A guide for students accessing eresources off campus

1. Accessing our resources quickly
and easily:
everything you need to know…

2. Accessing eresources
Contents
1. Where to start
2. Logging in from off-campus
3. FAQs
4. Troubleshooting
5. Contact us

3. 1. Where to start
All these links can be found on our homepage; www.kcl.ac.uk/library
‘Find Databases’ – A-Z list of databases
The ‘i’ icon next to each result shows the years that King’s has access to.
‘Find Ejournals’ – A-Z list of ejournals
The ‘i’ icon next to each result shows the years that King’s has access to.
Library Search – Advanced search tool
Search print and electronic materials. Lots of search filters on the left-hand side. You can
search at article or chapter level, if you don’t know the name of the book or journal.
Library catalogue – Simple search tool
Search print and electronic materials. Fewer search filters, called ‘subsets’, to help you focus
your search to material type (book, thesis, journal, etc).

4. 2. Logging in from off-campus
How to log in as a King’s member
We strongly recommend you follow our links, instead of Googling it (see ‘Where to Start’).
You can check whether we subscribe to the particular year/volume/issue that you need,
and it facilitates your access in general.
Your username and password is the same you use for King’s email.
The majority of King’s eresources employ Shibboleth to log you in - it’s a password
platform between you and the database or journal, to verify that you’re a King’s member.
On the publisher’s website, look out for Shibboleth, institutional log in, or UK access
management federation. If you’re NHS, look for OpenAthens (see next slide). If you’re
prompted to search the name of your institution, don’t forget to include the apostrophe in
King’s as it can make a difference!

5. 2. Logging in from off-campus
How to log in as a King’s member (continued)
Most resources just need your King’s username and password, but a few require special log
ins. To find the list of these and their log ins, go to ‘Find Databases’, and choose the
‘Passwords’ list in the top right hand corner.
NHS staff and students on courses funded by the NHS can use their OpenAthens username
and password. If you don’t have one, please contact nhsenquiry@kcl.ac.uk.
See also login instructions for popular resources.

6. 3. FAQs
Why do I need to begin the search at your catalogue or A-Z lists? Can’t I go
straight to the publisher site?
• From a publisher platform (e.g. Springer, SAGE) it can be hard to tell whether King’s has a
subscription to particular content and which years a subscription covers. Also, King’s is
unlikely to subscribe to everything on the platform – once you are logged in and can see
the King’s logo, you can still only access the content to which King’s subscribes.
• By beginning with the catalogue or A-Z lists, you can check which years you should have
access to and you will be directed to the correct platform.
• Some resources use a unique URL that’s specific to King’s - this link cannot be found via a
search engine.
Can I use Google Scholar? Or PubMed?
• Yes – but they do not know what King’s subscribes to. It’s possible to link Google Scholar
to the King’s catalogue; the SFX icon will then show in Scholar if you have access to the
content via King’s.

7. 3. FAQs (continued)
Can I access any other institutions’ eresources?
• Once King’s students and staff have registered, many of Senate House’s eresources
can be accessed remotely. See Senate House Library for details.
• Other UoL colleges have their own eresource access regulations – check their
webpages for details.
Can I access eresources on my phone?
• Yes - for more info, please see: http://libguides.kcl.ac.uk/mobile.
What if King’s and Senate House don’t subscribe to the content that I want?
• Firstly, check whether Senate House has access.
• If Senate House does not have access, please fill out an interlibrary loan request form
and we will try to obtain the content from another institution.
• If you would like to recommend a resource for purchase, please use the
suggest a resource form on our homepage.

8. 4. Troubleshooting – having issues?
Does King’s subscribe to the content?
• Check that King’s has a subscription to the content (see ‘Where to Start’). For ejournals,
check that the relevant year is covered. For databases/ebooks, check that King’s subscribes
to the relevant collection – King’s is unlikely to subscribe to all content within a database.
Are you logged in?
• Always begin at one of the links mentioned before (see ‘Where to Start’). Once logged in
via Shibboleth, the King’s logo should appear on the publisher homepage, often in the top
right hand corner (see ‘Logging in from off-campus’).
Is there a technical problem?
• If King’s subscribes to the resource and you are logged in, but the expected content isn’t
accessible, please check Library Alerts for known issues and workarounds. Also, try using
the Global Desktop (on IT’s homepage), which is a remote server that can facilitate off-
campus access to eresources.

9. If you feel you need help navigating our eresources, please contact Library Customer
Services in the first instance (libraryservices@kcl.ac.uk / 0207 848 2424 / online Live
Chat under ‘Contact Us’ on our homepage / speak to someone at our Enquiry Desks)
For technical issues, e.g., you suspect a publisher website is down, contact our
Subscriptions & Interlending team – (please be aware they are only available Monday-
Friday 9am-5pm):
eresources@kcl.ac.uk
Queries about databases and ebooks
ejournals@kcl.ac.uk
Queries about ejournals
5. Contact us