Q. Why am I seeing a message that my access to online Library resources has been temporarily suspended?

If you are refused access to an online resource (e.g. you see a message that your access to an online resource has been "temporarily suspended" or see a message on a publisher's website stating that an "IP Block" is in place) please contact us and provide the name of the resource you were trying to view.

The most common cause is that a University of Liverpool Library customer has undertaken activities on the site that are contrary to the publisher’s license terms (usually, systematic or excessive downloading of material). In order to stop this activity, the publisher places a block against access by all University of Liverpool Library customers.

In some instances this is genuine misuse (intentional or otherwise) by a University of Liverpool member of staff or student. See information about acceptable use of library online resources for advice about behaviour that may trigger a resource block.

In some instances, however, the MWS login of a University of Liverpool member of staff or student may have been compromised, and is being used by a third party to illegally download content from the publisher site. In line with the IT Information Security Policy, in these cases the Library must request to IT Services that the account be reset, in order to secure it.

IT Services provide comprehensive information about security and safe computing, to help customers avoid this happening to them.   

In either case, the Library must identify and resolve the source of the misuse before the publisher will lift the IP block.  This can take up to 48 hours (depending of the cause and speed of response by publishers and support services).

Check out our alternative means of accessing library resources while the issue is being resolved.

If this problem persists please let us know.