EBSCO eBooks are online versions of print books that your library has either purchased with a perpetual license or via an annual subscription. e-books that are owned will be available to the library in perpetuity, with provisions being made for long term access and preservation. E-books available via subscription are renewed annually for the library to retain access. EBSCO eBooks are available from all major academic publishers in virtually all academic disciplines.
EBSCO eBooks offer a number of advantages over their print counterparts. Users can:
If you’re interested in making a purchase of an eBook for the library collection, contact your subject librarian.
The default search screen for EBSCO eBooks is basic search. The eBook Collection landing page displayed below is available by clicking the eBooks link in the top toolbar.
There are several ways to search for EBSCO eBooks:
Perform a keyword search of the eBooks database using the Find field.
Search eBooks by Lexile using the Lexile field code in the Find field. For example, search LX 410 to search for eBooks matching that Lexile. To learn more about Lexiles, see: Lexile Reading Levels.
Browse by Category by selecting a category from the column on the left.
View the Highlighted eBooks using the left and right arrows or click View All to view a result list of all highlighted eBooks.
View Featured eBooks using the left and right arrows or click View All to view a result list of all Featured eBooks.
To search for eBooks:
Enter your search terms in the Find field and click the Search button
A Result List of eBooks related to your search terms is displayed.
Click an eBook Full Text link (PDF or EPUB) to read the book in the eBook Viewer tool.
Click the Download icon to check out the book and read it on your computer using Adobe Digital Editions. (See Checking out and Downloading EBSCO eBooks)
Note: Libraries that have eBook download capabilities enabled, will see a Download icon.
Click the Table of Contents link to view the chapters of an eBook. You can go directly to a chapter in the eBook Viewer tool by clicking on a hyperlinked chapter.
Note: Sections in the Table of Contents with a plus sign (+) can be expanded further by clicking the plus sign.
eBooks may appear in the folder in three areas.
eBooks: When a user adds an eBook to their folder, information about the eBook appears in the eBooks area of the folder, without the eBook being checked out. eBooks may be added to the folder by clicking on the folder icon in the Result List or Detailed Record.
Holds: When a hold is placed on an eBook that is in use by another patron, it is added to the Holds area. Holds must be enabled by your library to place a hold on an eBook.
Checkouts: When an eBook is checked out, it is added to the Checkouts area of the folder. If you have not yet downloaded the eBook, it can be accessed and downloaded from here.
See the tutorial video below for guidance on searching for EBSCO eBooks
This page demonstrates how to read eBooks on EBSCO interfaces, including how to view detailed record information about eBook titles.
A Detailed Record can be viewed by clicking an eBook title in the Result list. From the Detailed Record, you can read or download the eBook using the links in the left column. From the right column, you can print, email, save, or export the record, as well as add the details about the eBook to your folder.
Concurrent User Level: If available for a title, the Detailed Record displays the number of copies available via Concurrent Access. Concurrent Access allows e-books to be available to users on an unlimited concurrent access basis up to an annual maximum number of uses (typically 365 uses). Once that number is met, the eBook becomes unavailable until the anniversary of the original purchase date.
At the bottom of the Detailed Record, you can view Most Relevant Pages from this eBook and the Table of Contents. Both sections can be collapsed or expanded by clicking the plus (+) or minus (-) in the upper left corner of the section.
Most Relevant Pages from this eBook: Displays the most relevant sections of the eBook in which your search terms appear in the text.
Table of Contents: Displays the Table of Contents for the eBook you are viewing. Clicking on a hyperlinked chapter opens the chapter in the eBook Viewer tool.
eBooks can be read online in the eBook Viewer by clicking the eBook Full Text link on the Result List or Detailed Record.
In the top toolbar of the eBook Viewer, you can click the Back to Results, New Search, or Exit links to check in the eBook after you have finished viewing it.
Included in the column on the left are tools that allow you to view the contents of an eBook, search within the text of the eBook, and save a note on the eBook in your My EBSCOhostfolder.
Contents - Click to view the Table of Contents for the eBook title you are reading.
Publisher Permissions - The Publisher Permissions indicator displays the number of pages that can be printed or saved, whether copy/paste functionality is allowed, and whether the eBook can be downloaded to read offline. When printing/saving is allowed, the number of available pages is updated as you print or save eBook pages to your computer.
eBook Availability - The eBook Availability indicator displays the number of copies currently available from your institution.
