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Ebooks: Ebook Central and EBSCO eBooks

Tips and FAQs on using ebooks at UWA

Banner image source: Pixabay 1, 2, 3, 4 licensed under a CC0 Public Domain licence.

Ebook Central and EBSCO eBooks

Each ebook provider is slightly different. This table provides an overview of ebooks on Ebook Central and EBSCOhost.

Ebooks are also available on JSTOR and directly from publisher platforms. JSTOR ebooks and ebooks on publisher sites generally have unlimited simultaneous use and can be permanently downloaded (usually chapter by chapter as PDFs). However this depends upon the individual publisher specifications.

Ebook Central EBSCO eBooks

Content

Covers a wide range of subject areas.

Covers a wide range of subject areas.

Free User Account 

Personal bookshelf available without the need to create a personal user account. 

Books you have accessed and loaned are automatically stored on your personal Bookshelf for easy reference. 

For full functionality (including downloading, notations, etc) you will need to create a free MyEBSCOhost account. 

To create an account click Sign In at the top of the screen.  From the Sign In Screen, click Create a new Account link.

Read Online

Yes.

Click Read Online (Available)

For most books after 5-10 mins you will be prompted to create a loan.

Click Yes if you want to continue reading online.

Yes.  

Click eBook Full Text.  

If you are using a Mac you will need to install a PDF Browser plug-in in order to read online.

Download/copy parts of Book

Yes.

Chapter PDF download from a table of contents or download a chapter, page range or single page from the Online Reader.

Download is usually up to 40% of the book.

Limits vary depending on individual publisher specifications.

Chapter download limits refresh daily.

Yes.

Typically up to 100 pages per user can be saved as a PDF file.

To download as a PDF, click on the Print or Email icons.

Limits vary depending on individual publisher specifications.

Download entire Book to PC/laptop

Yes, as a loan, on your own PC/laptop, however 1 and 3-user titles have restrictions regarding how many people can download a book at the same time.  Books can not be downloaded to library computers.

Before downloading to a computer Adobe Digital Editions must be installed.  

To download, click Download. Select loan length and format (if applicable)

Most titles can be downloaded as a loan to your own PC/laptop. Books can not be downloaded to library computers.

Before downloading you must create or sign into a MyEBSCOhost account and have Adobe Digital Editions installed.*  

To download, click Download This eBook (Offline). 

*Note: Some EBSCO ebooks do not require you to log into MyEBSCOhost account before downloading and do not require Adobe Digital editions.

Download entire Book to mobile device Yes. Reader app (such as Bluefire Reader or Adobe Digital Editions app) must be installed. Most titles can be downloaded to a mobile device.  A reader app (such as Bluefire Reader or Adobe Digital Editions app) must be installed.
Print

Yes.

You can usually print up to 40% of an Ebook Central book.

Click on the Book Details tab to view printing limits. 

Yes.

Maximum of 100 pages per user.

Click on Print icon (on right side of screen).

Loan Period Most titles are available for 1 or 7 day loans; many titles are available for 1-28 days. Some titles are available for 180 or 365 day loans or may be Digital Rights Management (DRM) free so no loan period applies. 1-28 days. Some titles may be Digital Right Management (DRM) free so no loan period applies.
Number of books a borrower can download/"Check Out" at once Unlimited 50
Number of users per book Most titles do not have a restriction on  number of users; some titles have a maximum of 1 or 3 concurrent users. Varies between titles, some titles have a maximum of 1 or  3 concurrent users.
Holds for borrowed books

No.

Most books are available whenever you need them.

Yes.

Can place a hold on 40 books max at any one time.  

Able to annotate pages

Online Reader

If reading online, highlight text and click the Note icon in the popup menu.

Notes will be retained and will be available whenever you access the book as an authorised user.

Adobe Digital Editions: Once downloaded notes can be added in Adobe Digital Editions by highlighting relevant text and right clicking to select Add Note to Text from the pop-up menu. 

Notes added to Adobe Digital Editions will disappear once your loan expires.

Online Reader

While reading online click My Notes and click New Note.  To save your notes for future sessions you will need to create a EBSCOhost account and login.

Adobe Digital Editions: Once downloaded, notes can be added in Adobe Digital Editions by highlighting relevant text and right clicking to select Add Note to Text from the pop-up menu. 

Notes added to Adobe Digital Editions will disappear once your loan expires.

Able to highlight text Once downloaded, text can be highlighted in Adobe Digital Editions by selecting relevant text and right clicking to select Highlight from the pop-up menu. Highlighting will disappear once your book expires. Once downloaded, text can be highlighted in Adobe Digital Editions by selecting relevant text and right clicking to select Highlight from the pop-up menu. Highlighting will disappear once your book expires.
Help pages

Click on the question mark icon link at the top right of screen when navigating the Ebook Central database for an FAQ. Visit the ProQuest Ebook Central LibGuide

EBSCO eBooks Libguide

CONTENT LICENCE

 Except for logos, Canva designs or where otherwise indicated, content in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.