Reference at Newman Library

Author: Stephen Francoeur

Ensuring GlobalProtect VPN Works with Off Campus Access to E-Resources

If you have a Baruch-issued laptop (this applies just to Baruch faculty and staff) and are working from off campus, you’ll want to be aware of how the GlobalProtect VPN might interfere with remote access to library e-resources (databases, articles, ebooks, etc.) If you are not fully connected to the VPN, you will be unable to log into library resources; when you click a link to a resource and would normally see first our EZproxy page asking you to click to use your CUNY Login and see next the usual CUNY Login page but if the VPN is not fully connected then the whole EZproxy/CUNY Login page steps will be bypassed and the link will take you to some side door on the database’s website that you’ll be unable to get past (you’re knocking on a door that you won’t be able to use).

If you have fully connected to the VPN, you will have already been prompted by the VPN to enter your Baruch username and password into the program on your laptop AND you will have received a multifactor push request on your phone in the Duo app. When you are fully connected, the VPN display on your laptop should look like this:

Screenshot of GlobalProtect VPN showing "Managed-Prod" below the word "Connected"

But, if you haven’t done those two steps of logging in and responding to the Duo multifactor authentication request on your phone, you will not see “Managed-Prod…” below the word “Connected” in the VPN program. Instead it will say “pre-logon” just below the word “Connected.”

Screenshot of VPN display when it says "pre-logon"

If the VPN is in this “pre-logon” state, it will stymie your attempts to connect to library e-resources. As a fix, you can either finish logging into GlobalProtect or you can sign out of the GlobalProtect program on your laptop.

If you need help with GlobalProtect, you will need to stop by the BCTC HelpDesk or submit a help ticket to them.

Revamped Pages on the Library Website

This spring, I’ve been working with a number of different folks in the library to update a few pages in the library website:

Technology Loan Service

With guidance from Jeffrey Lynch, a number of items we used to loan have been removed and new items have been added. With the changes in policy around renewals and loan periods for many items, all the details on those matters have been updated (you need to click on the item to get that additional information).

If you get any questions from students around renewals of loan periods, please always check this page for updated info, as the policies vary by item.

Locating a Print Book in the Library

Previously, this page was titled “Call Number Chart,” but that proved to be too library-centric a way of presenting the page to users, many of whom may not even know what a call number is. Given that users tend to think of what they need from the library in basic, familiar terms and that they conceive of these things as tasks to accomplish, it made sense to retitle the page borrowing on the language that many of us hear in reference and circ desk interactions with students who have found a record for a book in OneSearch but have no idea what to do next. This page has been reworked to focus on the steps in the user’s journey for that task.

There are a number of ways to get to this page:

  1. Use the yellow search box (select the “Library Services & Policies” option before entering your search).
  2. On the Help page there is a “How Do I…?” section with an entry on “Books that includes a link.
  3. Also on the Help page is a link to the Site Map, which presents a hierarchical view of all pages on the library site.
  4. On the Floor Plans page that is on the footer of every page on our website, there is a section on “Book Locations” that includes a link.

Issue Resolved: Brightspace Linking to E-Reserves and Research Guides

The problem reported on March 20, 2025, has now been resolved. Linking from course pages in Brightspace is once again leading to specific research guides and/or e-reserves pages. If you hear otherwise, please get all these details and report them to the [email protected] account:

  • Course number (essential)
  • Course title (helpful)
  • Course instructor (essential)

EBSCO Ebook Issues (resolved)

EBSCO sent out this system alert this morning:

We have received reports of an issue with eBooks intermittently failing to load in the eBook Viewer and Table of Contents errors. Our engineering teams are currently investigating the issue and we will update this page when more information is available.

I haven’t yet seen it in our “eBook Collection” database from EBSCO. If you do run into any issues, please let me know.

UPDATE (3 PM, March 26): EBSCO reports this problem is now resolved.

Links from Brightspace to E-Reserves and Research Guides Not Working

This morning, we started to see problems with the Brightspace linking system that connects course pages there to specific e-reserves course pages or to specific research guides in the LibGuides system. In most cases, those links are now all going to a generic “Research Basics” guide. Springshare is working on this problem and should have a fix soon (within 24 hours).

As a workaround, please tell students and faculty that they can still go to the main E-Reserves page on the library website and find a link to their specific e-reserves page. If they don’t know the course password, the professor should have been emailed it at the start of the semester. Students and faculty can also call the circulation desk at 646-312-1660 (when it is open) to ask for the course password.

Friday, March 21 update: As of 12 PM, the linking still isn’t fixed. Springshare is still at work on the problem.

Wednesday, April 2 update: The problem has been fixed (see update post).

Links to Unpaywall from OneSearch Records

Unpaywall is a third-party service that helps identify materials that may be available somewhere in an open access format. In OneSearch, it is set up so that if an item is only available to us in an open access format, a link to it will be made available in the item record in the “View Online” portion, as can be seen in this sample record:

If you click through to the permalink for this record in OneSearch, though, and then click the link for Unpaywall, you’ll see that the item in question is actually not open access (the accompanying videos are but the text of the conference paper is not). Unpaywall sometimes makes mistakes like this (a false positive) about the OA availability of an item. Please report each one of these false positives you find so that the OLS Discovery Working Group can consider whether this integration of Unpaywall is worth keeping.

How to Find Trade Journal Articles

Seeing an uptick in questions on chat and in email lately from students needing to find a trade journal article, I added new “Trade Journals” item to the “How do I find…?” section of the Help page on the library website. This section of the page is meant to give quick basics. If anyone has a detailed section on a research guide about how to find trade journal articles, let me know so I can link to it from this page (bonus points if it’s got screenshots or an embedded video).

Payment Message on WARC Database

Despite the fact that we have an understanding with the vendor, the WARC database is currently displaying a current message just below the navigation bar:

Unfortunately we have not received payment for this service, we understand this might be timing of payment clearance, but if not resolved in 14 days your access will be suspended. Please contact us on +44 (0)20 3033 2173.

Access should be fine but if you do notice a problem, please send an email to the electronicresources account.