Chapter Download - Click the Download icon [] to download a chapter of the eBook title you are viewing.
Search Within - Click to search for terms within the eBook. (See: Searching within EBSCO eBooks)
My Notes - Click to view your notes or to create a new note about the eBook or a page of the eBook and save it to your personal folder.
Included in the row of tools across the top of the Viewer are tools that allow you to look up words in a dictionary and share eBook information.
Add to Folder - Click to add the eBook to your My EBSCOhost folder.
Save Pages - Click to save eBook pages.
E-mail Pages - Click to e-mail eBook pages.
Print Pages - Click to print eBook pages.
Cite - Click to copy citation information for the eBook.
Dictionary - Click to search for definitions of words in the eBook you are reading.
Export - Click to export citation information to a bibliographic manager.
Permalink - Click to copy a persistent link to the eBook.
Share - Click to share the eBook information on one of several social networks.
Google Drive - Click to save the eBook pages to your Google Drive account. Note: If your browser has a pop-up blocker enabled, you must allow pop-up windows to open to sign into your Google account.
Download - Click to download the eBook to your computer for offline reading or transferring to a portable device. See Downloading an eBook.
When viewing eBooks in PDF format, the following options are available on the toolbar at the bottom of the viewer.
Page Navigation: Use the page navigation arrows to move up or down one page at a time or enter a page number in the field provided and click Go.
Zoom Out: Click the icon to zoom out on the page.
Zoom In: Click the icon to zoom in on the page.
Fit Page Width: Click the icon to fit the page by width in the viewing area.
Fit Page: Click the icon to view the entire page in the viewing area.
Fit Page to Viewport: Click the icon to fit the entire page into the viewport.
EPUB Format
EPUB is an open eBook standard and file format that allows you to increase the size of the font, enabling you to optimize the viewing experience on desktop computers, smart phones, and tablets.
EPUB format eBooks use vertical scrolling to display the text of each chapter. Use the navigation arrows to change the chapter you are reading.
In cases when you are viewing an eBook in EPUB format, the toolbar appears as shown.
Chapter Navigation: Use the navigation arrows to change the chapter or section of an eBook title you are reading. Contents of the chapter or section can be read using vertical scrolling.
Zoom Out: Click the icon to display the text in a smaller font size.
Zoom In: Click the icon to display text in a larger font size.
Fit Page to Viewport: Click the icon to fit the entire page into the viewport.
Notes:
EPUB format is not compatible with Internet Explorer browsers 7 & 8. When trying to open an EPUB format eBook in IE 7 or 8, you are prompted to upgrade your browser to IE 9. For more info about EPUB, click here.
While the text-to-speech feature is not available in the eBook Viewer, you are able to save parts of an eBook in PDF format and use the Adobe Reader Read Aloud functionality to hear the eBook section read out loud.
When viewing an eBook in the Viewer, you can copy passages of an eBook and paste them into a document with the citation automatically included.
Please Note: Availability of copy/paste functionality is determined by the publisher, and that information is presented in the Publisher Permissions information on the detailed record and in the eBook viewer.
To copy eBook passages with citations:
Highlight a portion of eBook text and use your browsers copy function (Ctrl + C) to copy the text.
Paste the text into a Microsoft Word document, Notepad, etc. using your browser's paste function (Ctrl + V). The default citations are automatically included with your text.
Notes:
The default citation formats pasted in your document are APA and MLA.
If you have selected a default citation format in your saved Preferences and you are logged into your personal account, only that format is included with your copied eBook text. See Setting Preferences in EBSCO Interfaces to learn more about saving your default preferences.
Administrators can set a default citation format for their entire institution by changing the Include when Printing/E-mailing/Saving setting in EBCOadmin. See EBSCOadmin: Settings on the Delivery Options Sub-Tab to learn more.
eBook text is pasted as it is hosted in the eBook file. You may need to adjust the spacing in your document.
See the tutorial video below for guidance on reading EBSCO eBooks
The Notetaking feature assists with your research by allowing you to take notes on eBooks and save them to your My EBSCOhost folder for later viewing.
Notetaking is available on both PDF and EPUB format eBooks.
To use the Notetaking feature in EBSCOhost:
In the eBook Viewer, click My Notes at the top of the column on the left.
Click the + New Note button that appears in the Notes area. If there are existing notes, they appear in a list in the Notes area.
Note: Click the Sign In link in the top toolbar to save your note to your personal My EBSCOhost folder account.
