Please find the most commonly needed trouble-shooting steps below.

 1. Check Library Web Site for Notices of Known Service Outages or Planned System Maintenance to verify that services should  currently be available.

 2. Optimize Your Browser for Viewing ForsythPL.Org and Premium Databases and Try Again.  Follow the directions at http://www.forsythpl.org/help/browserOptimization.aspx to prepare your browser for best results when using ForsythPL.Org (the library web site at http://www.forsythpl.org ) and Premium Databases.  If you are still experiencing problems, continue to step 3.

 3. Set Browser Cache

If you find that your browser has difficulty properly displaying dynamic information (for example, if you go to a web site that includes reference to the date, but the date you see is earlier than today's date), you may need to adjust your browser cache to refresh pages upon each visit. Alternately, clicking your browser's refresh button may adequately address this issue for you. See specific instructions for Internet Explorer (IE) on Windows below.

 4. Clear Browser Cache / Temporary Internet Files

Sometimes old copies of web pages that have been cached to your computer by your browser can interfere with the proper functioning of a database web site upon your next visit to the site. You can eliminate this problem by clearing your browser cache/temporary Internet Files. See specific instructions for IE on Windows below.

 5. Delete Cookies

Sometimes old versions of Cookies can also pose problems. See specific instructions for IE on Windows below.

 6. Add URLs to "Trusted Web Sites"/Adjust Security Settings

If experiencing difficulties viewing a Premium Database, try adding that database's URL to your Trusted Sites.  (Note: In IE 6.x, you may see what looks like a red eye in the lower right corner of your browser when your security and privacy settings have blocked you from receiving a Cookie needed for the Premium Database to function.  As an alternative to "Trusted Web Sites", you may double-click on the eye, highlight the site in question, and choose "Always accept cookies from this site" in order to set custom cookie settings by site.) See specific instructions for IE on Windows below.

 7. Adjust Privacy Settings

If you find that you are getting too many requests to accept Cookies and wish to get fewer notices, you may wish to choose a lower privacy setting. For specific instructions for IE on Windows, click here.

 8. Disable Pop-Up Killers

While using Premium Databases, if you are unable to view some articles, view the GALILEO password, or open GALILEO databases, you may need to disable pop-up killers or ad-blockers on your system.

Pop-up killer applications work in the background while you browse the internet. When they detect a pop-up window that may be an unwanted advertisement, they automatically close the window. Unfortunately, this can prevent some Premium Databases from performing properly.

To disable pop-up killers or ad-blockers:

a) Search your hard drive for any software with "pop-up" in the name and disable it. Examples of popular pop-up killer applications include:

• Pop-Up Stopper
• Pop-Up Defender
• Pop-Up Zapper

b) Pop-up killing or ad-blocking functions are included in some anti-virus, internet security, personal firewall, and browser programs. Disable the relevant setting in the program. Examples include:

• Norton Internet Security 2003
• AOL 8.0

 9. Refer to Resource-specific Help if available on the vendor web page.

10. Bypass your Proxy Server or Internet Accelerator if needed.

Internet Accelerators generally work by pointing the user to a caching proxy server or caching router.  The proxy server will often additionally apply compression algorithms to text and/or graphical files that it holds in its cached storage in order to further speed downloads.  Speeds increase differing amounts depending upon the compression algorithms used.  The faster the speed, the greater the data or image quality loss.

Some ISP’s allow the user to choose from various levels of acceleration based upon the individual’s level of tolerance for speed gain versus quality loss.  Individual user’s sessions will be pointed to a different proxy server based upon the level of acceleration (level of compression and image quality degradation) that the user chooses.

Most accelerators are “smart” enough to be able to bypass the proxy server for SSL and other transactions that obviously would not work properly if sent through the caching proxy and its compression algorithms. Some are not.

Many of the library’s Premium Databases as well as several features of our online catalog will not function properly if accessed via a caching proxy server, because the caching of pages previously viewed prevents the web site from properly tracking your place in your catalog or database session.  If you experience difficulty in using library services while using an Internet accelerator, please temporarily disable your accelerator while using the library’s web site. 

The means of disabling the accelerator varies by ISP.  Below are some ISP settings reported by our patrons.  If none of these methods apply to you, please contact your ISP for instructions on how to temporarily disable your accelerator.

MSN: Right-click the MSN Accelerator icon in your system tray and set the level to “none”. 
AOL:  Go to AOL browser settings and unclick the box next to “Optimize Web Browsing Using Highspeed Technology”.

11.  Adjust your firewall settings if needed.

Library personnel are not qualified to provide support for the numerous firewall products available to the public.  For this reason, we must refer you to your product operation manual.  However, below are some firewall settings reported by our patrons.

Norton Internet Security 2005:  Start the application, click Personal Firewall, then click Configure.  Go to the Networking tab and, under the Trusted tab, click Add, mark the option for Individually, and enter the URL of the site you are trying to access in the field available.  Save your settings and exit the program.

12. If you are experiencing difficulties receiving due date or other email notices from the library

The most common reason you may not receive email notices from the library is that the notices are being blocked by an anti-spam feature within your email account.  This may be overcome by adding to your list of “approved senders” the following two email addresses:  circsrvs@forsythpl.org  and  sfcirc@forsythpl.org.  Please do not send email to these addresses as they are for out-going emails only.

13. Contact the Library if you are still experiencing difficulties. 

A Feedback form is available for your convenience.