Ebooks: Additional info
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Free Ebooks
This is a selection of quality resources which may be of use to you. It is not a comprehensive list of free ebooks available online.
- Directory of Open Access BooksThis database contains free academic peer-reviewed books.
- HathiTrust Digital LibraryThis site offers collection of mainly humanities and Social Sciences digitised books available in the public domain from over 60 academic and research libraries, mainly from North America and also other countries. It covers more than 400 languages, with slightly more than half in the English language.
- Ebooks and Texts at the Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive and Open Library offers over 20,000,000 fully accessible public domain eBooks.
- Knowledge UnlatchedA collection of scholarly titles from various disciplines.
- National Library of Australia Ebook CollectionsDigitised and out-of-copyright works from the National Library of Australia’s collection.
- Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg offers over 70,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, which can be downloaded or read online.
- Project Gutenberg AustraliaThis site contains links to ebooks out of copyright in Australia, which have been prepared by volunteers.
Ebook Formats
Ebook formats will differ according to the ebook provider, however ebooks are generally available as either PDF or ePUB files.
PDF ebooks have a fixed layout and do not adapt well to different size screens. As a result PDF ebooks can be difficult to read on devices with smaller screens such as tablets and smartphones.
ePUB ebooks however are able to adapt to match the size of the device’s screen, regardless of the device. Therefore it is easier to read ePUB ebooks on mobile devices.
Useful Links
- Adobe Digital EditionsThe home site for Adobe Digital Editions. Download the software from this site. Also has FAQs.
- Adobe Digital Editions Community ForumNeed help with troubleshooting? Search the community forum for Adobe Digital Editions.
- Adobe ID SupportSupport information for Adobe ID including signing in, changing email, password or account information.
- Bluefire Reader FAQThe Bluefire Reader FAQ contains information on authorising your Bluefire Reader, transferring books from your computer to your Android/iOS/Windows mobile device and troubleshooting information.
- My EBSCOhost AccountHow to set up a My EBSCOhost Account, password reset and more
Ebook Provider Mobile Apps
Some ebook providers have begun to produce their own apps for offline reading of ebooks on mobile devices. There are a number of benefits to using the provider's own app for accessing their ebooks rather than Bluefire Reader, such as additional functionality, however the main disadvantage is that you can only view eBooks from that specific provider.
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Elsevier eBooks+ Access downloaded Elsevier titles offline on a mobile device. The app is available for both iOS and Android. Note you will need to set up a Elsevier profile to be able to use this app.
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CONTENT LICENCE
Except for logos, Canva designs, AI generated images or where otherwise indicated, content in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.
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