FAQ: E-resources

1. Are you a current GU student/faculty/staff member?

Almost all of our databases are restricted to current Georgetown students, faculty, and staff. You might enjoy other Georgetown privileges -- a NetID, email, Yates membership, even borrowing physical Library books -- but you will not be able to access e-resources from off-campus unless you are a current student, faculty, or staff member.

Alumni have access to a small and limited number of databases -- see Alumni Access to Full-Text Articles for more details.

2. Is your NetID working? Have you changed your password?

If you can log into your Georgetown email, you're probably fine. But sometimes a simple password reset can solve login issues, and is a good security practice (when was the last time you changed your password?)

Although most password resets take effect immediately, occasionally there may be delays of 1-2 hours, or you may need to restart your computer.

3. Does the database have a user limit?

Some of our databases are limited to 10 (or 5, or 2) simultaneous users -- only a few people from Georgetown can be using the database at the same time. Generally the database will tell you if this is the case, saying "too many users" or "user limit exceeded." If this happens, you'll need to wait for a virtual "seat" to become free.

User limits are noted in the database descriptions in the Library's A-Z List.

4. Does the database have a special login or password?

A few databases require a special login and password -- if the database has "Password Required" in its description, please follow the listed directions to obtain the proper credentials. (Usually this means contacting the Library from your Georgetown email address.)

5. None of these solutions worked for me.

Please contact E-Resources using our Report a Problem Form. We appreciate you trying these initial steps, and will try to help you as soon as we can.