Library > Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing any issues with Library systems or accessing resources, the information here may be able to help.

Search the known issues to see if what you're experiencing is listed. If it is not listed or the solution provided does not resolve your issue, report it to the Library.

You can filter by keyword and/or category.

Known issues

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Library collections

These issues relate to accessing your Library account and online resources.

If you are trying to use the Library Collections Search but only get a blank page, try the steps outlined to resolve the issue.

  • You should clear your browser cookies and cache before trying to access the page again.

  • Try accessing the page in a different web browser (e.g. Edge or Chrome) or in an incognito/private browser window.

If you have completed these steps but still get a blank page, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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Usually, if you cannot login to My Account, it is because you are using the wrong username and/or password.

Follow the steps below to resolve this issue.

If you have completed these steps but still cannot log in, please report your issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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When you are trying to view an online Library resource (e.g. via the Library Collections Search or a course reading list), you may be asked to log in via the following form.

The authentication form to access Library resources

If you are unable to log in, try the following steps.

  • If you are not a current La Trobe student or staff member, make sure the checkbox confirming that is selected.

    If you are a current La Trobe student or staff member, make sure that checkbox is not selected.

  • Select the 'Unsure of your username/ID?' link and check that you are using the correct format for your username.

  • Select the 'Forgot password?' link to see what password you should be using. If you cannot remember your password, select the appropriate link to reset it.

  • There is a known issue where the login to databases expires and will not work despite your login working elsewhere. In this instance, you will need to reset your password.
    Note: La Trobe students/staff will need to reset your La Trobe password, whereas other patrons will need to reset your Library password.

If you have completed these steps but still cannot access the online resource, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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We strongly recommend using the new and improved Library Collections Search.

If you would like to use the previous (legacy) interface, you can do so until 11 October 2026 via the link below. Please note that any saved searches or permalinks from this version will no longer be accessible after 11 October.

Access the legacy search interface

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The process of logging in to the ClinicalKey website can be a bit confusing. If you are experiencing issues, try the following steps.

  • If you have not previously registered with ClinicalKey, you will need to register to create an account.
    Note: Use your La Trobe email address (e.g. 123456@students.latrobe.edu.au) when registering.

  • If you had registered with ClinicalKey while on La Trobe's network (e.g. on-site at a campus), then connect to the University's VPN and then try logging in again.

  • If the login page is not showing a green bar under the header saying 'Welcome! We recognize your network - La Trobe University', then you will need to identify your institution as La Trobe before logging in.

    To do this:

    1. Select 'Log in via your institution', which is listed under 'More options'.
    2. Type 'La Trobe' in the search field and then select 'La Trobe University'.

  • If none of the previous steps have resolved the issue and you have a ClinicalKey account, we recommend chatting directly with them to troubleshoot any queries relating to your account.

    A 'Live chat' option is available in the bottom-right corner of the ClinicalKey login page.

If you are still unable to log in to ClinicalKey, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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SciVal requires you to register individually before you can access it.

Create an account using your La Trobe email address (e.g. 12345678@students.latrobe.edu.au) and then log in with the details that you registered with.

Note: Do not use the 'Sign in via your organization' option as this will not work. You must sign in using your email address and password.

If you have created an account but are still unable to log in to SciVal, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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To sign in to SciVal or Scopus, you should use the email address and password that you registered to their site with. If you are off campus, you will need to use the VPN or one of these links to SciVal or Scopus (to access the site via the Library Collections).

Do not select the option to 'Sign in via your organization', as that will lead to a loop or an error message like the following:

La Trobe University - Stale Request

You may be seeing this page because you used the Back button while browsing a secure web site or application. Alternatively, you may have mistakenly bookmarked the web login form instead of the actual web site you wanted to bookmark or used a link created by somebody else who made the same mistake.

Left unchecked, this can cause errors on some browsers or result in you returning to the web site you tried to leave, so this page is presented instead.

Please completely close and re-open your browser if this problem persists.

If you have created an account but are still unable to sign in to SciVal or Scopus, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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The first time you sign in to Westlaw, you may need to set up the La Trobe single sign-on. Every time after that, you should be signed in automatically.

To set up the single sign-on, complete the following steps.

  • Go to Westlaw via either the Help Guide for Law or the database entry in the Library Collections Search.

  • On the login page, select 'Access with single sign-on'.

