Troubleshooting eHRAF Access

Log-in problems? Here are the possible reasons:

  • Username and password, issued by HRAF, is not accepted.

Problem: If the log-in that you received from HRAF via email doesn’t work, the following may apply: 1) the log-in has expired, or 2) the username and/or password are entered incorrectly.

Solution: Re-type the username and password and make sure that you use upper and lower case. If you requested a temporary access from HRAF and received an email with log-in information, copy and paste the username and password instead of typing. Tip! Try a different browser (e.g. Chrome, IE, or Mozilla). Still no luck with accessing eHRAF? See below for help.

  • Trouble with off-campus access and/or the links on this site.

Problem: When accessing eHRAF’s direct URLs (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu or http://ehrafarchaeology.yale.edu) from any off-campus location (e.g. home, coffee shop, public places) your university ID/password log-in or VPN (Virtual Private Network) authentication will not work!

Solution: First make sure that your academic institution and/or organization is actually a current associate member of HRAF and has access to eHRAF World Cultures and/or eHRAF Archaeology.  Steps #1-5 show how this is done.  If you know for certain that your institution is a member then go to step 5.

How do I find out whether my institution is a member of HRAF?

  1. Log on to HRAF’s homepage at https://hraf.yale.edu
  2. Click the About HRAF tab in upper right hand corner
  3. Click the Sponsoring and Associate Members tab located either as grey pull-down list or as orange link to the right of the webpage
  4. Below the list of sponsoring members you’ll first find a list of members with access to eHRAF World Cultures, followed by a list of members with access to eHRAF Archaeology.Navigation: You can use the up/down arrows to the right of each column title (e.g. COUNTRY) to sort the table, or the search box to locate the name of a member institution.  Tip! Type “Alberta” rather than “University of Alberta.”   To lengthen the table to up to 100 entries use “Show entries” from the pull-down list to the right.
  5. If your institution’s name is listed, please use your institution’s online library portal to access the eHRAF databases.  Depending on the location of the login (e.g.your laptop at home or a public computer) you will probably need to use a university issued ID and/or VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access HRAF’s online databases via your digital library. Once you are authenticated you may find that they eHRAF databases might be listed under different names and titles.  For example, HRAF’s online ethnographic database, may be listed as “eHRAF World Cultures” (current title), “eHRAF Collection of Ethnography” (former title), “Human Relations Area Files” (name of our non-profit organization), “HRAF” (acronym for the organization), or “eHRAF” (acronym for the online database….see eHRAF World Cultures Library Info for more).  If you are unable to locate eHRAF at your library’s portal, you can either contact your library liaison and/or HRAF for help.
  6. If your institution is not listed, it is NOT currently a member of HRAF and you don not have authenticated access to the eHRAF databases. Visit  Trial Information for information about the different trial options.

Still need help?

Contact HRAF via email or phone for a username/password or with any questions you may have concerning your access to eHRAF. We’d be happy to assist.