Frequently Asked Questions

Reference Solutions is a premier subscription database available to libraries, educational institutions, and government agencies. Reference Solutions customers have the option of purchasing the remote access function for offsite users. (Remote access is any access from home or another location offsite where Reference Solutions is presented as a link on the subscribing organization's Website.) If you are experiencing technical difficulties accessing Reference Solutions, please review the questions below to help us determine the cause of the problem.

1. Does the organization from which you are accessing Reference Solutions have a valid subscription to the product?
   1. If you answered 'NO', this is why you are unable to access Reference Solutions.
   2. If you answered 'YES', please proceed to question #2.
2. Are you attempting to access Reference Solutions from within (i.e. inside the building and/or network) the organization subscribing to Reference Solutions?
   1. If you answered 'NO', please proceed to question #3.
   2. If you answered 'YES', is a technical problem at the organization causing this issue? (The technical administrator at your organization should be able to verify this.)
      1. If you answered 'NO', please proceed to question #3.
3. Are you accessing Reference Solutions remotely? (Remote access is any access from home or another location offsite where Reference Solutions is presented as a link on the subscribing organization's Web site.)
   1. If you answered 'NO', please proceed to question #5.
   2. If you answered 'YES', are you using the minimum system requirements and appropriate settings for Reference Solutions? (Please refer to "What are the minimum system requirements for accessing Reference Solutions?" below for clarification on system requirements.)
      1. If you answered 'NO', you will need to upgrade to meet the minimum system requirements for access to Reference Solutions.
      2. If you answered 'YES', is there a technical problem with your computer, modem, ISP (Internet Service Provider - i.e. [AOL] America Online, CompuServe [CS], NetZero, MSN, etc.) or Internet connection?
         1. If you answered 'NO', please proceed to question #3c.
         2. If you answered 'YES', you will need to take the appropriate measures to correct the hardware/software problem(s) on your local computer system, or contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for issues related to such.
   3. Do you have valid credentials (i.e. valid barcode, username and password, etc.) to access this product remotely through the subscribing organization?
      1. If you answered 'NO', you must contact the organization offering remote access to Reference Solutions and obtain the appropriate information required to use this function.
      2. If you answered 'YES', please proceed to question #3d.
   4. Is there a technical problem with the subscribing organization offering remote access to Reference Solutions?
      1. If you answered 'NO', please proceed to question #4.
      2. ii. If you answered 'YES' or 'UNSURE', please contact the technical administrator at the organization offering remote access.
4. If Reference Solutions is offline or unreachable due to either planned maintenance or an unforeseen breakdown, an e-mail message will be generated to a technical representative at each organization subscribing to Reference Solutions. Please contact us directly at (800) 808-1113 if you have encountered an error that cannot be resolved with the aid of this help text.
5. It is very likely that you or your organization do not have a current subscription to Reference Solutions. If you feel that this is in error, please contact the person responsible for your organization's online subscription resources.

You may receive the following message when attempting to print or download records or data from Reference Solutions. “You’ve reached your download limit. You have exceeded the remaining free download limit for this account, please revise selected records.” You may continue printing or downloading records but the system is set to only allow a certain number of records per download. Once you download the allotted number of records you need to uncheck those pages of records before downloading the next set of records. Repeat this process of checking the allowed number of records, download/print those records and then uncheck those pages before moving on with more downloading/printing.

As we see the rise in popularity of cable modems and high-speed Internet connections, remote (home) users are becoming more aware of the security factor associated with such. Subsequently, remote (home) users are deploying a variety of personal firewalls and/or Internet security software packages to counter this threat (i.e. LynkSys Firewall, Norton Internet Security Software, etc).

Remote (home) users can easily overcome any access issue involving this scenario and Reference Solutions by reconfiguring the device and/or software. Although Reference Solutions and its staff are not qualified to troubleshoot and support remote (home) users’ personal firewalls and/or security software, most vendors of these devices/software packages offer technical support for customers.

