Database Access Problems: Common Problems & Solutions

Error message that says you are not found in the database or you're not in the Leeward user group

If you try to log in with your UH username and password but get this kind of error message, please contact the library Circulation Department at (808) 455-0210 or lcccirc@hawaii.edu to have your library account checked.

Error message that says "Secure Connection Failed" or "SSL Connection Error"

Try clearing your browser's cache, cookies, and browsing history. See more instructions

Error message that says something like, "This site can't provide a secure connection"

Try clearing your browser's cache, cookies, and browsing history. See more instructions

Error message that says "Forbidden" or says your connection attempt "timed out"

If you're not in Hawaiʻi, please see "You are outside of Hawaiʻi" below. Otherwise, your computer's IP address may have been blocked at the firewall due to suspicious network activity. Don't take it personally – Internet Service Providers often re-use and re-assign IP addresses, so the suspicious activity probably came from someone who had the address before you. Or maybe your computer has been hacked, and something is going on that you should be aware of. In any case, please visit www.myipaddress.com to find your IP address, and contact the Library Systems Office at Hamilton Library at assist@hawaii.edu or 808-956-7853 for assistance.

Bookmarking the database or article

Don't bookmark the database or article after you log in. That web address/connection is often created just for that particular session. It may not work if you try to use the same URL again later.

Problems linking to a particular article, e-book or video

Many databases offer a way to generate a permanent link (it may be called a stable link or share link) to a particular article or item record, but there may be problems with using the link off campus. See the Linking to Articles in Databases guide for more information.

Kapiʻolani CC's nursing students

Students who are in Kapiʻolani CC's nursing program, but are taking class on the Leeward CC campus, need to use Kapiʻolani CC Library's website for off-campus database access.

Another campus is your home campus

If you are taking a Leeward CC class, but another campus is your official "home campus", you need to use the library website of your home campus to access research databases from off-campus . If you need to access a specialized database for your class that is not available from your home campus, please contact our Circulation Department at lcccirc@hawaii.edu or (808) 455-0210 for assistance.

Late registration

If you registered during the late registration period, our records might not have been updated with your current status yet. This will usually get taken care of automatically within a few days, but you can also contact our Circulation Department at lcccirc@hawaii.edu or (808) 455-0210 for faster assistance..

You are outside of Hawaiʻi

For security reasons, many places outside of Hawaiʻi are blocked from UH library computer systems, which can cause problems for distance education students or travelers. To arrange for access to library databases from your location, please visit www.myipaddress.com to find your IP address, and contact the Library Systems Office at Hamilton Library at assist@hawaii.edu or 808-956-7853 for assistance.

Another option is to use the UH VPN service to establish a secure connection to the UH network before accessing databases. VPN can be tricky to set up on your computer, but it's easy to use. Other Hawaiʻi-based VPN servers should also work, as long as it makes your connection appear to originate in Hawaiʻi.

Community Borrower Card users

Holders of Community Borrower cards cannot access our restricted-access databases, due to the terms of our contracts with our database vendors.

Searching on your laptop on campus, then resuming your session after leaving campus

If you connect to a database on campus, then suspend your laptop and try to resume your session after leaving campus, the database will stop recognizing you as an authorized user. You'll need to go back to the library website and click on the database link to start a new session. Tip: To continue your research over different sessions in EBSCOhost, you can create a user account within their system that will let you save your preferences, search history, and lists of articles.

NYTimes.com – Can no longer access articles, or have a limited number of articles available

The NYTimes.com Pass is good for one year at a time (for faculty and staff) or until your anticipated graduation date (for students). If you are still a current student, staff, or faculty member, go the NYTimes activation website to renew your account.

MyUH Portal

If you are using the MyUH portal to get to the library's website, some features and databases might not work. Use this link to open a direct connection to the library's website, or manually enter the address http://library.leeward.hawaii.edu into your browser.

If you have a UH login, you can use the university's VPN (Virtual Private Network) service, which allows you establish a secure connection to the UH network. The VPN might get around network problems that block you from accessing our databases. The kind of situations where the VPN might be useful include 1) being outside of Hawaiʻi, and 2) using a network behind a firewall or router that restricts some types of outbound connections.

Login with your UH username to view setup instructions for the UH VPN.

It can be tricky and tedious to set up on your computer, because the procedure varies for different computers and devices, and you may have to install software. But once set up, VPN is easy to use. For assistance, contact the ITS Help Desk at 808-956-8883 or toll-free from the neighbor islands at 800-558-2669, or by email at help@hawaii.edu.

If none of the situations listed above describe or solve your problem, please let us know so we can try to fix it. Fill out the form below, or contact us at LCCREF@HAWAII.EDU or 808-455-0379.

Screen images of error messages can be very helpful to us in diagnosing your problem. E-mail them to LCCREF@HAWAII.EDU.

• Windows: Press the PrtScn key, then paste into a Word or WordPad document, or save it with a graphics program.
• Mac: Press Command-Shift-3, and attach the resulting file.