Skip to Main Content
Main Library & McBay Science Library
Display of Opening hours
Hours
Main Library 7:30am – 2:00am
Circulation Desk 7:30am – 2:00am
Digital Humanities Lab 7:30am – 2:00am
Interlibrary Loan Office 8:00am – 5:00pm
Reference Desk 9:00am – 10:00pm
View all Hours
All Library Hours
Search Borrow & Request Research & Teaching Support Services Libraries & Collections Study Spaces & Tech About Ask Us! Chat & More ☰

Using Electronic Library Resources Remotely

Tips for using electronic library resources from remote locations and common solutions for access errors.

To research across multiple sessions, you'll need to return to previously viewed material. The web browser addresses (URL) for electronic resources are often "session specific" and expire shortly after use. Proactively save content using designated tools and options to save time and effort.

Permalinks

Many electronic resources provide "permanent links," or "permalinks" that will remain stable after session specific URLs have expired. These links can be copied and pasted. Permalinks for resources available via UGA Libraries include the necessary proxy information to prompt for MyID credentials.

TIP: Save a permalink for promising search results before reviewing material. This will allow you to return to the same results in the future.

Citation Management Software

If you are working with a lot of content over time, you should consider using a citation management software. UGA provides access to EndNote and RefWorks. Depending on the tool and configuration, saved citations may include permalinks to original source or an option to attach a full text PDF. These programs are powerful for organizing sources as you work, and some integrate with Microsoft Word to allow for easier citation within papers. Visit our Citatation Management guide to learn more about installing and using these programs.

Platform Specific Accounts

Creating a personal account on a particular platform such as EBSCO or ProQuest allows users to save content to be viewed later.

Opening PDFs on a Macintosh

Users of Macintosh OSX may have trouble opening PDF files. They may be downloaded as a .asp file, after which the user will need to open Acrobat Reader, select File, Open then navigate to the document. Or, the .asp file may have to be renamed .pdf.

There is a more efficient method that will accomplish the same result. You can set the Macintosh to automatically open the PDF.

To set up a Macintosh to automatically open a PDF:

  1. Download a PDF onto your computer desktop.
  2. Select it by clicking on the downloaded file once.
  3. Go to File>Get Info.
  4. Under Open With select Preview (default) or Adobe Reader.
  5. Click on Change All so that it will always open with Preview or Reader automatically, without requiring that the above steps be followed each time.