You may have noticed a large number of ebooks appearing on
the results screen when you search the Library catalog for books. The Library is building its online collection
through ebrary, Safari Books Online, and EBSCO e-books and currently has more
than 150,000 titles available! Students
and faculty like the convenience and immediate access to these books which are accessible
24/7 from your computer, laptop, and mobile devices. Recently, one book had 1,112 hits with 45,
818 pages viewed! Students are not only
taking advantage of this new resource as a research tool, but also are finding
that the features inherent with online resources are very helpful for
completing assignments.
Ebooks are quite easy to use. When you search the Library catalog on a topic,
the results screen will show ebooks along with print books that we hold in our
collection. Click on the title of the
‘electronic resource’ to see detailed catalog information about the book and to
find the link to open the ebook. If you
click on the ‘This title has an electronic version’ hyperlink the ebrary book
will open while the EBSCO record will open for an EBSCO ebook, and the table of
contents will display for Safari Books Online.
Ebrary
All ebrary books can be read on any device that can access
an internet browser including smart phones and tablets. You also have the choice of using a mobile
app for iOS or Android based systems. Once
you open the online book you can turn pages with the forward/back arrows, jump
to particular sections by clicking on a link on the table of contents, search
the text for specific terms, copy, and print.
If you create an ebrary account (using the sign-in link at the right top
on the menu bar) you have the ability to highlight text, take notes and
“check-out” the book by downloading specific chapters or the whole book. You also have the ability to save the link to
the book, complete with your highlights and notes, on your personal
bookshelf.
EBSCO ebooks
When the EBSCO ebook detailed record screen opens you have
the option to read the book online through the eBook Full Text option or
download the book to read it offline on your computer or other electronic
device. Reading it offline will require you
to create an EBSCO user account (see the Sign In tab on the top right menu bar)
and download and use Adobe Digital Editions.
Once you have downloaded the book you can keep notes and get direct
access to the Oxford American College
Dictionary. EBSCO ebooks also can be
accessed on smart phones and tablets.
Safari Online Books
Safari books are primarily related to technology subject
areas. When you open the link to a
Safari Online Book, the table of contents will appear as hyperlinks to the
text. You can also choose to read an
overview of the book or search within the book.
Clicking on the ‘Start Reading’ icon will open the ebook and you will
have the option to read it in HTML format or as it was printed.
In the event that an ebook does not open, it is most likely
in use by another party. Just as we
check out print books for a single user, ebooks that are downloaded are also
checked out for a period of time thus making them unavailable to others until
they are “returned.” Don’t get
frustrated, but continue to check the title as, often, the book is available
within a few hours or a few days.
Don't be afraid to try these great online resources for your assignments, or encourage your professors to use them instead of costly textbooks, and
let us know what you think!
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