Software error - e-journals and Aston e-Library

We are currently experiencing problems with accessing e-journals via "Find it @ Aston". This will also affect access via Aston e-Library.

When clicking on the "Find it @ Aston" button, or the red SFX symbol, you may see the following (or similar):

Software error:

IOL::Base::_execute_single_update: Cannot execute         INSERT INTO
     SFX_REQUEST (SERIALIZED,MODIFIED)
     VALUES (?,NOW())
The table 'SFX_REQUEST' is full
Parameters:    1234      ContextObject::Engine  

We are aware of this problem and are currently working with our providers to get it resolved. We will keep this blog post updated with any further developments, so do check back here to monitor the situation.

Update: this problem has now been fixed, so you should not be getting the Software error any more. If you see this, or any other error message, please do e-mail enquiries with details of your difficulty.

Access problems with ScienceDirect

We are currently experiencing technical problems with access to ScienceDirect. Elsevier, the suppliers of ScienceDirect are aware of the problems and are working to resolve them. This is an issue that is affecting all ScienceDirect users, not just Aston.

If you are looking for a certain journal title you can search for it via the catalogue or the Aston eLibrary and use the find it @ Aston option to see if it is available on any other databases as well as ScienceDirect.

It is hoped that the problem will be resolved within 3 hours and apologise for the inconvenience.

Enhancements to IEEE Xplore

The library has recently extended its subscription to IEEE Xplore to include the IEEE-Wiley eBooks Library. Previously Aston University staff and students had access to the journal, conferences and standards within this resource. This now represents a full subscription to all the content within IEEE Xplore – if you get an item in your IEEE Xplore search results, you should be able to access the full text.

Note that the IEEE-Wiley eBooks are also listed on the library catalogue, so a keyword search for your topic of interest on the library catalogue or via MARs will also find relevant IEEE-Wiley eBooks.

Aston University staff and students have online access to this comprehensive resource which can be accessed via Aston e-Library. There is no login required on-campus. However, alongside the extra content for IEEE Xplore, the login procedure for off-campus users has been improved – a separate username/password is not required and you can now login using your Aston University username and password.

User guides and online tutorials are available from the IEEE website and these give an overview of the key tasks, including advanced searching, refining your results, and saving your search. These cover the new interface and are worth looking at if you haven’t used IEEE Xplore since the switch-over.

If you have any feedback or comments to make about this resource, please add a comment to this post.

Lift out of action from August 23rd

The lift in the Library will be out of action for approximately 2 weeks from August 23rd due to the refurbishment. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes. If you need to use the lift, please continue to come to the Library and staff will be more than willing to fetch any material that you need.

Technical problem linking to journal articles

There is currently a technical problem with links to journal articles via the Library Catalogue and the Aston e-Library (14:25, 16th August 2010). You can still obtain access to journal articles from the list of Electronic Resources on the Library home page or from full-text journal databases using the Find Resource tab within the Aston e-Library.

Please note: problem now resolved (14:40, 16th August 2010).

Cafe Closure: 17th August

The cafe in the Library will be closed from Tuesday 17th August due to the refurbishment and will remained closed until the ground floor of the Library re-opens during the Autumn term.

Library Matters on Blackboard is being improved

Library staff are re-organising some of the content on Library Matters. The revised module will be available shortly. In the meantime, if you have any questions, problems or difficulties in accessing content please contact library@aston.ac.uk

Springerlink new platform

Springer have launched a new journals platform: http://springerlink.metapress.com/

New Wiley Platform

Wiley has launched its new Online Library today: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/. See here for new features: http://info.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/view/0/Features.html/

Access to Lexis Library and Nexis UK

Due to a problem with the login system, on and off-campus access to Lexis Library is currently unavailable. Off-campus access to Nexis UK is also unavailable. While we attempt to fix this, Nexis UK is still available on-campus and can be accessed off-campus by going via the proxy server. We will add a comment to this post when the problem is fixed. Apologies for the inconvenience.

**UPDATE** While the suppliers are trying to fix this problem, they have set up IP access to Lexis Library for us. This means that Lexis Library is now available on-campus, and can be accessed via the proxy server from off-campus.