Electronic books

What electronic books are available?

We subscribe to individual electronic books and also to several collections which are only available to University of York staff and students.

All individual electronic books are listed on the Library Catalogue with direct links to the full text of the book. For some titles you will see we also have the print version.

Please note that in many cases only one person at a time can look at a particular electronic book. If you can't get to the book, you will need to try again later.

Major e-Book collections which we subscribe to

Free e-Books

The Online Books Page is a regularly updated list of over 25,000 free books on the Web maintained by the University of Pennsylvania Library.

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How do I look at e-Book content?

Many e-Books use the common HTML and PDF formats. However, some e-Books need Catchword RealPage to be installed on your PC, and an ebrary Reader is required to view e-Books from ebrary.

HTML format

You can view these pages via your web browser.

PDF format

You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. This is available on all University network PCs, including classrooms and will open automatically when you follow a link which needs it.

For other machines, for example your home PC, Macs and Unix workstations, you can download the Adobe Acrobat Reader free from the Adobe website.

If you need help you can contact your Departmental Computing Officer, or the IT Support Office.

CatchWord RealPage

Catchword RealPage is similar to Acrobat and is necessary to display the text of some e-Books. This is available on all University network PCs, including classrooms and will open automatically when you follow a link which needs it.

For other machines, for example your home PC, Macs and Unix workstations, you can download the Catchword RealPage free from the RealPage website.

If you need help you can contact your Departmental Computing Officer, or the IT Support Office.

ebrary Readers

There are two ways to view an ebrary book - using QuickView or the ebrary Reader plugin.  The ebrary Reader has more functions than QuickView and it is easier to highlight text, bookmark pages, and make notes using the ebrary Reader.

ebrary Reader

To use the ebrary Reader just click on the ebrary Reader button when you see it displayed in ebrary.  The ebrary Reader is already installed on all University student network PCs, including classrooms.  University staff will need to install the ebrary Reader on their PC using the Add/Remove Programs option.

On other PCs (e.g. at home or on a laptop) the ebrary Reader download process will begin as soon as you click on the ebrary Reader button, just follow the onscreen instructions for your operating system.  Please note that the ebrary Reader will only work with Windows and Mac OS, it will not work with Linux.

QuickView

QuickView is the default viewer in ebrary.  You do not have to install a plugin to use QuickView.  If you connect to a book via a Library link it will automatically be displayed in QuickView, and you can also select the QuickView tab in ebrary.  QuickView works with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

For further information please see the ebrary Quick Start guide.

If you need help you can contact your Departmental Computing Officer, or the IT Support Office.

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Do I need a username and password to access electronic books?

On campus

Many of our electronic books can be accessed from University network computers without the need for a special username and password. For some you will need a York IT Services username and password.

Off campus

All titles are also available off campus.  You should access them via YorSearch or the Ebook collections list in the E-resources Guide and you will be able to login with your York IT Services username and password.

What if I'm not a member of the University of York?

If you are not a University of York member of staff or student, you will only have access to the full text of the ebooks which are freely available to anyone.

If you are able to visit the Library in person you can access a wider range of ebooks using our Walk-in Access service. Publishers' licence conditions restrict off campus access to ebooks to University of York staff and students only.

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Printing from e-Books

Follow the Print link from the book you want to print from.

Copyright legislation restrictions

Remember that copyright legislation applies when you print from an electronic book. The "fair dealing" provision in copyright law permits individuals engaged in research or private study to print or photocopy up to a chapter of a book or 5% of a book, whichever is the longer. There are also other restrictions.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking copyright law.

For more information about copyright please see our Copyright guidance notes.

Reduce your printing costs

Remember that you can change your print options to reduce your printing costs:

  • Print two pages side by side on one sheet of paper
  • Use double-sided (duplex) printing where available

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Saving and downloading from e-Books

There is often a Save or Download link provided with the e-Book text. If not, you can use the Save option in your browser to save text to a file.

Copyright legislation restrictions

Remember that copyright legislation applies when you print from an electronic book. The "fair dealing" provision in copyright law permits individuals engaged in research or private study to download a chapter of a book or 5% of a book, whichever is the longer.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking copyright law.

For more information about copyright please see our Copyright guidance notes.

Publisher licence restrictions

The electronic books we subscribe to are also subject to licence agreements with the publishers who produce them. The conditions of licences with individual publishers and information providers vary, but they always prohibit downloading a substantial part of a database or the entire contents of a publication.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking the licence agreement.

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Who can I contact if I still need help?

If you have any other questions about electronic books or would like help in finding the information resources you need, you can contact our Enquiry Service.