Connection
Linking to the Database Pages on the State Library's Website
Here are the direct links for the State Library's resources pages:Linking Directly to a Particular Database
Send us an email and let us know which database(s) you would like to connect to (without linking to the full database pages, as above). We will provide you with the IP recognition link (also known as Quova links).All links provided as above will log in with generic statewide credentials. For access that will generate statistical information specific to your library, see the next section, Setting up Direct Connection with a Vendor.
Setting up Direct Connection with a Vendor
- Britannica - Contact Melissa Sroka via email or by calling 703-728-8345. You can add, change or delete IP addresses for your school or library with the Online IP Request form. To ensure updates apply to all Britannica products, mention the E-STAX ebook platform in the comments field.
- EBSCO - Set this up through your administrative login. If you need a login (or have misplaced it), send us an email.
- Gale - Setup can be done by email.
- Learning Express - Fill out the Learning Express connection form and send it to the address shown on the sheet.
- Mango - Contact Penelope Filyo via email to set-up a direct connection.
- OCLC WorldCat - Set this up through your administrative login. If you need a login (or have misplaced it), send us an email.
- ProQuest - Contact ProQuest Customer Support.
IP Address Recognition
Accessing the research and information databases provided for Kansans by the State Library from computers in your school or library is much easier for your patrons if IP Address Recognition (IPAR) has been set up with the database providers.IPAR is already in place for searches done from the State Library's website. Searches and links originating here are checked against a database of IP addresses registered as Kansas locations. If your IP address is in the database, you are connected without a username or password.
This statewide version of IPAR uses single statewide accounts for each vendor, so usage statistics and interface options are limited at the local library level. Some libraries may want to set up traditional IPAR and a local access account.
About IPAR
With IPAR, database websites that usually require you to log in with a username and password have a list of your IP addresses - your numeric address on the Internet. When the request for a database comes from an address the vendor recognizes, you or your users are allowed to connect and access the database without further identifying yourself.IPAR also helps some vendors provide you with library-specific usage statistics.
What You Need
Your IP address must be static - either a single number or a group or range of numbers that always are identified with your school or library internet access. Some internet providers still do not provide (or provide at appreciable cost) static IP addresses - every time you connect to the Internet, you are assigned a number more or less at random. Because they might be assigned at another time to a customer not authorized to use the databases, these IP addresses cannot be used to set up IPAR.In some cases, computers in your school or library may identify themselves to the Internet world by a number of different IP addresses - either because each machine has its own unique number or because you have a pool or range of numbers not shared with anyone else. In other cases, usually because of Internet firewall and/or proxy server configuration, one IP address will correctly identify all of your computers to the rest of the world.
Public libraries that use the Kanguard Internet Content Filter may have a unique IP address that has been assigned by the administrator to allow for external IP recognition even when the filter is active. This IP address, as well as any used when the filter is inactive, should be included in any list provided to the vendor.
Setup Information
Different vendors have different systems for setting up your access.Learning Express, Mango, EBSCO, Britannica & ProQuest
See "Setting up Direct Connection with a Vendor" above.
OCLC WorldCat
IPAR must be set up directly with OCLC. You can do this two ways:
- Fill out the online form. (Note: This form asks for your OCLC Billing Partner. Select OCLC from the drop-down list.)
- Log on to the Administrative Module (Admin) of your institution's account and set up or change IPAR yourself. You log on to Admin using your FirstSearch authorization (a 9-digit number assigned by OCLC) and your Admin password. The Admin password was originally set by OCLC, to be the same as your password for using FirstSearch.
If you've changed your login password, your Admin password may now be different. The State Library can provide you with your authorization and original password by calling 800-432-3919 and asking for Jeff or Rhonda. If your Admin password has been changed in the past and you don't have it, you must email OCLC or call 800-848-5800.
With a valid authorization number and Admin password, go to the OCLC FirstSearch website and log in to the administration module. Just below the OCLC logo is a row of five tabs. Click the second one: Authentication / Access. At the next screen, look for a link just below this tab marked IP Address Recognition. Click here, and enter your IP addresses using the box in the IP Addresses section.
When setting up or changing IPAR for FirstSearch, it's a good idea to start with OCLC's introduction to IP address recognition. Links to both the online form and the admin module instructions, as well as help gathering the information you'll need, can all be found here. This overview of the general concepts and process of setting up IPAR will help you understand what's involved, even in working with other vendors.