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Trying to access Gale through the Wikipedia Library portal gives me a "403 Forbidden" error on both my primary desktop computer and on mobile, regardless of the database (Power Search, Academic OneFile, In Context...). Logging off and on again did not fix the issue.DigitalIceAge (talk)03:36, 14 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Same here.Timur9008 (talk)03:42, 14 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Likewise.Nick Number (talk)16:10, 14 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

There appears to be a change to the username used by TWL to access Gale, from a separate one for Wikipedia, to a joint one with the Florida Center for Library Automation. It is not clear to me if this is intended or not, but I have experienced the same issue when accessing the product directly through the library page I bookmarked ([1]) which directs to something like [Gale Wikipedia OCLC domain]/[path]?u=wikipedia (e.g.[2]) but using the login.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org proxy (e.g.[3]) works but takes you to a page with ?u=fcla_main. Changing the ?u=wikipedia to ?u=fcla_main in the URL also appears to work for me.Alpha3031 (t •c)16:32, 14 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It is a known issue (T410134) that Gale access is currently not working. I hope to have an update at that Phabricator ticket soon.Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)14:35, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Any further updates on this? Gave it a try today and it seems to still be down :(AA (talk)22:11, 8 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Trying to access Gale for using their archives ofThe Times and I'm getting a '403 Forbidden' error. How come there is no longer access to Gale, and when will this be resolved?AA (talk)21:03, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@AssociateAffiliate: Please see the brief update above. Also, merging this with the other section :)Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)14:37, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Try changing the bit where it says u=wikipedia in the url to u=fcla_main. Not sure why that works but it seems to be working for me.Alpha3031 (t •c)13:39, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't work for me, asks me for my FCLA password :(AA (talk)23:47, 22 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Just a thought as an innocent bystander, try it in an incognito window. That should eliminate any possible issues with caches or stale cookies. File this under "Not a lot of confidence it'll make any difference, but easy enough to try so worth giving it a shot to see what happens".RoySmith(talk)00:04, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like it's fixed now.Timur9008 (talk)17:01, 26 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Nevermind. Now it says "Max challenge attempts exceeded. Please refresh the page to try again!"

The Gale links that are used in articles work though.Timur9008 (talk)17:08, 26 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Tight now,read and it is misunderstanding, proof will explian.~2025-38736-74 (talk)04:27, 6 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Is Gale no longer available? It shows an error.Timur9008 (talk)08:30, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

This is just a quick notice to let you know about anupcoming survey we plan to send to Wikipedia Library users within the next week. The survey will be sent via email to all users who have logged in to The Wikipedia Library and were eligible to access content from it when they did so. Our current tentative launch date is this Friday, 12th December, but it's possible this could shift to next week. Please let me know if you have any questions.Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)15:09, 10 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

HI @Samwalton9 (WMF) - I'd like to participate in the survey, but as far as I can see I have not been emailed an invite. Thank you,Goldsztajn (talk)03:06, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Goldsztajn Unfortunately we hit a technical snag with sending this survey out before the end-of-year holidays (T412427) and need to change our approach to sending it. We hope to get it out in the next week or two.Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)14:14, 5 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

This survey is now being sent out!Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)22:23, 23 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I don't seem to have gotten one. What was the exact subject line and/or sender address, so I can do a better search of possible spam filters.RoySmith(talk)19:29, 26 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@RoySmith The subject is "The Wikipedia Library needs your help!" and it was sent from wiki@wikimedia.org (because we used the 'Email this user' function).Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)14:07, 27 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I'm pleased to let you know that British Newspaper Archive isnow available once again in the library! BNA now have a proxy configuration that we were able to use, and so access is available immediately for anyone eligible to use The Wikipedia Library. The only caveat to be aware of is that you need to register an account to access content on the site, even though you're accessing via proxy. You'll be prompted to do this, I just wanted to give folks a heads up.Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)15:55, 19 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Splendid news, thank you @Samwalton9 (WMF). Cheers,SunloungerFrog (talk)16:10, 19 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Outstanding.Nick Number (talk)17:56, 19 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Fantastic. Thank you for making this happen! --Usernameunique (talk)22:51, 19 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks @Samwalton9 (WMF) - I'm not sure how to access BNA as I have had a paid account in the past and my email address (I only have one) will probably conflict. Do I sign in, register or subscribe? These are the options when I click on the BNA in the WP Library. Thanks, T.Tony Holkham(Talk)10:55, 20 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It's OK, I signed in with my old details and it now tells me I have free access. Brilliant, thanks again.Tony Holkham(Talk)10:59, 20 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi @Samwalton9 (WMF) - thank you! Regards,Goldsztajn (talk)02:58, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Awesome news for end of year 2025, thank you!—Vulcan❯❯❯Sphere!03:02, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Excellent, thank you very much!Mapple (talk)11:33, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Great.TrottieTrue (talk)23:26, 14 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Is this actually working? Every page I go to onhttps://www-britishnewspaperarchive-co-uk.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/, I just get the "But first, cookies..." dialog. I keep clicking "Accept all", but it doesn't appear to matter.RoySmith(talk)13:50, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