  • In the 'Organisation email or group ID' field, enter your La Trobe email address.
    Note: This should be in the format '12345678@students.latrobe.edu.au' or 'j.bloggs@latrobe.edu.au'.

    Select the checkboxes for 'Remember email/group ID' and 'Always use single sign-on' and then select 'Continue'.

  • You will then see the La Trobe sign in, where you enter your La Trobe username and password.
    Note: Your username should be in the format '12345678@students.ltu.edu.au' or 'jbloggs@ltu.edu.au'.

  • You should now be signed into Westlaw with your own La Trobe account.

If you are still unable to sign into Westlaw, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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To access Visible Body Courseware, you will need to have accepted the invitation sent by your lecturer or subject coordinator and created a personal Visible Body account.

When creating your account, you will need to use a Library computer, be connected to the Library's network or have a valid University Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection.

Creating a personal Visible Body account

Once you are connected to the Library network or University VPN, complete the following steps.

  • Open the invitation link sent to you by your lecturer or subject coordinator.
    Note: If you don't have an invitation link, check your La Trobe email inbox as well as the spam/junk folder. If you still can't find it or the link doesn't work (e.g. it has expired), contact your lecturer or subject coordinator.

  • Follow the prompts to create your personal Visible Body account using your La Trobe email address (e.g. 12345678@students.latrobe.edu.au) and a unique password.
    Note: More information about setting up your personal account can found in Visible Body's Getting Started with Courseware (Students) guide.

  • Sign in to Visible Body Courseware.
    Note: Check that your device meets the system requirements to run the Courseware.

If you are still unable to access Visible Body Courseware, please contact your lecturer or subject coordinator.

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If you are trying to access a resource on Ebook Central via the Library Collections Search and get an error saying 'Unfortunately, this link doesn't seem to be working', please follow these steps:

  • Access the Ebook Central database in the Library collections and select one of the links in its 'View it' section.

  • Search for the resource on the Ebook Central site.

  • Please let the Library know of this error so that we can fix the issue. Do this by reporting the problem to the Library (including the resource title and the URL that produced the error message).
    Note: If you were able to access the resource through Ebook Central, please let us know when reporting the issue.

If you were unable to access the resource on Ebook Central, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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If you are trying to access a resource on Standards Online (Intertek Inform) and are getting an error, please refer to the following steps.

  • There is a limit on concurrent users (i.e. the number of users accessing resources at any one time) on the Standards Online site, so try accessing the resource at a later time.
    Note: When you finish with a resource (or have downloaded it), log out from Standards Online to free up access for another user.

  • If you try to open a PDF and are getting an error (e.g. 'Failed to load PDF document'), this is because PDFs from Standards Online are encrypted and can only be opened in a PDF viewer (not in a web browser).

    Download the PDF file and open it in a PDF viewer (e.g. Acrobat Reader).
    Note: When opening the encrypted file, you will see a security warning saying the document is trying to connect to 'doc.drm.saiglobal.com'. Select 'Allow' to approve the connection and view the document. For more information, view Intertek Inform's Digital Rights Management.

If you are still experiencing issues accessing resources on Standards Online, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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If you are unable to view a resource and get one of the following error messages, try the steps outlined to resolve the issue.

Error messages:

  • Bad request
  • Request header fields too large
  • Request header field exceeds server limit
  • You may have logged in too many times in your session
  • Error 400 or 431

If you have completed these steps but still get the error message, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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If you are accessing Library resources and are repeatedly being asked to complete a CAPTCHA (i.e. a test) to verify that you are human, you should connect to La Trobe University's VPN.

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The Library membership that you had as a La Trobe student or staff member does not continue once you leave the University. You will need to request La Trobe University Alumni membership.

View La Trobe University Alumni membership information

If you have a La Trobe University Alumni membership and Library card but still cannot borrow resources, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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Some resources are restricted to current La Trobe students and staff only (often eBooks fall in this category). These restrictions are set by the publishers of the database or online resource (not by the Library).

As a La Trobe University Alumni, you have free access to a limited range of online databases for non-commercial/personal use only.

More online resources can be accessed on a guest computer at our Melbourne (Bundoora), Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga campus libraries, as the database/resource will identify that you are using a Library computer to access the material.

You may also find our Open Educational resources and guide to Open Access sources helpful.

If you believe that a specific resource should be available to La Trobe University Alumni but you cannot access it, please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

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Related links

  • Library FAQs
    Frequently asked questions related to Library services and facilities.