How do I use an ebook from the EBSCOhost Ebooks collection?

From the Detailed Record, you can read or download the eBook using the Access options menu. Using the icons at the top, you can Bookmark or Cite the eBook, add it to a project in your Dashboard, share a link to the eBook, or download a .csv file containing the detailed information of the title.

The Table of Contents is available in the column on the right and displays the contents for the eBook you are viewing. Clicking on a hyperlinked chapter opens the chapter in the eBook Viewer tool.

eBook Viewer

eBooks can be read online in the eBook Viewer by selecting PDF full text or EPUB full text on the Result List or Detailed Record.

In the top toolbar of the eBook Viewer, you can click the Table of Contents, Details, or Search Within icons.

• Bookmark - Click  to add the eBook to your Saved items in the Dashboard.

• Cite - Click  to copy the eBook citation information formatted in the most widely used styles and paste it into the reference section of your document.

• Share - Click  to copy a link to the record which can be shared via email. 

• Print - Click  to print eBook chapters or a custom range of pages or same them to your computer or device as PDFs.

• Details - Click  to view the Detail information for the eBook, including:

  • Availability & Permissions 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. 

• Table of Contents - Click  to view the Table of Contents for the eBook title you are reading in the right column. From the Table of Contents you can click IMG to download a chapter of the eBook.

• Search Within - Click  to search for terms within the eBook.

Using the eBook Viewer Toolbar

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 In: Click the icon to zoom in on the page.

• Zoom Out: Click the icon to zoom out on the page.

• 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 In: Click the icon to display text in a larger font size.

• Zoom Out: Click the icon to display the text in a smaller 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.

Downloading an eBook

If your administrator has enabled eBook downloads for your institution, you will see a Download option 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 download an eBook:

1. Click the Download button on the details screen for the eBook title.

   

   If you are not logged into your personal account, you are prompted to do so.

2. Click the Full eBook tab on the Download window to download the entire eBook to your device.

   You can also choose to download a single chapter by making a selection on the Chapters only tab of the Download window. See: Downloading an eBook Chapter as a PDF to learn more. 

3. Select a duration from the Borrow for drop-down menu and confirm that you have Adobe Digital Editions or equivalent reader software installed.

   Note: For many titles, you will see the option to select either the PDF or EPUB format for an eBook.

   

4. Click the Download button.

   The eBook is checked out and downloaded to your desktop computer or device.

5. When a downloaded eBook is opened, it is displayed in Adobe® Digital Editions.

6. eBooks that you download are checked out and added to the Checkouts tab of the Holds & checkouts screen in the Dashboard. The expiration date of your checkout is displayed. 

   

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. 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.