Trouble Connecting from Off-Campus?

There are many potential causes of problems you may have connecting to library subscription information resources, such as journal databases like JSTOR or ATLA, or online encyclopedias like Encyclopedia of Religion. Many problems are actually due to your particular local computing context. We would like to help you as quickly as possible, so please answer the following questions before contacting us for assistance.

  • Are you trying to connect to our information resources through the Earlham Libraries web site?
    • Please do so or the connection will not work!
  • Are you using your Earlham or Bethany username or password when trying to connect (e.g. username = quakejo NOT quakejo@earlham.edu)?
    • Please do so or the connection will not work!

Also, please note the following.:

  • The information resource you tried may be experiencing technical problems beyond the control of Earlham. Are you able to connect to a different information resource listed at the Earlham Libraries web site?
    • If you answered YES to this question, please try the information resource again later and if it still does not work report the problem to Neal Baker, Information Technology and Reference Librarian. Before doing so, please read question #1 below and make any necessary changes.
    • If you answered NO to this question, please read the following questions and accompanying remarks for possible self-help. These questions are admittedly technical, but the accompanying remarks should make clear why they are necessary to reach a solution.
  1. Is your browser set to work with our proxy server?
  2. Are you trying to access our resoures from outside your home?
  3. Are you trying to access our resources from your home?

1. Is your browser set to work with our proxy server?

We use a proxy server to enable you to connect to resources which require limiting use to current students, faculty, and staff of Earlham and Bethany.

Earlham's proxy server works with just about all browsers except for AOL. The following standard browsers work fine:

  • Internet Explorer, 5.x and higher
  • Firefox or Mozilla, 1.x or higher
  • Safari, 1.x or higher
  • Netscape, 4.x or 7.x

Your browser must be set to allow Cookies and JavaScript must be enabled.

If taking these steps does not resolve the problem, see questions #2 OR #3 below.

2. Are you trying to access our information resources from outside your home?

Schools, companies and other organizations often control access to the Internet via such software as firewalls, content filters, and/or web caches. If you are having a difficult time accessing Earlham's information resources from outside your home, contact your company, school, or organization's technical support staff and ask if they use such software. Provide them with the following information:

  • The Earlham proxy server is located at proxy.earlham.edu:2048.
  • The IP address of the Earlham proxy server is 159.28.1.94
  • Ports 2048 and 4443 need to be set to both send and receive TCP connections and should not be cached or filtered.

If your company, school, or organization's technical support staff cannot resolve the problem, contact Neal Baker, Information Technology and Reference Librarian.

3. Are you trying to access our information resources from your home?

When residential dial-up, cable, or broadband connections are first set up, certain browser settings get configured according to your Internet service provider's preferences. For example, NetZero uses a proxy in their HiSpeed service. You must disable this setting in order to use the Earlham proxy server. You might need to contact your Internet service provider's technical support staff and explain that you are attempting to connect to a proxy server. Provide them with the following information:

  • The Earlham proxy server is located at proxy.earlham.edu:2048.
  • The IP address of the Earlham proxy server is 159.28.1.94
  • Ports 2048 and 4443 need to be set to both send and receive TCP connections and should not be cached or filtered.

Personal firewalls and/or virus protection software can prevent access to our proxy server. For example, difficulties have been reported with Symantec products such as Norton Personal Firewall and Norton Internet Security. If you suspect this is a problem, you might need to check your software vendor support site.

If your company, school, or organization's technical support staff cannot resolve the problem, contact Neal Baker, Information Technology and Reference Librarian.