Kansas Library Card
Login Help Information Frequently Asked Questions
Kansas Library Card Logo: Visit your local library to get a free card and gain access to quality research tools online

Kansas Library Card Frequently Asked Questions

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About the Card | Getting a Card | Using the Card
Keeping the Card | Getting Help


About the Card

1. What is the Kansas Library Card?

The Kansas Library Card is your entry to online library resources, including high quality information and research databases.

2. The KSLC provides access to the following research databases

  • Custom Newspapers
  • FirstSearch
  • Heritage Quest
  • InfoTrac
  • Literature Resource Center
  • NetLibrary e-Books
  • OverDrive audio books and music
  • Proquest Nursing Journals
  • SIRS Discoverer Deluxe (for grades K-12)
  • WorldBook

See http://www.kslc.org/databases.jsp for more information about each database.

3. What does the Kansas Library Card cost?

The card is a free service of the State Library of Kansas.

4. Who can get a Kansas Library Card?

Any resident of Kansas can apply for a Kansas Library Card. Participating libraries and schools may require some proof of residency before issuing the card.

5. Is there an age limit for the Kansas Library Card?

No, the card is available to all Kansas residents. However, very young Kansans will likely need a parent or guardian to furnish proof of their residency. And online digital resources will be of little use to young residents who have not learned to read or type.

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Getting a Card

6. How do I get a Kansas Library Card?

a. Apply in person at your local library or school. Many libraries and schools in Kansas participate in the Kansas Library Card program. The library or school may require some proof of your Kansas residency. The staff will use a computer to enter your fullname and date of birth into the Kansas Library Card database. They will write or type your PIN on the front of a Kansas Library Card, and the date of issuance on the back of the card. You will then need to sign the back of the card in the space provided. The card is then ready for you to use.

b. Apply online. You can get a 30-day temporary account by clicking here. Then simply complete the online form and click the Submit button. You will have 30 days to appear in person at a participating library or school to have your account validated.

7. I reside outside of Kansas - can I still get a card?

No. The Kansas Library Card program is available to Kansas residents only.

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Using the Card

8. How does the Kansas Library Card Work?

The card comes with a personal identification number (PIN) written on the front. This PIN, together with the cardholder's date of birth, allows the cardholder to login to the Kansas Library Card system (http://www.kslc.org) using any computer with Internet access.

9. How is the Kansas Library Card used?

The Kansas Library Card will work with any computer with Internet access and Web browser Internet Explorer or Netscape version 4.0 or better set to accept cookies. WebTV users must have version 2.8 of MSN TV in order to work properly.

Point your browser to the Internet address on the front of the card (www.kslc.org), then key in your PIN and date of birth. Then click on the "Login" button. Your browser will take you to a Web page with links to the digital resources available to Kansas Library Card holders. Click on each link you wish to use. When you are finished, point your Web browser to any site other than the Kansas Library Card homepage. That will conclude your Kansas Library Card session.

10. Will my use of the Kansas Library Card be monitored?

Your name, date of birth, and Kansas Library Card PIN are the only personal information kept on the Kansas Library Card computer.

Privacy statement: "Activity data incurred by use of the Kansas Library Card for remote access to online databases is collected. Such data is collected to determine the usefulness of the card. Personal information will be kept confidential to the extent of the law."

11. Where do I login to access the databases?

After obtaining a KSLC account, you can login to the KSLC web site at http://www.kslc.org.

12. Where can I use the Kansas Library Card?

The KSLC remote access program is intended for use at home or when you're away from your school or local library. Kansas academic, public, and school libraries should apply for direct access to the databases (via IP recognition, etc.) rather than use the KSLC program for in-library database access.

13. Can I use the Kansas Library Card to check out books, magazines, tapes, videos, CDs, DVDs, or other library materials?

No, the Kansas Library Card is a tool to access digital information only. It cannot be used for borrowing physical materials of any kind.

14. How much of the information available with the Kansas Library Card is useful to non-English language readers?

All of the help information on the Kansas Library Card web site (www.kslc.org) is available in Spanish (http://www.kslc.org/?MIval=spanish). The databases at Infotrac include Informé, a Spanish-language database. The FirstSearch interface and online help files are available in Spanish and French as well as in English.

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Keeping the Card

15. When does a Kansas Library Card expire?

Each card will automatically expire three years from the date it was issued.

16. How do I renew my Kansas Library Card?

Simply go to your nearest participating library or school with your proof of Kansas residency. Many participating libraries and schools display the Kansas Library Card logo. The staff will renew your account.

Or, renew it yourself online. To renew your account, click here. Just enter your library card PIN and date of birth, then click the Submit button.

17. What do I do if my Kansas Library Card is lost or stolen?

Return to your nearest participating library or school to report it get a replacement card. Or, apply online for a new one by clicking here. Then simply complete the online form and click the Submit button. You will have 30 days to appear in person at a participating library or school to have your account validated.

18. I've lost my pin number - who should I contact?

Contact your local library to retrieve your pin number.