If you are connected to the Internet via a cable modem with a personal firewall and/or Internet security software and are receiving the username/password challenge page from Reference Solutions, it is possible that reconfiguring the device/software will correct this issue. Please refer to the device/software users’ manual and/or the vendor for additional technical assistance.

Reference Solutions' infrastructure has been designed to accommodate virtually every network configuration used today for both internal and remote users. (Remote access is any access from home or another location offsite where Reference Solutions is presented as a link on the subscribing organization's Web site). The primary methods of authentication are as follows:

1. IP (Internet Protocol) Authentication
   1. For this method, subscribing customers would need to provide us with a valid IP range of workstations, servers and/or firewalls from which Reference Solutions will be accessed over the Internet. Once this is accomplished, those users will be able to access Reference Solutions directly without impediment.
2. Secured & Unsecured Referring URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
   1. For this method, subscribing customers would create a link to Reference Solutions from either a secured or unsecured page within their Web site.
      1. If the page is secured, the subscribing customer has verified the integrity and credentials of remote users via an authentication/validation process. Those users will be allowed direct access to the product when forwarded from the subscribing customer's secured link (or referring URL).
      2. If the page is unsecured, Reference Solutions can present a challenge page prompting users for specific log on credentials (i.e. barcode, or username and password). Once the remote user enters the correct log on information, direct access to the product is granted.
3. Persistent Cookie Authentication
   1. For this method, users will need to log into a designated cookie installation page with a specific cookie installation username/password combination. After the initial log on has been completed, a persistent cookie is deposited onto the workstation(s) accessing Reference Solutions. Every time the workstation(s) access Reference Solutions following the successful installation of the cookie, the workstation(s) will be able to access without seeing a challenge page, as if they were IP authenticated. Once the cookie is installed, it should not need to be reinstalled unless the cookie is deleted. It is equally important to remember to enable persistent cookies in the browser configuration settings prior to installation.

We recommend using the most recent version of Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome. The current versions of these browsers may be downloaded from their respective Web sites if you wish to upgrade.

Users who are not using one of the minimum browser(s) listed above may find that some or all of the pages within Reference Solutions will not display properly. This is due to the browser differences and is especially common if the browser(s) are still in a beta development period. In addition, all browsers should be "Java" and frames enabled, with caching turned on.

Reference Solutions is optimized for viewing on a screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 or better and with at least 256 colors.

Note: If you are accessing Reference Solutions remotely, YOU CANNOT BOOKMARK Reference Solutions. (Remote access is any access from home or another location offsite where Reference Solutions is presented as a link on the subscribing organization's Web site.) Typically, remote access to Reference Solutions is offered via a secured host that authenticates/validates users prior to forwarding them to Reference Solutions. Accessing Reference Solutions via a bookmark that you have created sidesteps the authentication process and breaches security.

If you are using the Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7.0 browser and are receiving a username/password prompt when attempting to access www.ReferenceUSAGov.com remotely, you may need to modify your default browser cookie handling configuration settings to resolve this issue. The steps to accomplish this are outlined below for your convenience.

1. Open a new Microsoft Internet Explorer browser session.
2. Hold down the Alt Key
3. Click on the Tools drop-down menu and select Internet Options…
4. When the Internet Options window appears click on the Privacy tab, then the Advanced… button.
5. When the Advanced Privacy Settings window appears, place a check in the checkbox next to 'Override automatic cookie handling'.
6. Click OK on the Advanced Privacy Settings window and Internet Options window to close.

You should now have the proper Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 7.0 browser (cookie) configuration settings to access www.ReferenceUSAGov.com remotely without impediment.

See "What types of authentication methods are available for access to Reference Solutions?" for further details on authentication.

Operating System:

Microsoft Windows XP or greater
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or greater
Macintosh OSX or greater

Modem:

Broadband

Browsers:

Internet Explorer 8.0 or greater
Firefox 19.0 or greater
Google Chrome 19.0 or greater
Safari 3.0 or greater

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