and it allows our patrons to log in using the same UH username and password used for other university online services.

Occasionally, someone will experience difficulty connecting to a database or online resource. There are various causes for these difficulties. But several are more common than others.

Problem: You Enter Your UH Username & Password, but You Can’t Access the Online Resource

Who is affected: Students enrolled in a course with a non-standard term sometimes end up with their library records not updated as they should be. We also find that students taking classes on multiple campuses might have a problem with their records. This can also happen with late registration, although this usually gets fixed automatically within a few days. Symptoms: When these students try to log in to a database, they might get an error message that says “No UH ID Number found”. Or they might first see a message that says “UH Login Successful”, but then see a “Sorry, this resource is restricted to…” message. Solution: The Leeward CC Library’s Circulation Department at 455-0210 or lcccirc@hawaii.edu can address these problems.

Problem: You Can’t Enter Your UH Username

Who is affected: Students located outside of Hawaiʻi, and also users of some mobile hotspots. Due to ongoing network security threats, the firewall at Hamilton Library blocks connections from outside of Hawaiʻi unless a specific exception is made. Symptoms: When an affected person clicks on a database link, the login screen does not load. An “lccproxy.lib.hawaii.edu” address will be in the browser’s address bar. After a while, a message may appear that says something like “the site can’t be reached” or “the site did not respond”.  Another symptom is that the website http://assist.hawaii.edu (which is behind the same firewall) will be similarly unreachable. Solution: Find the IP address of the affected computer by visiting http://myipaddress.com from that computer, and contact the Systems Office at Hamilton Library at 956-7853 or assist@hawaii.edu for assistance. Be advised that due to reduced staff presence in the office, they might not be able create the firewall exception on the same day you report it.

Another option is to use a VPN connection to Mānoa campus. This might be useful if:

• You cannot wait for the firewall exception to be created
• The firewall exception doesn’t work
• You are traveling, or moving between different networks

Setting up VPN is a little tedious, but once installed, it’s easy to use. Other Hawaiʻi-based VPN servers should also work, as long as it makes your connection appear to originate in Hawaiʻi.

For more information about database access problems, see our troubleshooting guide.

For information about creating links to online articles, e-books, and videos that work on or off campus, see our Linking to Articles in Databases guide.