***** 1 August 2013 we have been told that this problem has been resolved: normal View Online links in SOLO should work.****
We have become aware that there is an intermittent problem affecting this database. Normally, if you are on the OU network, have a VPN installed on your own computer or (if off campus) have signed onto SOLO using your Oxford Single Sign On username and password details you simply use the View online option in SOLO results screens to access the e-books for which we have a subscription.
If things are working properly (as described above) just a click on View online should take you through!
The vast majority of times this works smoothly – but occasionally something goes wrong with titles on the OUP platform, Oxford Scholarship Online.
The first clue that the OSO link is not working properly is a locked icon (a small black padlock) on the bottom right hand corner of the cover of the book.
A padlock means gremlin has struck!
However you probably won’t notice this, assume (quite naturally) that you can read the book and click straight on a link to one of the chapters, enticingly displayed below the cover and abstract.
On the next screen, the padlocked cover is slightly more prominent – but we fear most readers still would not notice it in the enthusiasm to get reading! After a summary of the chapter you are presented with the depressing words:
“Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.”
This followed by “If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.” We suggest you try the following first!
Don’t despair on seeing the red-letter message – look at login options below!
Click on the login hyperlink. In pale blue box in the left hand column of the OSO homepage are various options to login. DO NOT be put off by the red-letter warning.
Scroll down and click on the hyperlinked text saying Login with Athens/Access Management Federation
You are then asked to identify your academic institution – you could just scroll down the list to University of Oxford, but it is quicker to start typing in Oxford – and picking up and clicking on the University of Oxford link from the shortened list…
– and you should be just two bits of typing away from the text.
As we said at the beginning it is only an intermittent problem with this one e-book platform – and we do hope & trust that OUP will get on top of the problem soon!
