The 'Resource not available through proxy' error message means that you have clicked on something that doesn't work with our main "Authentication" system.
There may still be a way to access the online full text of the item, you just won't be able to do it via that LibrarySearch catalogue link. However, there is no guarantee of immediate full text access because while our catalogue can see the record, it cannot tell if there is an embargo or restrictions in place for viewing the full text of the actual item.
The error is most common when the item you are trying to open is from an 'open access' collection of resources at another University, such as a dissertation or an academic author's version of their own journal article or book chapter. If you need help to check for access, please contact the Library.
If you see the proxy error when attempting to access a database on our A-Z webpage, please contact us immediately.
How can I know where the item is supposed to be available?
To see where the item is supposed to be, click on the title of the item in the LibrarySearch catalogue result and look in the 'View Online' section. In the worked example below for the item "Doing Your Early Years Research Project: A Step by Step Guide" the catalogue says the Book is actually hosted by University College London - "Access content in University College London" - appears in the provider details box.
How do I check for full text access?
- Copy and paste the title of the item into Google, add the host University name as shown on the LibrarySearch catalogue record, and search.
- Look for a result that mentions that University and open it.
- Open the page and look for a full text option such as a PDF download.
Will online full text always be available?
Unfortunately no. There are a couple of reasons why:
- There might be an "embargo period" in place that means the item is not immediately available. This could be a publisher-imposed rule if the article or book chapter has recently been published, or if its a dissertation there could be data privacy issues. If there is an embargo there should be a date on the record explaining when free public access will be enabled.
- Some publishers never allow free access, so the article or book chapter will only ever be a citation/abstract in the University repository.
Are there any examples I can see?
- Book 'Doing Your Early Years Research Project: A Step by Step Guide' by Roberts-Holmes:
- The LibrarySearch catalogue says 'Access content in University College London'.
- Search Google with the words - "University College London Doing Your Early Years Research Project: A Step by Step Guide".
- The top Google result lists the website discovery.ucl.ac.uk, which is correct.
- At the time of writing, it is NOT possible to access this book online via UCL and there is no indication of this changing. It simply says "Access restricted to UCL open access staff" - meaning there is no public access to the PDF. They will have uploaded the book to their site for internal information only.
- Dissertation (PhD Thesis) 'Thinking with Elias about British independent funeral firms':
- The LibrarySearch catalogue says 'Access content in University of Edinburgh'.
- Search Google with the words - "Edinburgh Thinking with Elias about British independent funeral firms".
- The top Google result lists the website era.ed.ac.uk (the Edinburgh Research Archive) which is correct.
- At the time of writing, it is possible to download a PDF version of the Thesis, but not a Word version.
