Ask Us!

As long as you are a current student, staff member, or faculty member, you should be able to access the online databases. The answer to the question depends on many things, including the type of browser you are using and the settings on them. Please read on:

One frequently asked question is: I've logged in, but can't connect to the database.

The database may be down. Please report it to the Library Ask Us, and send an e-mail to Ayanna Boben asb20@stmary-ca.edu. Screenshots are helpful!

Other important suggestions:

1. Firewalls: If you are trying to connect from work, there may be a firewall or other security preventing access. Please contact the system administrator of your workplace to see if this is so. You can also ask if he/she can open Port 2048 for you.
2. Browser settings:

• It is important to clear history/caches on your computer 
• 'Cookies' must be enabled 
• Popups must be allowed

To change browser settings:

Firefox

1. Select Tools, then Options, then Privacy. Here you can clear your cache, or look at the cookies that are in your browser and remove them if necessary.

Chrome

1. Select the 'hamburger' symbol to the far right of the browser window and select History in the drop down menu.  From here you can clear the browsing data of your computer.  From this same window you can choose Settings at the left of the screen to see security or privacy settings.  (You can do a search on the page to find these quickly).

Safari

1. Choose the Safari heading, allow popups. Also select Preferences, then Security to indicate the security level for cookies. (An excellent choice is "only from sites you navigate to"). Go back to Preferences to clear the history.

Internet Explorer

1. Select Tool icon from the far left of the screen, then Internet Options. Select Privacy to control pop-ups and set cookies by moving the sliding bar up and down. The General tab allows the history or cache clearance.

More on Browser Settings

Try a different browser if you still can't connect. Certain browsers do not connect well with specific databases, or there may be a problem with the browser bundled with your Internet Service Provider. You should have more than one browser on your computer, or you can update an older version of a browser. All databases work well with Firefox.

1. Firefox
2. Chrome
3. Safari (for Mac users only)
4. Internet Explorer
    

How can I email full text articles from the databases?

1.  If there is no option in the database to email the article, download the pdf, then use your web-based email to send the pdf as an attachment to yourself.
2. If there is only html full text, use the File menu on your browser, select Edit/Select All, then Copy and Paste the full text into your web-based email message and send it to yourself.
3. Redo your search in the various databases from home. Use the database from the Library's home page in the Databases section. Once you log in to the database using your SMC username and password, you will be able to do your search and print or download to your computer the articles you want.

If you have a link to an article that you want to access from off campus:

• Put this OpenAthens authentication leader in front of the article's persistent link: 
  https://go.openathens.net/redirector/stmarys-ca.edu?url= So your link looks like: 
  https://go.openathens.net/redirector/stmarys-ca.edu?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/... Clicking on the link should prompt our authentication page. Once you login, the article should open.
• Persistent Link Exceptions: There are some database links that do not need the OpenAthens leader, as their permalinks are already equipped with OpenAthens authentication. These database platforms include: Cengage/GALE, Kanopy, Browzine, and ProQuest. Create a bookmark with the permalinks these databases provide to access their content.

If you have a DOI: Digital Object Identifier or PubMed ID:

• Search on the Journals Finder page in the DOI search box
• Alternatively, prepend the OpenAthens leader in front of the DOI expressed as a URL.
• https://go.openathens.net/redirector/stmarys-ca.edu?url=http://doi.org/[whatever the DOI is] for example: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/stmarys-ca.edu?url=http://doi.org/10.1177/0896920...

More information on accessing database content with OpenAthens: 

• To access e-resource content off campus with persistent links and DOIs, you can utilize the OpenAthens Link Generator. Select Saint Mary’s College of California from the organization field. Paste your persistent link or DOI into the link field. The generator will populate your “athenized” link. If you have already logged in, clicking on the link should directly open the article. If you have not yet logged in, clicking on the link should prompt our OpenAthens authentication page via SMC's SSO. Once you login, the article should open.

OpenAthens Publisher Website Institutional Login: 

• If you are attempting to access content directly on publisher websites, you can use the institutional login to view SMC's licensed resources. Click the institutional login link at the top of the publisher's webpage. Type Saint (or St.) Mary’s (make sure to include the ‘s) College of California into the institution field. Select our college from the institutional list. This will prompt you to log in with your SMC credentials. Once logged in, your authenticated user session will allow you to browse our licensed content. Please note that this sign-in method is available for selective publisher sites.