LibAnswers

Currently Udemy, presented by Gale, is intended for use within Johnson County, Kansas, by Johnson County Library and Olathe Public Library patrons who have traditional library cards.

To prevent fraudulent use of the service, Gale has applied geolocation measures that prevent using our Library's Udemy subscription from far outside of Johnson County and the state of Kansas. Library eCards are not eligible to access this resource from any location.

Recommendation:

When accessing Udemy through our Library:

• Login with your traditional library card while you are physically located in or very near Johnson County, and use a local internet network.
• On mobile devices, connecting to the internet on a local Wi-Fi network will be more reliable than internet via a carrier's cellular data network.
• Ensure your device's time zone is in Central Time (CT). Check the time at https://time.gov.
• Avoid using a virtual private network (VPN) or other systems that mask your local network's IP address, which may cause Gale to flag your account as "suspicious" and block your access.
• When creating your Gale account for Udemy, use the same device to register your account and to access your email to use the activation link.
   

If you encounter an error:

If you attempted to register for a Gale account to access Udemy and clicking the account activation link in your email takes you to a "404 Page Not Found" error page, first close that window or tab. Then go back to the Library's website to access Udemy again, and enter the email address and password you created for your Gale account. In most cases you will be able to get into Udemy this way.

If you are located outside of Johnson County or using VPN when you attempt to use Udemy through our Library, you may get an error such as, "Suspicious Activity Detected, we cannot verify your library affiliation," or, "Please ask your library to contact us to confirm that your email address is for a patron in good standing." Your account usually will continue to be denied access, even once you return to Johnson County or disconnect from VPN, until the Library contacts Gale Support on your behalf to verify that you have a valid library account.

To restore your Udemy access:

First ensure that no old data on your device is interfering:

1. Clear your web browser's cache and cookies.
2. Close the browser.
3. Be sure your device's time zone is set to U.S. Central Time.
4. Be sure you're connected to a local wireless network, not a VPN.
5. Try signing in again through the Library's website. 

If you still encounter trouble accessing Udemy through our Library, please contact us with the following information:

• Library card number
• Email address used on your Udemy account
• The error message(screenshots are very helpful)
• A description of the steps you took that led to the error

We know many of our patrons are frequent travelers and are part of the larger Kansas City metro area, Kansas, Missouri and beyond. We are working in conjunction with Gale to provide secure, reliable Udemy access to all of our library card holders. We will contact Gale Support on your behalf to promptly investigate and address this issue. Thank you for your patience!

Share your thoughts

Udemy has been in the consumer market since 2010 but is new to libraries. They have partnered with Gale, a well-respected library content provider, to adapt their product to meet library needs. This is a work in progress. Gale and Udemy are fine-tuning their systems based on feedback from library users, and the Library is providing access to this product now for our patrons who would like to explore Udemy content immediately and shape its future in libraries. If you would like to share your thoughts, please contact us.