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Off campus Access to Databases Help

Database Help - Can't Get In From Home?

Technical Problems

Database vendor servers occasionally become unavailable for short periods. First, try waiting several minutes and then try again. If this does not work, try the following options. Please feel free to contact us via email at refhelp@highline.edu, or chat for help navigating these options:

  1. myHighline account up to date?
  2. Starting at the right library website?
  3. Getting the right login page?
  4. Security settings too secure?

1. Is your myHighline account up-to-date?

The login page requires that you enter your myHighline login information (learn more about this login). This is a single, standardized login to access Highline computer resources such as Canvas and Library databases.

Your myHighline password needs to be changed every year (12 months). If your password has expired, you will not be able to use the Library databases until you change your password. Please log into myHighline Account Information to see your password expiration date, to change your password, and verify that your account is up-to-date.

If you can not log in please contact Reference via refhelp@highline.edu or chat for assistance with your myHighline account.  We will help verify that your myHighline account is accurate and up-to-date.

If you are accessing these pages from home, you will be sent to a login page to verify your identity - you need to be a current member of the Highline campus community (a current student, staff, or faculty).

2. Are you starting at the Highline College Library website https://library.highline.edu/?

Library Homepage
The Library home page.

Make sure that you are starting at the Library website, on our list of online databases, or a link that has highline.edu in the web address. The URLs of our databases change from time to time and the current URLs will be available on the Library website. The Library website is located at https://library.highline.edu.

3. Are you getting this login page?

proxy login screen
Does the login screen look like this?

To log in, click the "Login with your myHighline Account" button, and then you need to enter your myHighline login information.

When you have finished using the databases, you can logout at this address: https://bow.highline.edu/logout.  Exiting the browser (closing all browser windows) will also log you out.

4. Are your security settings too secure?

There are several areas where Security Settings can be changed.  These settings can impact your access to our databases:

If you are unable to log in using your Highline account, then your firewall may be blocking the ports that are used to communicate with the sites that we are providing for your research.

Our security system uses ports 2048 through 2248. These ports need to open on both the firewall that you have on your computer and on the firewall that your Internet Service Provider uses. Please open ports 2048 through 2248 on your firewall and request that the technical support staff at your ISP make sure that these ports are open for you.

  1. Web Browser Settings (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.)
    • Security settings
      Many of our databases are inaccessible when security settings are at their highest - check your web browser's status under Tools, Internet Options or Options.
    • Cookies
      Most licensed databases require that the browser cookies are enabled. Cookies are used to communicate small bits of information back and forth to help establish a session between your web browser and a web server. If you have cookies disabled, this will cause problems with these resources. Resources that are known to require cookies enabled are: ProQuest, EBSCO, Gale and other databases. For instructions to enable cookies in the most commonly used browser versions, go to: https://www.google.com/cookies.html
    • Clear cache & browser history
      Close any open library website pages and database sites. Then clear the cache, cookies, browser history, by selecting all the check boxes shown below:

In Firefox:

Clear Everything including cache, history

In Chrome:

In Edge:

  1. Computer Firewall

    Another area where problems can occur is in the security settings on your home computer. The security settings can be set in a manner that prevents the database vendor from "trusting" the home computer enough to allow access to their database. Also, your settings may block the ability for the database website to save cookies on your computer, or to install software that is needed in order for the database to work properly. Here is a list of some of the places that home computer security settings are made:

    • Personal Firewall software (like Norton Personal Firewall)
    • Window XP, Service Pack 2 (it is set to block Referring URLs by default)
  2. Internet Service Provider Firewall

    A Firewall is often used on a computer or by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to help keep your computer secure. Firewalls restrict access to the ports on your computer which are used to exchange data between computers on the Internet. Unfortunately, firewalls can also restrict your ability to connect to sites on the Internet that you would like to use.

If you are still unable to access Highline's databases, please contact Reference Help: refhelp@highline.edu or chat.