Most of the access issues I encounter can be easily resolved by following these steps and answering these questions. See the steps in the box below for details. But don't hesitate to contact me if you would like assistance.
Are you a current GSM resident, faculty member or staff, or a current UTMC staff Member?
What resource are you trying to access?
Are you starting from the library's website?
Are you trying to access from on or off-campus?
Are you authenticating with UTMC email credentials?
Are any other resources accessible?
Are you receiving error messages?
Try a different browser.
Is your browser out of date? It might need to be updated.
Try clearing your cache.
Are you a current GSM resident, faculty member or staff, or a current UTMC staff Member?
Preston Medical Library resources, including computers, the facility itself, and electronic resources, can be used by any visitor to the library.
For off-campus access, users must be current GSM residents, faculty members or staff, or current UTMC team members. Please see the library's Electronic Resource Use Guidelines for a fuller description of library policies regarding access.
What resource are you trying to access?
Preston Medical Library and the Health Information Center serves the Graduate School of Medicine, UT Medical Center staff, and the general public. Graduate School of Medicine residents, faculty and staff, being University of Tennessee employees, have access to certain resources, such as ClinicalKey and Micromedex, that are accessible via a NetID. ClinicalKey, Scopus, and Micromedex are all noted with NetID required. If you see the screen below, you will need a NetID issued by UT Health Science Center to access it.
Are you starting from the library's website?
When accessing library resources, it is generally important to be using the library's link, rather than searching for a resource on a search engine. By using our link, you are authenticated as being one of our users. One example is PubMed. Although you can access PubMed on any internet-connected computer in the world, unless you are using the library's link, PubMed will not link you to the library's subscriptions. When searching PubMed, look for the link directly below to search for full text in the library's collections.
Another tip: Use our Article Request Form if you can't access an article you need, we'll find the article and send it directly to you!
Are you trying to access from on or off-campus?
For on campus users, if the library subscribes to a database or other resource, you should not be prompted for an additional login.
Off campus users of Preston Medical Library are authenticated through UT Medical Center's Active Directory. This means that you will use the same credentials you use for your email to access our databases, ebooks, and journals.If you see the screen below, you are off campus and being prompted for your UTMC credentials.
Are you authenticating with UTMC email credentials?
The library uses UT Medical Center's Active Directory database to authenticate users, but does not control the underlying database. The library can verify that you have an active UTMC email. However, if you are having issues with your email login in addition to not being able to access library resources, you may have an issue with your email.
GSM employees should contact GSM IT at: gsmhelpdesk@uthsc.edu
Other troubleshooting resources for GSM employees can be found on Pulse (on campus only).
UHS employees would need to contact UHS IT at ext. 9435
Other contact and troubleshooting information for UHS employees can be found on Insite.
Are any other resources accessible?
Checking other resources will help the library determine if the issue lies with your access, or with a specific resource.
Are you receiving error messages?
The most frequent error message that I will see when checking on a journal will be a lock, when the publisher is not granting access. Any error messages can help diagnose an issue. Please attach screenshots when you complete the Report Access Issues form or email them to me at jmlindsay@utmck.edu!
Try a different browser
Strangely enough, there are some resources that work better on some browsers than others.
Try clearing your cache
Clearing your cache can solve a number of issues when dealing with access problems. The article below will show you how.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-clear-your-cache-on-any-browser