Accessing Pfeiffer Library

PLANNED AND UNPLANNED OUTAGES

Library databases have to go through updates and experience outages just like any other technology. If we know that a resource will be down due to scheduled maintenance, or we hear that a resource has gone offline unexpectedly, we post that information on our blog while vendors work to repair the issue. This is the first place you should go to confirm that this isn't already a known problem we are working to fix.

If there is no planned or known issue, keep reading this page to troubleshoot the problem.

At any point, you can contact the library for some assistance with troubleshooting. We will typically walk you through the following questions when you email us at library@tiffin.edu. Because some students prefer to do their own troubleshooting before they reach out for help, we thought we'd provide you with the list here in case you'd like to work on your own first to try to resolve the problem.

How are you accessing the library?

If you are receiving an error message that is not related to signing in off-campus, such as required reading for library articles that are no longer available electronically, you should email us at library@tiffin.edu. If this error message is originating from a link in an online course, please also provide us with the course number, location of the link, and the title of the resource you're trying to access.

If you are on the campus network, you shouldn't be prompted to sign in at all to search our resources. If you are, please let us know so we can have that fixed for all students.

What credentials are you using?

Hover over the link you're trying to access. If the link includes tu.opal-libraries.org, your sign-in for off-campus resources should be the exact same information as your Moodle or Self-Service username and password. If the link includes ohiolink.edu, your sign-in for off-campus resources will be your last name and first name (Example: Smith Bob) and your barcode number, which is the numbers of your student ID number plus letters TUP (Example: 000123456TUP). 

What browser are you using?

Library resources work best when using Chrome or Firefox. Try switching to a different browser, even if it is one of the two listed, and see if that clears the issue.

Have you tried clearing your browser cookies?

Sometimes our software vendors run updates, and if you depend on your browser's cookies to maintain access to some websites, those cookies can become outdated as well. Try clearing your browser history to see if that resolves your access issues.

Have you tried resetting your password?

Resetting your TU password will reset it for all university platforms in one place, but that sometimes helps resolve login issues.

Have you tried switching to a different device?

If you're on a computer, try using your phone. If you're on your phone, try using a computer. Sometimes device updates can prevent your access. If you can isolate the issue to just one specific device, then we can figure out why that device isn't behaving as it should be.

Have you tried switching to a different Internet connection?

If you have tried all of the above and nothing has worked, it is possible that your Internet connection may be to blame. Try relocating to the local coffee shop for the free wifi, or turn off the wifi on your phone and use the data, to test for an issue with your Internet. If you find that your Internet connection is to blame, contact your ISP to find out what changed and how to fix it.

Have you tried turning off your antivirus software?

This is probably the most extreme measure you can take, and it isn't recommended in the long term because your computer could be vulnerable to viruses if you turn this software off and forget to turn it back on as you're browsing the web outside of our library. However, sometimes antivirus updates can prevent you from accessing our resources because those updates can turn things on in your computer's settings without informing you specifically of those changes and any side effects of that one little checkbox they chose to turn on for you. If you turn off your antivirus software, and that clears up the log in issue, you can rest assured that it was an antivirus software setting that was blocking you from accessing the library's electronic resources.