eBooks

• Finding eBooks
• Using eBooks
• Off-campus access
• Known problems, help and contacts

Finding eBooks

A growing number of eBooks purchased by the Library may be searched for and accessed using the Library Catalogue. New eBook titles are added to the Catalogue on a regular basis. Search for eBooks in the same way as you would for a printed book, using title and author information.

Please note: you can restrict your Catalogue search to eBooks by changing the 'Material type' category to 'eBooks'.

Having found a record for an eBook in the Catalogue you will notice a 'View electronic version' hyperlink toward the right-hand side of the screen (eBooks have no location or classmark and have separate catalogue records from printed items). The hyperlink will take you directly to the eBook and if you are asked to login, use your University username & password.

The Library is actively adding records to the Catalogue for its subscription based collections of eBooks, the latest of which comprise our Cambridge Companions Online collection. Further eBook records that we hope to add to the Catalogue in future will include our Handbooks in Economics, and Oxford Scholarship Online collections. MetaLib: your resource gateway currently provides access to these collections, as well as all other academic eBook collections that the Library subscribes to, and several others that are freely available.

• eBook resources in MetaLib

The link above takes you to a list of eBook resources with brief details. Click on the info icon to display the full details. Alternatively, eBook resources in MetaLib (cross-search) lists the same resources, but with a cross-search option.

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Using eBooks

• Reading online

To be able to read eBooks online, including all illustrations and special characters, you may need special software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Usage restrictions

eBooks are protected by copyright law, in the same way as printed publications. Their use is also usually subject to the terms of a licence agreed between the Library and the publisher. Please visit the Copyright and electronic resources page for further information.

Publishers and copyright owners will determine how much of any particular eBook can be printed, copied, or downloaded and this will vary from one to another. Some eBooks will only display page by page, therefore you will not be able to download and save several pages in one go, again this practice varies depending on the supplier of the eBook.

The number of pages you will be able to print or copy may be limited by the publisher using DRM (Digital Rights Management) and once these limits are reached, the publisher will not allow you to print or copy any further text. Publishers may withdraw access to an eBook if evidence of copyright abuse is detected.

Information about how much you may copy, print, or download from an eBook is given on suppliers' websites and has been summarised in the table below.

eBooks service provider	Printing and copying restrictions	Downloading restrictions
Cambridge Companions Online	Users may access, search and view individual chapters for personal use only. Print, copy and download permissions may vary from collection to collection depending on the sensitivity and rights available for the content. Unless otherwise stated in the Terms of Use, users may make copies, printed or otherwise, of one chapter or up to 5% of the pages from each Cambridge Companions Online title, whichever is greater.	Unless otherwise stated in the Terms of Use, users may download one chapter or up to 5% of the pages from each Cambridge Companions Online title, whichever is greater.
dawsonera	In line with the 'fair dealing' rules of copyright protection, a reader may print 5% of the book and copy 5% of the text – but no more than that. The user will be informed of how many pages are left to print or copy. N.B. If you download the book you cannot print from the download. You can only print when using the online reader.	It is possible to download the eBook to, for example, a PC, a laptop or a memory stick.  After download the book cannot be kept forever - access will be denied after 24 hours. However the eBook can be re-downloaded as often as required - for 24 hours at a time.
MyiLibrary	Users can print chapters, sections or pages for use in research within the copyright restrictions of the title.	Publishers and copyright owners determine how much of any particular eBook can be copied or printed. Your eBook may also be displayed page by page. In order to protect the copyright holder's content, users cannot save the entire eBook in one go.
Oxford Scholarship Online	Users can print up to a single chapter from each Oxford Scholarship Online title, or up to 5% of the pages of any title, whichever is greater.	Users can download an individual chapter from each Oxford Scholarship Online title, or up to 5% of the pages of any title, whichever is greater.
ScienceDirect	Users may print content from the website for their own personal, non-commercial use, provided that they  keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. Users may not engage in systematic retrieval of content from the website to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database or directory without prior written permission from Elsevier.	Users may download content from the website for their own personal, non-commercial use, provided that they keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. Users may not engage in systematic retrieval of content from the website to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database or directory without prior written permission from Elsevier.
SpringerLink	Not protected by DRM. Users can print chapter by chapter. Copyright law is still applicable.	Not protected by DRM. Users can download chapter by chapter. Copyright law is still applicable.

• eBooks, eBook readers, and mobile devices

eBooks can be accessed and used on desktop computers and also on a wide variety of mobile devices, e.g., laptops, mobile phones, tablet PCs and dedicated eBook readers. The ability to use eBooks on mobile devices, and to what extent, will depend largely on the device and its compatability with particular digital file formats and third party software applications (apps).

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Off-campus access

If you want to access eBooks away from the campus please visit the access to electronic library resources page for advice and further information.

Known problems, help and contacts

If you have encountered any difficulty with a particular eBook, to read about general access problems, or for advice and support with electronic resources please see our help and contacts for eResources page.