What is an e-book?
An e-book is an electronic version of a text that can be read online. They are searchable and can incorporate features such as adding notes, video and hyperlinks. They may have been originally produced in print but others could have been designed specifically for online use.
What is an e-book reader?
E-book readers are portable, low-power devices designed specifically to display versions of written material from books, journals, newspapers and other printed sources, e.g. the Kindle or Kobo.
What can I do with an e-book?
The publishers licence agreements dictate what can and cannot be done with an e-book, e.g. if you can print, copy etc.. An advantage of e-books is that you can search within the text and make notes. You can page through the content displayed on the screen, print, copy and paste, and annotate the text.
How do I find and access a library e-book
Are all e-books that the Library has access to available via the Catalogue?
Titles that the library has purchased are accessible via the Catalogue or the Discovery search tool. There is, however, a collection called Ebook Central which you will not find via the Catalogue. You will need to use the Discovery search tool to find titles in this collection.
Do I have to read it online?
Some of the Library’s e-books allow you to download the e-version onto your desktop as well as read it online. Check the help advice available on each system for further up-to-date details (the links to Help are on the Searching for e-books page of this guide).
How long can I download an e-book for?
With some e-books you can choose to download for 1 to 4 days. Once this time expires it will be possible to go back and download the title again. Some collections, such as Ebook Central, allow you to download a title for 14 days. You do, however, need to have Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer. This is available freely online at: Adobe Digital Editions (To download Ebook Central books you also need a free Apple ID).
Can only one person at a time use a specific title?
No, usually more than one person at a time can use a specific title. This does vary from publisher to publisher and the number of simultaneous users can vary from 3 to 400.
Are all books available in electronic format?
Not all printed books are published as e-books, and therefore it is not always possible to purchase an electronic version. You may as an individual be able to purchase the title for your own personal use but it may not be possible for the Library to purchase it because of licence restrictions.
What is an e-book?