There are frequent cookie notifications, but the site does seem to work for me. I had difficulties originally because the autofill password kept refusing to let me login.TrottieTrue (talk)17:42, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I've noticed that JSTOR also keeps nagging me about cookies. I wonder if the oclc proxy URL rewriting confuses the cookie domain matching rules?RoySmith(talk)17:45, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@TrottieTrue I also have password problems after registering. It seems like you surpassed it though?Geschichte (talk)13:38, 3 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Basically, the stored password on my device wasn’t for my BNA account, but instead it was probably the one I used when TWL previously had access to the BNA. This password was rejected by the BNA via TWL, when my password for the separate BNA site did work. Bottom line: try resetting your password, and check that autocomplete isn’t putting in the wrong password.TrottieTrue (talk)15:57, 3 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like newspapers.com has recently established a limit for the number of clipped articles that one may see without a subscription (apparently five per month). Previously, one could see an unlimited number of clippings, and needed an account only to look at pages and make clippings oneself. This is unfortunate, as it threatens to paywall many of the sources that have been (and continue to be) added to Wikipedia. I don't suppose there's any hope of seeing if newspapers.com would be open to something like exempting from the limit any clippings generated from Wikipedia accounts?Usernameunique (talk)02:05, 25 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Usernameunique: There's been a bit of discussion about this atWikipedia talk:Newspapers.com. It is definitely concerning, especially as new clipping pages can no longer be snapshotted by Wayback Machine or archive.today. My latest post in that thread (beginning "Here's another bookmarklet") proposes a way to work around this going forward, based onReschultzed's findings that clipping images are still accessible when their main pages are paywalled.Nick Number (talk)04:23, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks,Nick Number—appreciate the heads up. That's a good workaround that you (andReschultzed) devised. Hopefully it continues to work (and/or, better yet, a workaround becomes unnecessary). --Usernameunique (talk)04:55, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this is a bit annoying - hopefully it can be resolved, please?TrottieTrue (talk)23:25, 14 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

hi, if your an editor in good standing, is it possible to subscribe to Le Monde via the Wikipedia Library(if so , how?), thank you --~2025-43114-88 (talk)01:00, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@~2025-43114-88: Yes, recent Le Monde articles are accessible via ProQuest in TWL. You will automatically receive access when your Wikipedia account is 6 months old, has made 500 edits, and is not blocked.ARandomName123 (talk)^{Ping me!}01:23, 26 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hello! I haven't received an email that has the access details over the past few months. Is there anything that I can do about it? I sent a renewal confirmation for ToM a few days ago.Bray0829 (talk)23:08, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Same problem here. I received an email saying that the application was approved and that access details were to be sent within a week or two. This was back in late December of last year, and since then, I haven't received anything related to the Times of Malta from TWL.Aviationwikiflight (talk)14:57, 26 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I was recently curious about TWL, so I looked through the various categories of catalogues, especially the"Earth Sciences" category, and I noticed while clicking on the descriptions of the catalogues, that some of them start fading before ending, or are obscured by white. Is this just a result of using images of the catalogue logos that don't have a transparent background? Some examples are:

I have also noticed that WSJ appears not one or twice, but four times on the "Earth Sciences" category; there may be other catalogues that are duplicates in other categories, but I haven't checked yet. Considering that the TWL main page is seen by a lot of people, and the duplicates would be hard to miss: Are the duplicates intentional? I am not an expert on TWL, so I am not sure. -BlueEleephant (talk)07:06, 6 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@BlueEleephant Thanks for checking this out! The fading text is simply indicative that there's more to the description but we couldn't fit it in that small space on the homepage. Once logged in, publishers have their full descriptions. WSJ appearing multiple times is a side effect of us having a number of different entries for WSJ for the different editions they're providing us access to. If you check the descriptions you should notice that they make reference to the different versions. I agree this isn't super intuitive, perhaps there's a way for us to make this all clearer.Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)10:01, 6 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Ohh, okay. Some of the catalogue descriptions are very long, yet fit in the small space, so I feel like there would be a way to get rid of the fading for all descriptions, which should make them clearer. Last time I checked, 2 or 3 of the WSJ entries had the exact same description, so maybe it is the same description that is the minor mistake. Either way, it is good to know the cause behind these oddities. -BlueEleephant (talk)16:37, 6 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

It doesn't seem that there's an easy way to add an automatic citation for articles at the British Newspaper Archive. The link via TWL just turns into a generic one. It would be good if the BNA had publicly accessible articles which were referenced, like at Newspapers.com (despite the latter starting to limit how many you can view).TrottieTrue (talk)23:28, 14 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there. I've not used WP Library before, so please excuse my naivety:

1. Is there some way to do interwiki linking to Wikipedia Library items, similar to using wikt to link to Wiktionary?

2. I am unable to save URLs in my Wikipedia articles for documents I have found in Wikipedia Libary. I get error "An automated filter has identified that your edit includes a link or reference running through a local proxy – typically, the links include '.proxy.', '.gate.', 'ebsco', 'oclc' or similar in the domain." Is there some way to get direct links that do not use a proxy?

