General Issues

Only current faculty, staff, and students may access library resources from off-campus through MyVU or from your instructor's Blackboard course site. Do not use the library link found on the MyVU logon page. That link is for on-campus access only.

To access the library site within MyVU, faculty, staff, and students must log on to their MyVU account at http:/myvu.vinu.edu and then use their user name and password to login. After logging in to your account, click the link to VU Libraries under the VU Links menu found on the left side of the page.

If you are a student and do not know your MyVU user name or password, please contact the Registrar's Office at 812-888-4220 or at records@vinu.edu to obtain that information. If you are a faculty or staff employee and do not know your user name or password, please contact the Management Information Center at 812-888-4332 or at MIC@vinu.edu to obtain that information.

Common Browser Issues
 
Some databases may be incompatible with some browsers; therefore, use a current version of Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or Mozilla Firefox to conduct your research. To download the most current version of the following browsers, click on one of the links below.

  Microsoft Internet Explorer
  Netscape
  Mozilla Firefox
 
Users of AOL, CompuServe, and other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that supply browsers should not use the browser that came with their Internet service. Instead, use a current version of one of the browsers mentioned in the above statement.
 
Check to see if your Internet connection is working by visiting a few different websites, or click the refresh or reload button on your toolbar. If you get an error page, then your connection to the Internet may be temporarily down.

If you receive a 404 not found message when you attempt to access a database, this most likely means the database server is down, and you should attempt to access the database at a later time.

Delete Your Browser's Cache Files

The cache in a web browser holds copies of the pages you have visited. When you revisit a website, if your browser still has the page in its cache, it will load the information from the cache first before checking the website, in order to save time. This old information can cause problems with authentication. To clear your browser’s cache files, follow the directions below.

If you are using Internet Explorer 6, go to the Tools menu and click on Internet options. Click the button that says Delete Files. Put a check mark in the box that says, "Delete all offline content" and then click OK.

If you are using Netscape Navigator 7, go to the Edit menu and click on Preferences. On the left hand side of the window, double click on Advanced. Next, click on Cache. Click the button that says "Clear Memory Cache," and then the button that says, "Clear Disk Cache" and then click OK.

If you are using Mozilla Firefox 1.5, go to the Tools menu and click on Options. On the left hand side of the window, click on Privacy. Look for the tab that says "Cache," and then click the button in bottom right hand corner that says, "Clear Cache Now and then click OK.

Set Your Browser So That It Accepts Cookies

Please remember to change your cookie settings back to the original settings when you are finished using library databases so the security of your browser will remain unchanged.

If you are using Internet Explorer 6, go to the Tools menu and click on Internet options. Choose the third tab over which says Privacy. Drag the slider down to Accept All Cookies.

If you are using Netscape 7, then go to the Edit menu and click on Preferences. On the left hand side of the window, double click on Privacy & Security. Next, click on Cookies. Make sure that either "Allow cookies based on privacy settings" or "Allow all cookies" is checked and then click OK.

If you are using Mozilla Firefox 1.5, go to the Tools menu and click on Options. On the left hand side of the window, click on Privacy. Click on the plus sign next to the word "Cookies" and make sure that there is a check mark in the box labeled "Enable cookies" and that "Accept cookies normally" is selected and then click OK.

Security/Firewall Issues

Software programs such as Norton Internet Security, Norton Personal Firewall, Norton Antivirus, McAfee Firewall, Windows Firewall, etc. may interfere with the authentication procedure the VU library uses to provide access to off-campus users.

If you are attempting to access VU library resources from work, contact the network administrator at your company to help you with this issue. If you are trying to gain access from home, then you may need to modify your security/firewall settings while accessing the databases. Be sure to reset your security/firewall settings when finished accessing the library’s databases. Consult the manual for the software you are using, or contact the software's technical support staff.
 
The solution is to adjust the settings to your security/firewall software program, especially privacy settings. For example, Norton Internet Security has a setting called Browser Privacy. Enabling Browser Privacy or other privacy settings may impede access to one, some or all of the library’s databases. Below are external websites providing information on how to obtain technical support for the software products below.

Norton (Symantec Corp.)
McAfee
Windows Firewall (Microsoft)

You also want to check to see if your security/firewall software is set to block cookies. Remember, to access the library databases, cookies must be enabled in both the browser you are using as well as the security/firewall software installed on your computer.
 
Passwords for INSPIRE

The databases available through INSPIRE are paid for by the State of Indiana and are available only to Indiana residents. Thus, people living outside of Indiana will not have access to these resources.
 
If you are a resident of Indiana but use a regional or national Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as AOL, CompuServe, Charter, etc., then you will be required to apply for an INSPIRE password. Information on how to obtain an INSPIRE password is found by clicking here.
 
If you reside in another state, your state may have a statewide virtual library similar to Indiana's INSPIRE. To see if your state has a statewide virtual library for its residents, please click here.

Contact Information

If you are still having problems, please contact a VU librarian at libref at vinu.edu or call the library at 812.888.4165. Please be prepared to give the librarian the following information:

• Internet Service Provider or ISP (i.e. Charter, AOL, Vincennes Online, etc.)
• Browser type and version
• Security/firewall software installed on your computer
• When you encountered your access problem
• What resource you were attempting to access
• Can you access other library database resources within MyVU or Blackboard?

Disclaimer: These instructions are provided as a guide, and VU Libraries and Vincennes University are in no way responsible for any changes you make to your system.