Enter your note text in the field provided and click the Save button. You can adjust how the text appears in your note using the Bold, Italics, and Underline buttons above the text field.
Your saved note appears in the Notes list.
You can sort your saved notes by Date or the Page number on which they appear.
Click a note in the list to reveal the available options for the note.
Click the Book icon to view the eBook page the note is saved on.
Click the Pencil icon to edit the note text.
Click the Printer icon to print the note.
Click the Trashcan icon to remove the note.
Click Contents at the top of the column to return to the Table of Contents.
If your administrator has enabled eBook downloads for your institution, you will see a Download icon () that allows you to check-out and download the eBook and read it on your computer when you are not connected to the Internet, or transfer it to your Adobe Digital Editions-compatible eBook Reader device.
Note: In order to download eBooks, you must have Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer. We recommend ensuring you have the most recent version of Digital Editions installed. This is a free download available at http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-editions/download.html.
To learn more about installing Adobe Digital Editions, please see: How do I install and authorize Adobe Digital Editions?
This page demonstrates how to download EBSCO eBooks as well as how to place a hold on an eBook that is in use by another user when using a desktop computer or the full EBSCO interface experience on a tablet. To learn about downloading eBooks to a mobile device, please see: How can I download and read eBooks on my mobile device?
To download an eBook:
Click the Download icon for the eBook you would like to download.
If you are not logged into your My EBSCOhost folder, you are prompted to do so.
Select a Download duration from the drop-down menu and confirm that you have Adobe® Digital Editions or equivalent reader software installed. (If you are on a tablet device, you must confirm that you have Bluefire Reader or an equivalent app installed.)
Note: For some titles, you may see the option to select either the PDF or ePub format for an eBook.
Click the Download button.
The eBook is added to the Checkout area of the folder, accessible from the upper-right corner of the EBSCOhost interface.
Select to Open or Save the file from the resulting dialog box.
If you Open the file, your eBook is opened with Adobe® Digital Editions.
If you Save the file, the eBook is saved to your computer and can be opened with Adobe® Digital Editions at a later time.
When a downloaded eBook is opened, it is displayed in Adobe® Digital Editions.
Notes:
If when trying to download an eBook to Digital Editions you receive the following error message, E_AUTH_BAD_DEVICE_KEY_OR_PKCS12, you may need to completely remove any authorization using ctrl-shift-D to Adobe Digital Editions (cmd-shift-D if on Mac). Then restart Digital Editions, and reauthorize with your Adobe ID.
When downloading an eBook using the Chrome browser, the download will not automatically open but appears in the download bar at the bottom of the browser as URLLink.acsm. Click the download in the bar and select Open to open the eBook or select Always open files of this type to automatically open future EBSCO eBooks downloads in ADE.
Some EBSCO eBooks that may be offered by your institution do not have DRM (Digital Rights Management) restrictions. These eBooks do not require you to sign into My EBSCOhost to download them. In addition, no Adobe® ID or special software such as Adobe Digital Editions or Bluefire reader is necessary to download and read them.
DRM-Free EBSCO eBooks can be opened with Adobe® Acrobat or any software that supports PDF or EPUB files and there are no restrictions on printing, saving, or copying.
To download a DRM-Free eBook:
Click the Download icon for the eBook you would like to download.
Select a Download Format (if available) and click the Download button.
Select to Open or Save the file from the resulting dialog box.
If you Open the file, PDF eBooks are opened with Adobe® Reader. EPUB eBooks will open with Adobe® Digital Editions (if installed).
If you Save the file, the eBook is saved to your computer and can be opened with Adobe® Reader/Adobe® Digital Editions at a later time.
If the eBook you have chosen to download is in use by another patron, and if your library offers Holds capabilities, you have the opportunity to place a hold on the eBook to download when it becomes available. Sign into your personal My EBSCOhost folder account (if not already signed in) and click Place Hold to be notified when that eBook is available for you to download.
The eBook is placed in the Holds area of your My EBSCOhost Folder. When the eBook is available, you are notified via the e-mail address associated with your account and the eBook appears in the Checkouts area of your folder.
After you check-out and download your eBook:
You may choose to transfer your eBook to your Adobe Digital Editions-compatible eBook Reader device.
You can re-download the eBook from your My EBSCOhost folder at any time during your checkout period.
Note: Users may also checkout an eBook for download at a later time.
To Checkout an eBook with the option to download at a later time:
Click the Download icon for the eBook you would like to download.
