Rewrite proxy & clearing patron information

[Sara Brownmiller <snb@xxxxxxxxxx>]

We moved to the rewrite proxy method this summer, which has been very
successful.  However, we are seeing a small increase in the number of
students who call the library for help because their personal information
is erased when they try to authenticate themselves.  The student is
eligible for access to our licensed resources; but after entering her
personal information and hitting the submit button, she is returned to the
authentication page and all of the information she just entered has been
deleted.

I'm starting to suspect that this may be the behavior when a student uses
an ISP, such as MSN or AOL, that provides a customized browser.  Can
anyone confirm this or offer another explanation?  If it is a problem with
customized browsers, have you been able to alert your students to this
problem through a Web page rather than the student needing to contact the
library?

thanks, Sara

Sara Brownmiller			University of Oregon Libraries
Director, Library Systems 		1299 University of Oregon
Women's Studies Librarian		Eugene, OR  97403-1299
					541/346-2368 (voice)
snb@xxxxxxxxxx		541/346-3485 (fax)