Off Campus Connectivity

Configuring Internet Explorer for Off Campus Access on a PC: Broadband

Note: these instructions are for PCs only. Macintosh users should use Firefox or Safari.

If you do not have Internet Explorer version 5.5 SP1 or above, you need to download Internet Explorer version 6 SP 1 before you can complete these steps. Internet Explorer 7 is not yet recommended by Grinnell College ITS, but these instructions will also work for IE 7 if you are already using it.

• If you have Internet Explorer version 5.5 (without SP1 or SP2) or below, download Internet Explorer version 6 SP 1 (free download) , and then continue on to the instructions below.
• If you have Internet Explorer version 5.5 SP1, 5.5 SP2, 6, or 7, continue on to the instructions below.

To check which version of Internet Explorer you have:

• Open Internet Explorer.
• In the top menu bar, under Help, select About Internet Explorer .
• The major version is shown as a number followed by a decimal point (like 5.5), plus more numbers and letters for the "minor" version. (You don't need to worry about the minor version.) The update version (SP1, SP2, or nothing) will be shown below the main version number.

Configure Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, or 7 for Off Campus Access: Broadband

• Open Internet Explorer.
• In the top menu bar, click Tools to open the Tools menu, and then click on Internet Options...


• In the Internet Options menu that pops up, click on the Connections tab.
• Click the LAN Settings... button.

• In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window that pops up, click the box next to Use automatic configuration script. There should be a check mark in the box.
• In the address box type: http://cat.lib.grinnell.edu:8080/proxy.pac (It may be easier to copy and paste the URL from here.)
• Clicking on the box next to Automatically detect settings is optional. In rare cases, this box must be unchecked for the script to work.

• Click OK to close the Connection Settings window. Click OK to close Internet Options window.

Your browser should now be configured to access library resources from off campus. You do not need to restart your browser.

One more thing...
When you try to access a licensed resource, you will be prompted to type your campus username and password.

Now you should be able to access library databases and indexes as well as electronic course reserves. If you have any problems, please contact Gail J. Bonath - bonath@grinnell.edu, 641-269-3358 or Sheryl Bissen - bissen@grinnell.edu, 641-269-3359.