When you click on a link to a database or electronic journal on the Library's web pages, your connection is  automatically sent through the EZproxy service to authorize you to use the databases. You may be asked to provide your Drew userid and password for the i-Chain login. You will then be able to search and use the resource as if you were on campus. No browser configuration is required.

When connecting from on campus, access will be direct. From off campus, connecting through the E-Resources by Subject or E-Resources by Title page or from within the Library Catalog, you will be prompted for your Drew Userid and Password the first time you access a Drew subscription resource during browsing session. (If you close your browser, or don't use an E-resource within a certain time-- about an hour-- you will be prompted to login with your Drew id and password again.)

You will not need to change your computer settings or web browser configuration to access the Library's resources.

Questions and Answers:

  1. Do I have to change anything on my computer?
    You do not have to change any of your computer's settings. EZproxy will seamlessly handle the links.
  2. What if I have databases bookmarked or in web page links?
    Those links will not be sent through EZproxy. Please use the library's database lists.
  3. Are all the Drew Library Subscription databases available through EZproxy?
    All of our databases is available for off-campus use.
  4. What if it doesn't work for me?
    We believe that our database and electronic journal subscriptions are fully accessible through EZproxy. However, due to oversight, configuration changes and/or database issues, resources may occasionally become inaccessible through EZproxy. If you encounter a journal or database that is not accessible through EZproxy, please email us at reference@drew.edu as soon as possible so we can fix it.
    Remember, if we don't know about a problem, we can't fix it, so help us help you.
  5. Are there any circumstances where this would not work?
    It is possible that your local computer or network could be configured in such a way that it blocks EZproxy connections. Such configurations are sometimes done with firewalls or child-protection software, either on the computer itself or by your service provider. However, in most circumstances, access via EZproxy is expected to work better for all our users.

What if a database asks me for a password?

You will be asked for your Drew username and password (through the ULogin screen) when you connect to a database through EZproxy (though you will only have to do this once per session).

Only few resources, such as EndNoteWeb and SciFinder, require you to set up a personal account through Drew and login with that account information. Ebrary, ArtSTOR and some journal providers suggest you set up an account in addition to regular Drew access in order to save searches and get additional services.

Some journals and newspapers, such as JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association,  require a password. Look for the note "See reference librarian for login" and ask at the Reference desk for help.

In general, when you are accessing a database through our library links and are asked for a non-Drew password, it is because either the database has timed out or you are attempting to access content that it is not part of our subscription. Use the E-Journal title list to check what years and volumes are part of our ejournal holdings.

Databases sometimes 'time out' and ask for a password to re-log in. Return to the library database list and click the link to the database to start again. Other steps that may resolve problems connecting to databases include:

  1. Waiting: sometimes database vendors experience software/server problems, and a short wait will allow the problem to be fixed.
  2. Clearing the cache in your browser (IE or Mozilla).
  3. Rebooting your computer.

But if it persists, feel free to describe the problem to our Reference staff; we may be able to report it to the vendor and learn more about the situation.

Please note that the Drew Library Catalog does not fall under the category of Library databases. But accessing its "My Library Account" feature does require the standard Drew login with a username and password.

What should I do if I can't get into a Library database or can't get to the full text

If you are searching some journal databases, such as ScienceDirect or Jstor, you may encounter articles that Drew does not have a subscription to. If you are connected to the database through Drew (the journal database will tell you this) and cannot access an article, it is probably not part of our subscription and you will need to request it via Interlibrary Loan-- connect to ILLiad to do this.

However, if you cannot get into a database at all, or the database does not say you are logged in through Drew, try these steps.

  1. Make sure you are using a Drew Network computer, or are logged in through the EZproxy server.
  2. Make sure that cookies are not disabled on your browser. They are required by some of these sites. Check your browser's Help for information on enabling/disabling cookies.
  3. Try reloading the page.
  4. Reboot your computer and retry.

If these steps don't resolve the problem, please contact the Reference Desk (973-408-3588),  email us at drewlib@drew.edu. The following information is helpful to us in resolving these problems:

  1. Are you on campus or off campus?
  2. What web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc., and version number) are you using?
  3. What page were you on when you clicked on the link?
  4. Do you have any firewalls or other security software on your computer?