Troubleshooting Off-Campus Access

Having trouble accessing our online resources off-campus? Here are some common issues:

  • You must have an active faculty or staff appointment or be a currently enrolled student and have a valid UW ID to access online resources remotely. Alumni, continuing studies students, and Community Card may only use our online resources on campus.
  • Make sure you are attempting to access resources via links on the library website or by using the Remote Access Bookmarklet. These methods should be used even if you are on WiscVPN.
  • Some extensions and software, like third-party security tools, can interfere with the authentication process. You may need to completely deactivate the problem software, restart your workstation, and try accessing the library resources again.
  • Cookies may not be enabled on your browser. See our Cookies FAQ below.
  • A small subset of our resources cannot be used remotely. These resources will be labeled “On Campus Only” or “Memorial Library Only” on our website and catalog.
  • For common errors with the Remote Access Bookmarklet, click here.

Enabling Cookies FAQ

Cookies are small files used by web servers to save your browsing information, allowing websites to remember your device, preferences, and associated online activity. Almost all licensed library resources require cookies to be enabled.

For more information about cookies, see the Cookies FAQ from DoIT.

To clear your browser’s cookie file, follow the instructions for your browser on this DoIT page. You will be able to choose a time period for clearing your cache and cookies – make sure to choose the ‘All Time’ or ‘Everything’ option.

If you do not want to clear your cookies, or you are unable to do so, you can open a private or incognito window in your browser, as that will ignore both your cache, cookies, and any extensions active in your browser. You will need to re-authenticate with your NetID to access library licensed material within a private browsing window.