Frequently Asked Questions

Subscription Questions

• What is the cost of a subscription?
• How do educational institutions access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
• How do I renew my subscription?

Assistance with Access

• Why can't I access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
• How do I set a cookie on a workstation so that I do not have to log in with the username and password each time I want to access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
• How do I enable my workstation's browser to accept cookies?
• How do I clear my browser¿s cache and delete cookies from my workstation?
• Every time I access Encyclopædia Britannica Online I have to log in again. Are cookies being deleted from my computer?

Britannica Product Inquiries

• Where can I find pricing and descriptions of other Encyclopædia Britannica products?
• Where can I find technical support for a Britannica CD or DVD product?
• Does Britannica provide training materials for Encyclopædia Britannica Online?

Subscription Questions

What is the cost of a subscription?
Subscriptions are available to educational institutions, and pricing is based on the number of users. Please contact our Sales Office at 1-800-621-3900 to determine your institution's price. Or you can request site license information online via our Online Site License Form.

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How do educational institutions access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
Once a site license has been purchased, Britannica enables access in one of two ways:

1. We can enable access based on a range of IP addresses.
2. If your institution does not own a range of IP addresses, Britannica also offers access using On-Site Non-IP Authentication or Remote Access Authentication.

Britannica's On-Site Non-IP Authentication provides access for authorized users at subscribing institutions that do not own a fixed range of IP addresses. A confidential username and password are assigned by Britannica and provided to the institution's system administrator. Each workstation within the institution is then authenticated with a Britannica cookie set on the machine by the institution's system administrator. Access from those workstations is thereby enabled for the life of the subscription, and users will not receive any prompts for username or password.

Britannica's Remote Access Authentication provides access for authorized users whose IP addresses are not within the subscribing institution's range of IP addresses--e.g., for distance learning or off-campus use. A username and password are assigned by Britannica and provided to the institution’s system administrator, along with HTML code to create a remote access button. This button is to be created on a secure Web page requiring authentication within the institution’s Web site (e.g., by a valid student/faculty ID number). Remote users must first be authenticated by the institution the institution's secure Web page before reaching the Remote Access button. Authorized users can then click on the remote access button to access Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

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How do I renew my subscription?
Please contact Britannica at 1-800-621-3900 to speak to a representative about renewal.

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Assistance with Access

Why can't I access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
Encyclopædia Britannica Online is a subscription site, so only institutions with a site license are able to access the Encyclopædia Britannica Online database and complete line of special features. Please check with your system administrator to verify that your institution's subscription is active.

If your institution is an active subscriber and you don't believe the problem is with your institution's Internet access or browser, please contact Britannica Customer Support by telephone (1-800-621-3900 ext. 6160), and a Support Representative can help diagnose the problem. You can also submit questions via the Britannica Customer Support form.

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How do I set a cookie on a workstation so that I do not have to log in with a username and password every time I want to access Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
To enable permanent access on a workstation, go to the Store Password Page and log in using the username and password assigned by Britannica. The Store Password Page will access Encyclopædia Britannica Online, and automatically set a cookie on the workstation for future access. Please note, the workstation’s browser must be set to accept cookies for this service to operate correctly. For information on enabling your browser to accept cookies, click here.

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How do I enable my workstation’s browser to accept cookies?
To enable cookies using Internet Explorer (version 6.0 and greater):

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the "Privacy" tab.
3. From the Privacy tab, drag the slider for the Privacy Settings to "Low."
4. Click "OK" and restart Internet Explorer.

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the "Security" tab.
3. Click "Default Level" and then drag the slider to "Medium."
4. Click "OK."

1. From the toolbar, select Edit > Preferences > Advanced.
2. In the Cookies area of the window, select either "Accept all Cookies" or "Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server."
3. Click "OK."

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How do I clear my browser's cache and delete cookies from my workstation?
If your institution is an active subscriber but you cannot access Encyclopædia Britannica Online, you may need to remove a Britannica cookie that has been previously stored on your computer. To remove the Britannica cookie, please click this link: Disable Britannica Cookie. Then, please enter your username and password to log in.

If you are still unable to log in, and you believe a Britannica cookie that was previously stored on your computer is still active, please follow the instructions below for deleting the cookie from your browser.

1. Double-click the C: drive.
2. Double-click the "Documents and Settings" folder.
3. Double-click the folder that corresponds with your user account.
4. Double-click the "Cookies" folder.
5. From the "View" menu at the top of the window, select "List."
6. Look for any cookies that look like this: yourlogin@eb.txt or yourlogin@eb[1].txt (where yourlogin is your log-in ID). Please note that you may also see a cookie with a '2' in the brackets of the filename (e.g., yourlogin@eb[2].txt).
7. Delete any and all of those cookies.
8. Close the "Cookies" folder. Close any browsers that you may have had open (this removes any session cookies).
9. Open a new browser window and point it to http://school.eb.com.

1. Find and double-click the "Cookies" folder on your workstation¿s hard drive.
2. From the "View" menu at the top of the window, select "List."
3. Look for any cookies that look like this: yourlogin@eb.txt or yourlogin@eb[1].txt (where yourlogin is your log-in ID). Please note that you may also see a cookie with a '2' in the brackets of the filename (e.g., yourlogin@eb[2].txt).
4. Delete any and all of those cookies.
5. Close the "Cookies" folder. Close any browsers that you may have had open (this removes any session cookies).
6. Open a new browser window and point it to http://school.eb.com.

1. Click on "Explorer" (OS X) or "Edit" (OS 9 and earlier).
2. Choose "Preferences."
3. Scroll down to "Advanced."
4. Click "Empty now" in the Cache section.
5. Click "OK."

1. Click on "Explorer" (OS X) or "Edit" (OS 9 and earlier).
2. Choose "Preferences."
3. Scroll down to "Receiving Files" and choose "Cookies."
4. On the right-hand side of the window, select and delete any cookie containing server string "eb.com."
5. Click "OK."

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Every time I access Encyclopædia Britannica Online I have to log in again. Are cookies being deleted from my computer?
Once a computer has been logged in, students should not be prompted to log in again. If students are asked repeatedly to log in on the same computer, the cookies are probably being deleted.

If a school provides individual network log-in accounts for each student, Britannica recommends that the school set up the network profiles so that cookies can be shared between accounts.

If school computers are set up to delete cookies periodically, then their Britannica cookie will be deleted. If possible, set up the computer so that the Britannica cookie is not deleted.

Schools using Deepfreeze^TM, Fortress^TM, or other security software products that refresh computers frequently may also be deleting the Britannica cookie. Britannica recommends including the school's Britannica cookie within the Deepfreeze^TM refresh itself, so that the computer will automatically be logged in when it is refreshed.

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Britannica Product Inquiries

Where can I find pricing and descriptions of other Encyclopædia Britannica products?
Please call 1-800-621-3900 to request a free catalog or to speak to one of our representatives.

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Where can I find technical support for a Britannica CD or DVD product?
Technical support for Britannica CD and DVD products, including Frequently Asked Questions and Contact information, can be found at http://support.britannica.com.

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Does Britannica provide training materials for Encyclopædia Britannica Online?
From Britannica's training site, users can download materials describing Britannica educational resources and giving tips for using them. These documents can be printed and distributed or displayed in the classroom.

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