How to use the E-library online databases
Find out which databases you can use on the E-library:
How to access the databases
Using these databases in the library
Anyone can use these databases on our library computers free of charge.
You can just turn up to see if a computer is available, but we recommend you book a 30 minute or one hour session in advance by contacting your local library.
Children under 16 years old can use the computers if a parent or carer has signed a parental consent form. Under eights must be supervised at all times by an adult.
How to use these databases at home
If you are a library member, you can use your library card number and personal identification number (PIN) to search most of these databases from home. Just sign in via the membership section of the E-library.
You can get a PIN the following ways:
- Ask staff at your local library
Bring your library card and verbally confirm your full address, including postcode, and we will give you a PIN immediately.
- Sending a PIN to you
Your PIN cannot be given out by telephone or email. We will post your PIN to you if you contact us with your library card number and full postal address, including postcode. Phone us or use our online library comments form.
To sign in to the databases:
- Go to the E-library membership section
- Type your library card number and PIN in the boxes and then click the Go button
- The databases are listed at the bottom of the personal details screen – just click on the links to start searching them straight away.
Why am I sometimes asked for a second password?
Usually you can use the online databases immediately when you click on the database links after you have logged into the E-library, but sometimes you may be asked for another password or username.
When you click a link to go from one website to another, the website you're going to is usually told which website you're coming from. All the E-library online databases use this to check that you're coming from the East Sussex County Council website before they let you in. Please note, Issues Online works differently so you will have to enter your library card number twice.
If you are asked for another password at this stage, the database hasn’t recognised that you have logged in via the East Sussex E-library.
This is usually caused by the way your computer is set up or the way it is connecting to the Internet. Problems can be caused by:
- firewalls
- cookies
- your Internet browser
- type of computer you are using
- your Internet service provider.
For more about dealing with each of these possible causes, see below.
Changing your Internet security settings
Firewalls
Security software on your computer – such as Norton Personal Firewall or McAfee Personal Firewall Plus – can block information about the website you have come from. That's why the database asks for another password.
You can change your security settings to allow this information for specific sites following the simple instructions on the Symantec website. Please note, these instructions are specifically for Norton products, but similar procedures can be used on other firewalls.
You'll need to follow the instructions once for each site you want to access. In step 4 it asks for the site name – copy and paste in the links listed below:
- Britannica Online (all editions) – http://library.eb.co.uk/
- Britannica Junior – http://library.eb.co.uk/elementary
- Britannica Student – http://library.eb.co.uk/comptons
- Britannica Adults – http://library.eb.co.uk/eb
- Credo Reference – http://www.credoreference.com/
- Oxford Art – http://www.oxfordartonline.com/public/login
- Oxford Music – http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/login
- Kompass – http://www.kompass.com/referrer
- Newsbank – http://infoweb.newsbank.com/cgi-bin/remote/
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography – http://www.oxforddnb.com/subscribed
- Oxford English Dictionary – http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl
- Oxford Reference Online – http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/GLOBAL.html
- Times Digital Archive – http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/esusslib?db=TTDA
- Who’s Who and Who Was Who – http://www.ukwhoswho.com/
As the Microsoft Windows XP ‘built-in' firewall blocks information about the website you are coming from, you will need to use a different firewall to access our databases.
Cookies
A cookie is a small text file sent to your computer by some websites to store information about your visit to the site. If you want to view the web anonymously, you can set your web browser to refuse cookies. However, high security settings for cookies on your web browser can prevent our databases working.
- Change your security settings
In most web browsers you can organise your cookies and set security levels so that you only receive cookies from certain safe sites. Explore your browser's help pages for more information.
- Remove older cookies
Sometimes earlier cookies on your machine may also prevent access. Use the 'delete cookies' option on your browser to remove them. Britannica offers a service to delete expired Britannica cookies from your computer – visit their page to remove cookies, then close and reopen your browser and try to log in via the E-library again.
Different types of computer and Internet browser
Any Internet browser works with the E-library. However, if you have an old browser – such as Internet Explorer 5 on Windows or Mac – we recommend you upgrade your browser to avoid bugs.
On some computers you may need to use a different kind of browser to use some databases. For example, you may have no problems using Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on an Apple Mac if you use the Safari browser, but are asked for a password when you try to view it using Internet Explorer.
- PC with Windows XP or Vista
We recommend Firefox 3 or Internet Explorer 7.
- PC with Windows 98 or later
Try Firefox 2 – it's newer than Internet Explorer 6 and is updated to reflect new security threats. If you use IE6, Service Pack 1 is the latest version.
- Apple Mac
Upgrade to Safari or Firefox.
- Older Apple computers
If you're using an old Apple computer which is not running Mac OS X then neither Safari or Firefox will be available to you. Try Mozilla 1.2 which is similar to Firefox.
Download the latest browsers by visiting the links below:
How you connect to the Internet
Access to our databases can be affected by the way you connect to the Internet via your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Please contact your ISP for advice.
Contact us for more help
If none of the suggestions above have helped you access our databases, our web team may be able to help.
Ask us for help using our library comments form.
Please provide as much information as possible about the way your computer is set up. You may not be able to answer all the questions, but the more information you provide, the quicker we will be able to deal with your enquiry.
- What operating system are you using? (eg Windows XP or Mac OS X)
- What web browser are you using? (eg Internet Explorer 6.0 or Firefox 1.5)
- Are you able to access one or more of our other databases? (eg Newsbank or Kompass)
- Do you have cookies enabled in your web browser?
- Are you using a firewall? If so, which one?
- What error messages are you getting?