Select a Download duration from the drop-down menu and click the Checkout & Download button.
If you are not logged into your My EBSCOhost folder, you will be prompted to do so.
Select Cancel from the resulting dialog box.
The eBook has been added to the Checkouts area of the folder and can be downloaded at a later time.
eBooks can be downloaded to your mobile device and read with the free Adobe Digital Editions app.
You will need the following:
Note for Apple Device Users: Pop-ups must be allowed in the settings for the Safari web browser as the downloaded eBook file opens in a new tab before opening in the Adobe Digital Editions app.
Download the Adobe Digital Editions App from your device's app store:
Please note: The Overdrive app is recommended for Kindle Fire tablet users.
If you have previously created an Adobe ID to download and read EBSCO eBooks with Adobe Digital Editions on your desktop computer, you already have an Adobe ID you can use to authorize the Adobe Digital Editions app.
Create an Adobe ID at the following link:
https://helpx.adobe.com/manage-account/using/create-update-adobe-id.html
If you forgot your Adobe ID password, see the following link:
https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/account-password-sign-help.html
Note: You must authorize the Adobe Digital Editions app with your Adobe ID.
Before you download an eBook to Adobe Digital Editions, you must authorize the app with your Adobe ID.
Please note: You will only need to authorize the Adobe Digital Editions app with your Adobe ID once. After this has been done, you will only need to tap Download any time you wish to download and read an eBook on your device.
To Authorize the App:
Open the Adobe Digital Edition app from your device's applications menu.
Tap the Settings menu icon in the upper-left and tap Settings.
Tap Authorize and enter your Adobe ID and password in the fields provided.
Note: Leave the default eBook Vendor selected as Adobe ID.
Tap Authorize.
Your device is now authorized to read EBSCO eBooks.
Use the Safari browser to log into your institution's EBSCO eBooks collection at https://search.ebscohost.com.
Enter your search terms in the Search Box and click the Search button.
A Result List of eBooks related to your search terms is displayed.
View the detailed information for the displayed eBooks until you have found one you would like to checkout and download to your mobile device.
After you've located an eBook to download to your device, do the following:
To download an eBook:
Use your device's browser to search your institution's eBook Collection on EBSCOhost.
Note: Pop-ups must be allowed in the settings for your browser as the downloaded eBook file opens in a new tab before opening in the Adobe Digital Editions app.
Tap the Full Download link for the eBook you would like to download.
If you are not logged into your personal My EBSCOhost folder, you are prompted to do so.
Select a Borrow duration from the drop-down menu.
If multiple formats are available (PDF or EPUB), select the desired format, indicate that you have Adobe Digital Editions or an equivalent app installed and tap the Full Download button.
The eBook is added to the Checkout area of your My EBSCOhost folder and begins to download to your device.
Tap the Download link that opens on a new browser tab and then tap the Open in... link.
If Adobe Digital Editions isn't available on the resulting menu, tap More.
Note: Your workflow may vary slightly depending on the browser being used and the version of iOS your device is running.
Tap Copy to Digital Editions from the Apps menu.
Once the eBook downloads to Adobe Digital Editions, tap to open the file. From there you can view your library or begin reading the eBook.
You may now begin reading the eBook on your device.
Note:
After your eBook checkout expires, the eBook file will still be on your device but can not be opened. You must remove the file manually by opening Adobe Digital Editions and selecting to remove it from your library.
Next, locate an eBook you wish to download to your device and use the following steps to download it.
To download an eBook:
Use your device's web browser to search your institution's eBook Collection on EBSCOhost.
Tap the Full Download link for the eBook you would like to download.
If you are not logged into your personal My EBSCOhost folder, you are prompted to do so.
Select a Borrow duration from the drop-down menu.
If multiple formats are available (PDF or EPUB), select the desired format and tap the Full Download button.
The eBook is added to the Checkout area of your My EBSCOhost folder and begins to download to your device.
After the download has finished, tap the downloaded eBook file from the pull-down menu at the top of your device's screen or from the Downloads area.
Once the downloaded eBook opens, you can view your library or begin reading the eBook.
Note:
After your eBook checkout expires, the eBook file will still be on your device but can not be opened. You must remove the file manually by opening Adobe Digital Editions and selecting to remove it from your library.
EBSCOConnect For more support, visit the EBSCOConnect support page.
Tutorials View our Tutorials page on YouTube to watch our short videos on how to use EBSCO products.