Library:EResources&Access Documentation Public Desk Triage

Public Desk Triage: Suggested General Guidelines

These are suggested general guidelines for staff on "front-line" public service desks who are contacted (either in person or over the phone) by patrons with eResource /online resource problems. Consult supervisors for specific guidelines.

Remember: You are not expected to solve all access problems, just assist the patron through the process.

Important eResource Troubleshooting tips

All UBC eResources, both on and off campus, require access through logging into OpenAthens (except some very rare exceptions that still use EZProxy). Open Athens Documentation. Users can test their OpenAthens login works by logging in here: https://openathens.library.ubc.ca/
UBC Alumni do not have access to all UBC eResources. See Alumni eResources here.
We try to post known major problems to our ER&A Blog.
A lot of OpenAthens login errors can be solved by having the user clear their cache and cookies.
At UBC eResources we appreciate any troubleshooting you can do, but always feel free to ask the patron pass the issue along to us or send us the issue with information you had found while troubleshooting.

eResource Troubleshooting Procedure

1. See if you can recreate the issue the patron is having

If you have access and the patron doesn’t, there is likely something wrong with their UBC account or browser. Check if they are alumni or active student/faculty/staff. Try having them clear cache and cookies.

2. Confirm this is a resource that we should have access to by searching our Library Search and Resource Pages (Indexes and Databases).

Review the citation. Does it look correct? Spelling mistakes?
If it is an article - perhaps the date, volume, issue, issn or start page is wrong. Note: Supplements or Special Issues are always a problem. Look for the ejournal itself and then work through the volumes/issues
if an article or ejournal - does it fall within our coverage dates?
If it is an ebook - perhaps the isbn is wrong
If it is a book chapter - not all chapters are indexed. Try looking for the ebook itself
Do we really have access to the "Full Text" or just "Index & Abstract" information? Particularly in Summon, look at the type of result (does the search result say full text or "Citation Online"?)

Next Steps

If the resource comes from several sources, try a different source for the patron's benefit (e.g. "Our access to the article on this website is not working, but you can access it on this other website) BUT still report original problem using the EResources & Access Help Form
If the problem can't be resolved, encourage the patron to email us using the EResources & Access Help Form
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