Hello all,

In anticipation of covering Electronic Resources troubleshooting through Virtual Reference, I wanted to double-check how to best troubleshoot password problems. I was particularly interested in how to tell when an account or password is required. I was wondering if there was a list that we could consult when troubleshooting, which would list all the resources that required a password/account. Here is what Elizabeth had to say:

The best way to find out if an account is required is to test the access, starting from the referring URL or from One Stop Search.

When there is a technical problem with our subscription, I'd expect to see a message along the following lines:

* Your institution does not have access to this resource (followed by a login and password option)

* Your access to this resource has expired (followed by a login and password option)

* A membership is required to view this resource (followed by a login and password option) - this would be a technical problem if a login and password was not provided.

We do not have a list of resources that require the creation of a personal account or the use of a general username and password. Honestly, I think it would take longer to consult a list than to test the access.

I have created an "Electronic Resource Tips" page in the VR section of staff.lib (http://staff.lib.umanitoba.ca/node/6175) and have added this content to it. If anyone wants to add tips as the learn new things, I (and I am sure others) would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Deborah Barnum Library Assistant E.K. Williams Law Library Ph.: 204-474-6712 Email: Deborah.barnum@umanitoba.ca Interlibrary Loan and Reference 401 Robson Hall, 224 Dysart Rd. University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3T 2N2