Remote Access - Frequently Asked Questions

The most frequently asked questions concerning remote access to the Library Web site are listed below. For additional information or to submit a question, please contact Ask a Librarian.

• Can I access journal articles off campus?
• I am not affiliated with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Can I access information on your Web site?
• I have a faculty appointment at Weill Cornell, and I work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Can I access Cornell's e-resources?
• Do I need VPN to access the Library Web site?
• Do I need any special software?
• What browsers do you support? Do you support Macs?
• Do you use session cookies? How do they work?
• When I log in remotely I get a message about a security certificate. Is something wrong?
• Why are some databases slower than others?
• Why is it slower off-campus than on-campus?
• I am having problems with my remote access. How can I get help?
• The home page is not working! Do I need JavaScript enabled?

Yes, Memorial Sloan-Kettering employees and students can access electronic journals from off campus from any computer that is connected to the public Internet. Authentication is required and is easy to do. On any page on the Library Web site, simply click on LOGIN, located at the top right-hand corner of the screen. At this log in screen, type your unique user name and employee id number with four trailing zeros. You only need to authenticate once per session. You can do it at any time or the first time you access a subscribed resource.

The Library Web site provides non-affiliated visitors with access to useful information which includes links to cancer information, free databases of professional literature, and useful reference resources. If you need articles or books that are not readily available on the Web you can contact your local library. Many publishers provide pay-per-view service which allows visitors to purchase articles online directly.

Patients and their family members can view specific services that the Library provides to them including additional information about obtaining articles.

Remote access to databases, journals, and e-books is available to Memorial Sloan-Kettering employees and students only.

The Cornell Medical Library allows eligible faculty remote access to their e-resources, but they must have a VPN account from Cornell's Office of Academic Computing Remote Access (OACRA). For more information, including eligibility and specifications, please contact OACRA at 212-746-4878 or visit their VPN page.

If there is a journal you need and want to recommend for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Library, please contact us at 212-639-7439 or complete the General Feedback form. If you need an article we don't have in the MSKCC Library collection, please request the article from our Document Delivery Services.

No. As of May 26, 2006 you no longer need VPN to access the Library Web site. As long as you have a current Memorial Sloan-Kettering user name and employee ID number, you can log in to the Library Web site and access all resources with the exception of UpToDate, which may only be used on campus in clinical buildings and the Library.

No. You do not need any special software to use the Library Web site. Many Web sites and publishers require Adobe Reader to view articles online.

The Library site is best-viewed with the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer on PCs. For Macs the site is best-viewed with Mozilla Firefox for Mac OS X .

The Library Web site does use session cookies. Cookies help our proxy server keep track of users that have logged in. In order to access content on our site, your Web browser must accept cookies. To set up your browser to accept cookies, the following information may be helpful:

1. Select Tools from the browser menu bar
2. Scroll down to and click on Internet Options
3. Click on the Privacy tab
4. If your security setting is set to High or Block, set the level lower
5. Click Apply to save your changes, and OK to exit the menu
6. Try logging in again

1. Select Tools from the browser menu bar
2. Scroll down to and click on Options
3. Click on the Privacy tab
4. Click in the box next to Allow Sites to Set Cookies
5. Click OK to save your changes and exit the menu
6. Try logging in again

Our log in software uses a security certificate to acknowledge that you are authenticating at a valid, reputable domain name. When you click on LOGIN at the Library site the browser alerts you to a domain name mismatch. The reason for this alert is the certificate name we use to allow us to reach all of our content providers does not match our domain name. This is expected browser behavior and nothing is wrong. To proceed to the log in screen, click OK in the Mozilla Firefox dialog box (PC or Mac), and Yes in the Internet Explorer dialog box. If you encounter problems, please call the Library at 212-639-7439 or contact us through Ask a Librarian.

Performance varies among database providers, and is dependent on many factors such as connectivity problems, server issues, and volume of users. This can be particularly true of OVID. We continue to work with our publishers and vendors to improve access and service. If you encounter problems, please call the Library at 212-639-7439 or contact us through Ask a Librarian.

There are many factors that influence how quickly you can access a database or online resource including network issues, bandwidth, and volume of users. Some vendors only allow a fixed number of people to access a database at any one time which can slow or even deny access to users. Should you encounter any problems, please call the Library at 212-639-7439 or contact us through Ask a Librarian.

First, try the following steps to resolve the problem. If you continue to have difficulty, contact the Library at 212-639-7439.

1. Try logging in again. If you did not type in your user name and id number correctly you will not be able to access subscribed content
2. Make sure your browser accepts cookies
3. Check to make sure you are not using an old bookmark. Simply delete your old bookmark and save to the new Library Web site: http://library.mskcc.org.

One reason why the home page may not work is that your browser must be set up to enable JavaScript. To enable JavaScript in your browser, the following information may be helpful:

1. Select Tools from the browser menu bar
2. Scroll down to and click on Internet Options
3. Click on the Security tab
4. Click on Custom Level
5. In the dialog box scroll down to Scripting, click on the button next to Enable Active Scripting, then click OK
6. When the dialog appears asking you if you want to change your security settings click on Yes
7. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box
8. Click the Refresh button in the browser menu

1. Select Tools from the browser menu bar
2. Scroll down to and click on Options
3. Click on the Security tab
4. Click in the boxes next to Enable Java and Enable JavaScript
5. Click OK to save your changes and exit the menu
6. Click on the Refresh button in the browser menu

If the home page is still not working please call the Library at 212-639-7439. A system-wide server problem will interfere with your ability to access the site, and service will be restored as soon as possible.