Troubleshooting HeritageQuest

1. Cookies must be ON

Check your web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.) to make sure the Cookie setting is turned to On, Enable, or Allow. You must allow cookies or else the system will not be able to tell you have logged on.

2. Turn off any "security" or "speed" options

Security software such as Norton Internet Security, and security updates to your web browser or other Internet software, may be blocking Cookies even if your web browser settings seem okay. You can try turning off any new options to see if that fixes the problem. If you need help changing the settings on your security software, please see the ProQuest tech support pages or contact the technical support for your software.

Turn off any "speed up" features in your Internet service and your web browser. These store web pages in a local "cache" to speed up your Internet browsing. Unfortunately, this means once you get an error connecting to HeritageQuest, your web browser will just show you the error again every time, instead of going to the real HeritageQuest website. Check your Tools or Preferences to make sure pages will be updated "automatically" or "every time."

If you use AOL, make sure TopSpeed is turned off before trying to connect to HeritageQuest:

1. Go to "Internet Options" and click on the "AOL Browser" tab
2. In the section "Top Speed" click on "Do not store Web Pages"

If that doesn't work, we suggest trying this:

1. Start up AOL
2. Minimize it (click the little box with a minus sign in it near the top right of the AOL window)
3. Start another web browser, such as Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer
4. Use that to connect to our website for database access.

3. Refresh or return here at login - password page

If you enter your library card number and then get a page that asks for a HeritageQuest login and password, try clicking the "Refresh" or "Reload" button in your web browser.

4. Try the Newspaper Articles link

Click the Magazines, Newspapers, & More link in the menu at the left side of the page and then click the Newspaper Articles link. If you can get to Newspaper Articles, then your Cookie settings are fine.

Tip: Sometimes going to Newspaper Articles, and then back to HeritageQuest, will work. If you couldn't get to HeritageQuest, try connecting to Newspaper Articles and then going back and re-trying HeritageQuest.

5. Verify your library card hasn't expired

If your library card has expired, you will not be able to reach HeritageQuest. Please call your library to find out if your card has expired. If it has, you will need to go to the circulation desk at the library to renew your card.

6. Note which error message you are getting

If you still can't get into HeritageQuest after trying these steps, you can report the problem to us, but there are only some types of problems that we can fix.

• If you get an error message after entering your library bar code number, saying "Your library barcode was not recognized" then either you have a typo in your bar code, or your library card is expired or invalid for some reason. Try typing your bar code number again, and if it still doesn't work, go to your local library and have them check for any problems with your account.
  
  
• If the error says "This resource is only accessible to Sonoma County Library patrons" then you are using a library card from out of the area. We have only paid HeritageQuest for Sonoma County access to their system.
  
  
• If the error says "Could Not Establish Connection to Server" then let us know. Be sure to tell us the exact wording of the error message. We can restart the connection and that should fix the problem.
  
  
• If you are getting asked for a login and password, and step 3 above doesn't help: you can let us know, but this may be due to a problem with your computer or with the HeritageQuest system, and it is usually not something we can get fixed quickly. If you have Cookies turned off, do not report the login and password message to us as a problem. As long as you have Cookies turned off, you will always get this problem, and only you can fix it. See Step 1 at the top of this page.

6. Check the technical support page from HeritageQuest

The ProQuest company provides answers to frequent questions and problems with HeritageQuest on their website:

Browser Help

Run the ProQuest browser "Health Check"

7. Go to your local branch of the library

If you can't get to HeritageQuest from home, use it from the library. All branches of the Sonoma County Library have access to HeritageQuest from the public computers.

Branch hours and locations are listed on each library's page. See the list of library branches.

More help:
ProQuest Support site