Thanks.Masato.harada (talk)16:38, 1 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding #1, I would say this is not possible or desirable. I'm unsure what you mean by "Wikipedia Library items" but nothing that comes up from searches through the publisher sites will be on a wiki, so wiki linking is not a option. The general goal for searches in Wikipedia library is acitation to attach to content making it verified.

Regarding #2 I guess you mean you are unable to include a URL in a Wikipedia article because the edit step fails with the above error message? In general you should not link any URL you see in the address bar of your browser when using Wikipedia library. The Library works by presenting you as an authorized user to the publisher and always stands between you and the publisher. The links reflect this connection and are not suitable for general use.

I use two different mechanisms to create citations after I find an entry via Wikipedia library.

1. The best method is to copy theDigital Object Identifier (starts with "10.") and use it in a tool likeWikipedia:ProveIt to create and insert a citation. Other tools exist including one in the visual editor.
2. Second best is to use a plain text citation. Many publishers include decently formatted citations but I use the one fromGoogle Scholar. I have a web browser tool bar button and when I am on a page for a source that button will usually give a nicely formatted citation.

These extra tools are very helpful for creating citations.Johnjbarton (talk)18:15, 1 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Hi @Masato.harada. I agree with Johnjbarton that using an identifier like DOI or JSTOR id in a citation tool is the best way of getting a "normal" URL for the reference.

One thing that might be of use for your #1 is the{{twlac}} template, which returns a URL that deeplinks to the Wikipedia Library access version. You can use a variety of identifiers, e.g.jstor:

*{{twlac|jstor=43751265}}

renders as:

• Full access available to users ofThe Wikipedia Library.

Ordoi:

*{{twlac|doi=10.1163/15685322-10045P11}}

renders as:

• Full access available to users ofThe Wikipedia Library.

The neat thing is that{{twlac}} output is hidden in mainspace if you aren't an extended-confirmed editor, so it doesn't clutter up the page for regular readers. Cheers,SunloungerFrog (talk)20:36, 1 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, I received a notification from Wikipedia Library couple of days ago, but I can't find it, I tried to find it somewhere but I can't find it elsewhere, I want somebody to help me.Jlvshistory (talk)17:40, 2 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Same problem. Regards,Goldsztajn (talk)07:54, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

My email was titledThe Wikipedia Library needs your help!, fromMeta-Wiki <wiki@wikimedia.org> and it arrived just after midnight UTC on 24 January, if that helps. Cheers,SunloungerFrog (talk)09:02, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Yes that's exactly the notification looks likeJlvshistory (talk)12:23, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know what to doJlvshistory (talk)12:23, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@Jlvshistory I've just forwarded you another copy of this email :)Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)13:04, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much, appreciate itJlvshistory (talk)13:36, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Also, I tried clicking it, it won't workJlvshistory (talk)13:37, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@Jlvshistory Just to clarify, the link in the email doesn't work for you?Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk)13:57, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

yes, I tried clicking it it won't workJlvshistory (talk)14:44, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Apologies if this has been widely discussed before but I am confused about how the library search function works. If I use the search box on themain library home page I get many fewer hits than if I go into one of the archives - I supposedly have 87 to search in. For example, If I search for the word (place) "Ballinafad" in on the main page search itresponds with 54 results. If I go into only theJstor page (one of the 87 archives available) I get 70 results for the same word. Going into Proquest (via the Library) a search yields1461 results. I have found the same thing for years. Am I missing something? Is there a glitch? You would surely think that the main page box that says "search the library" would give the most results - an aggregation of all the archives. I really appreciate accesss to the archives via WP, but the general search function does not seem to work. I don't know which archives to search in for the results I want. Please advise.Anna (talk)16:12, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Nice timing: I just asked exactly this same question atmeta:Talk:The Wikipedia Library#Federated search?RoySmith(talk)16:15, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Some user access is granted through scheme to publications on Brill (i.e. brill-com.). But, i've failed to access some things published through "Walter de Gruyter GmbH" (own website degruyterbrill.com), even though since 2024 these publishing houses seemed to have merged asDe Gruyter Brill. Whether i can access anything on the "degruyterbrill" through authenticated login there is unclear to me.Sjl197 (talk)22:34, 9 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

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