Penfield Library's Web Site has several features that improve service and access. Some of these features require the user to verify that they are part of the SUNY Oswego community. Other features may conflict with the set up of certain ISP (Internet Service Providers) and network firewalls. This page answers basic questions relating to these aspects of our site.

Text Size

Text size on our site is controlled by the college template.  You may want to increase the size for easier viewing.  You can do so from your web browser.  In Internet Explorer, this is done by choosing "View" and then "Text Size" and then "Large" or "Larger."    

Ports and Firewalls:

Some web services use a specific port to connect to a computer network. Different ports allow different types of data transfer to take place. These include Penfield's:

Library Catalog

Our library catalog uses port 4470 to transfer data from our server to your computer. If you have difficulty accessing our library catalog, you may need to have your ISP provider or network administrator open port 4470. This is not done by the Library, nor is it a change you can make in your computer.

Databases & Indexes

Our databases & indexes use ports 2048 and 2443 to transfer data from our server to your computer. If you have difficulty accessing our library databases & indexes, you may need to have your ISP provider or network administrator open ports 2048 and 2443. This is not done by the Library, nor is it a change you can make in your computer.

Computer Account Required to Access Restricted Services

To access services that have licensing agreements restricting their use to SUNY Oswego users, you must verify that you are a SUNY Oswego student, faculty or staff member.

If you are off-campus, you will be prompted for a Laker NetID, and password the first time you access (click on) a restricted service. These are the same as you use for campus e-mail. 
Note: You do NOT need to include the @oswego.edu portion of your user name. (e.g., jsmith47 NOT jsmith47@oswego.edu)

New students are assigned a computer account upon registering for classes and paying their bill. Activate your account online once your account has been generated, or you may go to Technology User Support at 26 Lanigan Hall to do so. The account must be activated before you can use it. Note: Online activations will become active within 24 hours. You will be required to submit your date of birth and your University ID number to activate your account online. This same account allows you access to the computers in the library and in CTS labs throughout campus.
Forgot your User Name? Look it up in the college directory.
Forgot your password?
Manage Your Account Check your print quota, forward your email, change your password, etc.

Cookies

Several database products require you to allow cookies to be placed on your computer. The purpose of a cookie is to identify you after beginning a session with the database. A cookie does not reveal information about who you are, your email account, allow access to your hard drive or transmit viruses.
To manage cookies in Firefox (version3):
Go to: Tools/Options.  On the Privacy Tab
To manage cookies in Internet Explorer (version 8):
Go to: Tools/Internet Options on the Privacy Tab

Adobe Acrobat and PDF Access

To access PDF files posted on our site and to read attachments containing journal articles sent to you electronically from our Interlibrary Loan department (Note: E-mail attachments of PDF files can be quite large. Be aware that some e-mail account in-boxes are not large enough to accommodate these files.), you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Many newer browsers incorporate this software, however if you need to add Acrobat to your computer it is offered as a free piece of software available directly from Adobe.

PDF Conversion for Screen Reading Software: Patrons using screen reading software will need to use Adobes's PDF Conversion by Simple Form tool to access PDF files. Copy and paste the url of the PDF file into the url box on the tool and click "Get this Adobe PDF document as HTML."

For more information on this and other PDF accessibility tools, go to the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility page.

Microsoft Word Access

To access .doc files posted on our site requires Microsoft Word.  Those without this program may download a free Microsoft Word viewer. (Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP)

Westlaw Campus Research

If you are getting error messages about pop-ups, you will need to add *.westlaw.com to the list of pop-ups allowed:

In Internet Explorer (version 8):  Tools / Pop-up Blocker / Pop-up Blocker Settings - Add:  *.westlaw.com

In Firefox (version 3): Tools / Options - On the Content tab - Click on the Exceptions button next to "Block pop-up windows" - Add:  *.westlaw.com

If you are getting error messages about cookies, see the Cookies instructions above

For further Information, Ask a Librarian