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Education Team: Taught Programmes: Textbooks

eBooks explained

Publishers make a decision whether to provide their book titles in eBook format for Library purchase.  The models offered are different to those provided to individuals purchasing via Amazon, Waterstones or other book sellers.  Libraries are offered one of the following models

(a) Single User Licence - a single licence will allow one user to access to access the book at any one time.

(b) Multi-User Licence - a multi-user licence allows 3 or more users to log in to the eBook at exactly the same time.

(c) Unlimited Licence - an unlimited amount of users can log in to the eBook at exactly the same time.

For options (a) and (b) the Library can purchase multiple versions of the Licence so if there are 100 students on your module, 20 single user licences may be needed or 7 multi-user licences.  It is useful to alert your Information Specialist how many students will be studying your module so that the right decisions can be made regarding the number of eBook licences.

eBook Platforms explained

ProQuest EBook Central iconEbook Central How to Guides...

Ebook Central is a large database covering multiple subjects. The Library has provided access to over 120,000 e-books on this platform, all of which are available via Library Search. 

Features include:

  • Online reading
  • Downloading chapters
  • Downloading entire e-books for 14 days
  • Making notes within e-books
  • Exporting citations in to EndNote

 

The Library purchases individual titles from EBSCOhost e-books and also provides access to a large Business collection. All titles are available via Library Search.   

Features include:

  • Online reading
  • Downloading up to 3 items at a time for 1-2 days
  • Reserving up to 5 titles that are already in use
  • Saving sections for printing or emailing
  • Adding favourites to a folder
  • Adding notes to e-books
  • Exporting citations in to EndNote

In order to download the e-book, you'll need to log in to your Ebsco account. You can create an account at the time you download the item.  

 

The Library purchases individual titles from VLeBooks and they are available to search via Library Search.  

Features include:

  • Online reading
  • Downloading up to 5 e-books at a time for 1-7 days
  • Reserving up to 5 titles that are already in use
  • Adding notes and bookmarks to e-books
  • Exporting citations in to EndNote

 

Can I print / copy or download an eBook?

Printing and copying from e-books

  • The amount of printing and copying you can do depends on restrictions put in place by the publisher and varies from between 10% to 40% of the e-book.
  • Many e-book platforms will inform you of the limits for each title.

Downloading e-books

E-books are subject to DRM (Digital Rights Management) controls. In order to download an e-book:

  • Open the e-book file you’ve saved from the platform (usually an .acsm file) in Adobe Digital Editions.
  • Once you’ve done this, you can continue to view the e-book in Adobe Digital Editions, or use an app such as Bluefire Reader to view on your mobile device (Android or Apple iOS). You can register your Adobe login with the Bluefire Reader meaning you don't have to open the e-book in Digital Editions beforehand.
  • The downloaded e-book will expire at the end of your loan period (1-14 days depending on the platform).

*WARNING*

  • Downloadable e-books can't be viewed on a Kindle (except Kindle Fire for reading online).
  • Not all e-books can be downloaded – look out for a “Download” icon when you’re viewing the e-book online.
  • You may need to register a separate account to download e-books on some platforms.

Having trouble accessing an e-book?

Are you unable to access an e-book?

Licence Restrictions
Some e-books are restricted to a single user or 3 concurrent users.  The e-book may have reached the limit of users logged in at the same time.  If this is the case, you can place a reservation or try again later.  If the problem persists please notify your Information Specialist and we will investigate whether we can purchase additional licences.

Hints and Tips

  1. Try clearing the cache of your computer. 
  2. Try using a different browser.  Firefox seems to work the best.
  3. Have you downloaded the e-book?  Make sure you have Adobe Digital Editions installed otherwise you will not be able to open the book.

If you experience a problem accessing an e-book please let us know.  Contact your Information Specialist with the details of the book you are trying to access.  A screenshot of the error message is also really useful