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Student Guide to Library & Archives Services


Questions? Contact libref@holycross.edu  or call 508-793-2642

General Tips & Troubleshooting

GENERAL TIPS: 

Anything that you can access at Holy Cross, you can access from home! Here are some things you should know about how this works: 

  • When accessing JOURNALS OR DATABASES (like JSTOR), it is important that you go through the links on the library’s website. If you go to www.jstor.com while working off-campus, JSTOR will not recognize you as a Holy Cross subscriber. Using the links on the library’s website will ensure that you are properly recognized and logged in. 
     

  • When working off-campus, any link to a library resource should begin with the PROXY PREFIX: https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=. This is what prompts the database to show you the CAS login screen and verify that you are a Holy Cross user. If you have a link that does not begin with this prefix, you can often fix the link yourself by copy-pasting this prefix on the front of the link. Note that the links auto-generated by many databases do not include this prefix by default; you will have to add it manually. 
     

  • When SAVING LINKS for later access, make sure that you are using a permalink generated by the database or search tool. We would caution you against simply leaving tabs open, bookmarking, or copying the link from your address bar. These links often have code in them related to whatever search you have been doing and/or when you were searching, which will expire, causing the link to break.

     Instructions for finding and using permalinks

TROUBLESHOOTING: 

Here are some of the most common problems that you may encounter when accessing links from off-campus, and what they mean.

In general, many technical problems can be solved by clearing your browser cache. 
 

ARE YOU HITTING A STRANGE LOGIN? 

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When accessing items from off-campus, the only log-in screen that you should ever see is the Google login screen, which uses your Holy Cross Google username/password (i.e., what you use for your email). 

Some users are encountering an EBSCO or OCLC login. If these appear, it usually means that there is something wrong with the link that you are using. Check that the link has the proxy prefix (more information below) and does not have any extra punctuation (i.e., a period at the end of some links will prevent them from working). If you are still hitting the OCLC or EBSCO login, please get in touch! You will not be able to login to the OCLC or EBSCO login screens. 

IS YOUR PROXY PREFIX MISSING? 

When working off-campus, any link to a library resource should begin with:

https://holycross.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=cas&url=.

This is what prompts the database to show you the CAS login screen and verify that you are a Holy Cross user. If you have a link that does not begin with this prefix, you can often fix the link yourself by copy-pasting this prefix on the front of the link. 

If that doesn't work, please get in touch with us (chat or libref@holycross.edu) and we'll be happy to get you the correct link. 

Note that the links auto-generated by many databases (ProQuest among them) do not include this prefix by default; you will have to add it manually. 

ARE YOU STILL LOGGED IN?  

In library databases or journal pages, if you are properly logged-in, you should see a message with wording similar to “Access provided by College of the Holy Cross,” usually near the top of the page. If you see a message prompting you to log-in to your library’s subscription, are asked to pay for access to articles -- or, in CrossSearch, if you see a yellow bar at the top welcoming you as a Guest -- you may need to log-in again. You can do this by starting a new CrossSearch search, or by opening a database from the library website. Then, refresh the tabs you have open and your log-in and access should be renewed. 


If you are experiencing technical problems, please reach out to us! Not only do we want to fix your access as soon as possible, but you may have encountered a problem that will affect others, too! 

The best way to contact us for tech problems is to e-mail Helpdesk-request@holycross.edu, and mention that it is a library related issue. If you can, CC libref@holycross.edu, which will help us respond to you more quickly!  You can also use the library chat if you need a more immediate response. 

Browser Extensions

BROWSER EXTENSIONS & ADD-ONS: 

There are browser add-ons that you can install to help you find access to articles while you are browsing the web. Here are a few we suggest: 

Please note that the following plugins are developed and maintained by third-party groups and your use of them is governed by their terms of service. The Libraries have no control over and limited ability to troubleshoot these resources:

Google Scholar Settings

GOOGLE SCHOLAR SETTINGS: 

While on campus, Google Scholar will recognize that you are at Holy Cross and connect you to articles accordingly. To make this happen while using Google Scholar at home, you need to update your Scholar Settings.  See the document linked below for detailed instructions with screenshots. 

 Instructions for customizing your Google Scholar settings

In brief: 

1. Go to Settings > Library links

2. Type College of the Holy Cross into the search box

3. Check College of the Holy Cross - Full Text Finder Results.

This will trigger HC links to display on the right side of your results page.