Electronic Resource Access From Off Campus or MSU Wifi
If you are unable to access library resources from within the MSU Libraries website and would like assistance, please call Reference & Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form.
Resources listed with the Spartan helmet icon 
or with noted Online Access require login to use. You will be prompted to enter your MSU email address and password when you click on these resources if you are not logged in already.
Who has access to electronic resources?
Off Campus and MSU Wifi resource access is available to currently enrolled MSU students, currently employed MSU staff, and current or retired MSU faculty. Students must be enrolled in at least 1 credit. Faculty/Staff appointments must be active. MSU alumni and community members are not eligible for off campus e-resource access but can access our electronic resources from Selected Resources computers in the Libraries.
Common Problems with Electronic Resources: What should I do if...?
Many common e-resource access issues can be resolved by clearing browser cache and cookies, trying a private or incognito browsing window, or trying an alternate browser. See Firefox support or Chrome support for how to clear cache and cookies in these common browsers. A private or incognito window can be found within the menu in the upper right corner of your browser.
If you see a blank page when accessing an electronic resource through the Libraries' website, look for an option to open the link in a new tab/window or try refreshing the page. If problems persist, please call Reference & Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
If you receive a Bad Request or Time Out error, try clearing your browser cache and cookies or using a private/incognito window, and let us know if problems persist. If you receive a Page Not Found error or are prompted to pay for what you are trying to access, there may be a workplace firewall issue or the link may need updating on our end. Please call Reference and Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
MSU Libraries does not subscribe to OpenAthens as an authentication platform for accessing electronic resources (MSU uses Okta). Therefore, trying to access resources through OpenAthens authentication on vendor websites does not work even if the website you are accessing lists MSU as a participating institution (We may have the journal, just not the authentication method). If you receive this error, try accessing the desired resource via https://lib.msu.edu directly. If problems persist, please call Reference & Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
This message occurs when security measures implemented on the catalog incorrectly identify a real user as a bot and automatically restrict their access. This most often occurs when an outdated browser is being used. To find and update your browser version, go to Help > About from the menu in the upper right corner of your browser window. If this does not resolve the error for you, please call Reference and Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
This message occurs when a user does not have permission to access electronic resources from off campus in the appropriate systems. If you fall into the Who has access category above and are receiving this message, please call Reference & Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
If you receive an error saying that EZProxy has not been set up for an electronic resource, the link may need updating on our end. Please call Reference & Discovery Services at 517-353-8700 or submit this form for further assistance.
How do I create a stable link to an e-journal, e-book chapter, or streaming video?
Stable links are URLs for proprietary online library resources (i.e. journal articles, e-books, streaming media) that can be consistently and safely used to share resources with other students and faculty/staff. Please see our Stable Links for Electronic Resources guide for instructions on creating stable links.
How do I access MSU Libraries resources when using Google Scholar?
- Go to Google Scholar
- Click the menu to the left of My Profile, in the upper-left corner
- Click on "Settings"
- Click on "Library Links"
- Search for Michigan State University
- Select "Michigan State University Libraries – MSU Libraries Access" and "BTAA MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - ProQuest Fulltext" by checking the boxes
- Click "Save"
- Do your search in Google Scholar
- Click on the link for "MSU Libraries Access" that will appear to the right of the title of the resource and you'll be prompted for your MSU login information to access that resource. Please Note – if you click on the title and not the "MSU Libraries Access" link you won’t be taken to the full-text of the resource.