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Getting Help

19. I receive an error message when attempting to login.
Who should I contact for help?

Contact your local library to verify that your account is valid and that you have entered the correct login information.

Please note that your library card account must be renewed annually. Visit your local library or participating school media center to renew your account for another year. Your library may ask you for the following information to help you troubleshoot the problem:

  • What is the exact error message you receive?
  • What is the URL (web address)of the page you are trying to login at?
  • What web browser and version you are using? You can find out what browser version you are using by selecting the 'Help' menu located at the top of your browser window, and then choose the 'About' option.

    Note: to access the KSLC service, your browser must be either Netscape or Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher, and it must accept cookies.

  • Your Name, KSLC PIN number, birthdate, and e-mail address or telephone number.

Unresolved problems will be forwarded to the technical staff at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

20. Troubleshooting Login Problems with KSLC Users

Mistyping login passwords and the use of firewall applications which disallow cookies and referring URLs from being accessed are the two most common problems reported by users.

Here's how to solve these problems:

Incorrect Password Caching

User: Can't login in IE, but can login if given a different login/password(mine) or using another browser.

Problem: Incorrect UserID/Password caching in browser's password manager. User attempted to login previously, mistyped their userid/passwd, and chose to save this incorrect login in their browser's password manager when prompted, "Do you want IE/NS to remember this login for this site?" Now, when that user tries to login, their browser is pulling that stored password from the profile it created and auto-completing the PIN and Birthdate fields with the wrong login.

Troubleshooting: First, verify that their account UserID and Password is correct. Ask the user go the KSLC login page, http://www.kslc.org and have them completely delete the PIN and BirthDate values already filled in. The user should then re-enter their PIN and Birthdate. Ask the user to read back their account PIN and DOB as they are typing it in to ensure that it's indeed correct.

Once the user has successfully logged in, they can then delete the stored profile that contains the incorrect login by opening their browser's password manager:

Internet Explorer 6: Tools > Internet Options > Content > AutoComplete > Clear Passwords
Netscape 7: Tools > Password Manager > Manage Stored Passwords >Find the kslc.org site and click remove

Firewall Use and Browser Security Settings

User: I'm using a firewall and can login to the KSLC, but not to a few of the databases (mainly Proquest DB's).

Problem: Proquest, WorldBook, HeritageQuest check the referring URL during authentication to make sure that the user is coming from our authenticated KSLC page and not any other web page. By default, most personal firewall applications will block the referring URL from being seen by the web server.

Troubleshooting: When trying to access a database the user receives an error message with instructions for configuring various firewall applications to allow referring URL information to be passed on to the database servers. The User needs to follow instructions on how to create a rule that allows referring URLs and cookies to be seen by the servers (databases) they want to access: fhttp://www.skyways.org/kslc/firewalls.pdf

Not all firewalls are covered here. Refer users to their firewall documentation for "Creating/customizing security rules." Disabling the firewall temporarily while using the databases will also work.

If you're using Norton Internet Security 2005, the following are instructions for allowing access to the Heritage Quest and other databases.

  1. Open Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.
  2. Click Intrusion Detection.
  3. Click Configure.
  4. On the AutoBlock tab, click Exclusions...
  5. Click Add.
  6. Using a network address" allows you to specify a network address and subnet to permit traffic from.
  7. Enter the following address individually :
    • .kslc.org
    • .skyways.org
    • .elibrary.com
    • .worldbookonline.com
    • .worldbook.com
    • .heritagequestonline.com
    • .proquest.umi.com
  8. Click OK. The computer now shows up in the Excluded Computers list.
  9. When you are done adding computers, click OK to close the exclusions window.
  10. Click OK.

If you're using Norton Internet Security 2004, the following are instructions for allowing access to the Heritage Quest database.

  1. Open NIS or NPF.
  2. Double-click Privacy Control, and then click Advanced.
  3. Click Add Site. A new site/domain box appears.
  4. Enter the name of the site that you want to receive the referrer information and click OK. For ProQuest add umi.com
  5. For HQO add heritagequestonline.com
  6. Click the name of the new site.
  7. Click the Global Settings tab.
  8. In the "Information about visited sites" section, clear "Use default settings."
  9. Click Permit.
  10. Click OK to close the Options window.

If you're using Norton Internet Security 2003, use these instructions:

  1. Open Norton Internet Security
  2. Click Options at the top of the screen
  3. Click On Norton Internet Security
  4. Click on Web Content
  5. Click Add Site at the bottom of the screen
  6. Enter the domain name heritagequestonline.com
  7. Click OK
  8. Click on heritagequestonline.com in the window on the left side of the window
  9. Uncheck "Use Default Settings" for "Information about your browser" and set it to Permit
  10. Uncheck "Use Default Settings" for "Information about visited sites" and set it to Permit.
  11. Click ok to exit

In addition, if a user has configured their web browser to not accept cookies or reject all scripting, then they'll need to change those settings as well to be able to login to the kslc and the databases.

More questions? Contact: kslc@kslib.info