Author Topic: Ancestry from Library website  (Read 1895 times)

Offline Gallicrow

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Ancestry from Library website
« on: Friday 03 July 20 15:19 BST (UK) »
Yesterday someone pointed out to me that I could use Ancestry from home whilst the Oxfordshire libraries are closed. This worked brilliantly yesterday, but today when I tried to use it I got the following message when clicking on the Ancestry Link on https://libcat.oxfordshire.gov.uk/web/arena/my-account (whilst logged onto my library account):

Quote
We were unable to confirm that you are an authorized user, because no "referring URL" was received or it was unrecognized. Ancestry Library Edition uses the referring URL to verify that you are accessing the product through an authorized institution. Your browser normally transmits the referring URL automatically.

Any ideas what I can do to solve this? I've tried clearing my browser cache and using a different browser (I usually use Firefox - Chrome gave me the same error).

I'm loathe to start mucking around with Firewall settings because, as I said, this worked well yesterday.
Eva family in Devon and Cornwall.
Bowdidge family in Devon and Dorset.

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #1 on: Friday 03 July 20 15:28 BST (UK) »
At a guess I would say that the library service no longer allows you to access Ancestry at home?
Probably only allowed during lockdown.
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline Nick_Ips

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #2 on: Friday 03 July 20 15:58 BST (UK) »
Any ideas what I can do to solve this?

Try logging out of your library account, logging in again, then try the Ancestry link.

The link on my area's site generates a url that contains a username and password and sets up a session with a fixed expiry time.  If I try using Ancestry the next day it looks like it is working fine until I try and view an image, at which point it goes back to the Ancestry Library home page.

It seems the process of terminating a previous session is a bit flaky.

Your problem sounds like it is one stage further back, with the library site not generating the url correctly.  I'm guessing that being logged on already might be interfering with the process of creating a new session.

If that doesn't work then try contacting your library's online support service.

My area still has access (I've just tried it), so although your area might be different, it doesn't appear to be a blanket removal of access by Ancestry.

Offline Gallicrow

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #3 on: Friday 03 July 20 16:09 BST (UK) »
Thanks. I have tried logging out and back again (and obviously trying from a different browser meant I had to log in for the first time from that browser). I tried the "Ask a librarian" link from the Oxfordshire county library website and, much to my surprise, received a reply from a real person almost straight away! No solution yet but she confirmed that the link should still be working.
Eva family in Devon and Cornwall.
Bowdidge family in Devon and Dorset.


Offline Nick_Ips

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #4 on: Friday 03 July 20 16:32 BST (UK) »
Thanks. I have tried logging out and back again (and obviously trying from a different browser meant I had to log in for the first time from that browser).

I was working on the basis the logging out process might be important to clear something from your account, before it was set up properly again for a new Ancestry session.

In which case just logging in from a different browser might not clear the 'something' hanging about from the previous session.

I've also been told in the past that the Ancestry Library system is restricted by IP address (so using your own laptop in the library wouldn't work). So it is possible whatever system is used for the temporary access is remembering your IP address, and therefore clearing the cache and using a different browser isn't enough to force the system to generate a new session correctly.

Or it might just be a simple error on your library's website.

I tried the "Ask a librarian" link from the Oxfordshire county library website and, much to my surprise, received a reply from a real person almost straight away!

I guess there are quite a lot of rather bored librarians at the moment, sitting around hoping the phone will ring.  ;D

Offline candleflame

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #5 on: Friday 03 July 20 16:50 BST (UK) »
Lucky you that you have an ask a librarian ! Our site doesn't, it simply says it's closed. My brother had wanted to access it for Ancestry but the site said the library card needed updating , despite being used online in the past, so couldn't get in and no one to ask either.
North East of England

Online GrahamSimons

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #6 on: Friday 03 July 20 17:10 BST (UK) »
Cumbria is offering FindMyPast from home during lockdown. All went wrong when a user changed the password! Now fixed, fortunately. However it only allows so many searches in a day and in a month so late evenings and last week of the month aren't very productive.
Simons Barrett Jaffray Waugh Langdale Heugh Meade Garnsey Evans Vazie Mountcure Glascodine Parish Peard Smart Dobbie Sinclair....
in Stirlingshire, Roxburghshire; Bucks; Devon; Somerset; Northumberland; Carmarthenshire; Glamorgan

Offline alderjones

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #7 on: Friday 03 July 20 19:09 BST (UK) »
Had problem with Ancestry on accessing it from Cheshire libraries. Got search page up but clicking on it just returned same page. Pursued with their technical help who suggested use different browser etc but never got it to work yet findmypast was ok.

Offline Nick_Ips

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Re: Ancestry from Library website
« Reply #8 on: Friday 03 July 20 19:32 BST (UK) »
Had problem with Ancestry on accessing it from Cheshire libraries. Got search page up but clicking on it just returned same page. Pursued with their technical help who suggested use different browser etc but never got it to work yet findmypast was ok.

If the page you get returned to is the same as the one you see on this address:-
https://www.ancestrylibraryedition.co.uk/

Then it looks like you are having the same problem I sometimes get.

It seems to happen when the AncestryLibrary session has expired, or hasn't started properly to begin with.  The only way I've found to get round it is to make sure you are logged out of both Ancestry and your library account, then log back in to the library account and follow the link they have provided.

There doesn't seem to be a way of logging out of AncestryLibrary - which makes it harder to start over again.

But usually if you keep trying it will eventually let you do a search.

GrahamSimons comment is interesting, it raises the possibility of problems being caused by reaching some kind of user limit.