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E-Books at UNT

A brief guide on using e-books and their platforms.

EBSCOhost

EBSCO is a major e-book provider to UNT. You can place EBSCO e-books in folders, add notes to them, print them (within limits), and download them to your own computer or other device. It is recommended, if you plan to close your browser at any time, that you download the e-book to a device. You will need Adobe Digital Editions.

This page provides suggestions, guides, and tutorials for you to make the most out of EBSCO e-books.

Content for this page was taken from EBSCOhost. For more help, visit their website.

EBSCOhost E-Books

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.

EBSCO eBooks Home screen

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, seeLexile Reading Levels.

  • Browse by Category by selecting a category from the column on the left.

  • View the Latest Added eBooks using the left and right arrows or click View All to view a result list of all latest added 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

    eBooks   Search

  • A Result List of eBooks related to your search terms is displayed.

    eBooks Result List

  • Click the eBook Full Text link to read the book in the eBook Viewer tool.

  • Click the Download (Offline) link to check out the book and read it on your computer using Adobe Digital Editions. (See Downloading an eBook below)

    Note: Libraries that have eBook download capabilities enabled, will see a Download (Offline) link.

  • 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.

E-Book Viewer

eBooks can be read online in the eBook Viewer by clicking the eBook Full Text link on the Result List or Detailed Record.

eBook Viewer

In the top toolbar of the eBook Viewer, you can click the Back to ResultsNew 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 EBSCOhost folder.

  • Contents - Click to view the Table of Contents for the eBook title you are reading.

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

  • 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. (PDF format eBooks only) See Creating a Note on eBooks.

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 icon Add to Folder - Click to add the eBook to your My EBSCOhost folder.

  • Save iconSave Pages - Click to save eBook pages. See Saving eBook Pages for Printing or Emailing.

  • Email iconE-mail Pages - Click to email eBook pages. See Saving eBook Pages for Printing or Emailing.

  • Cite eBook iconCite - Click to copy citation information for the eBook.

  • Dictionary IconDictionary - Click to search for definitions of words in the eBook you are reading.

  • Export eBook citation iconExport - Click to export citation information to a bibliographic manager.

  • link icon Permalink - Click to copy a persistent link to the eBook

  • Share eBook iconShare - Click to share the eBook information on one of several social networks.

  • Download - Click to download the eBook to your computer for offline reading or transferring to a portable device. See Downloading an 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.

eBook Viewer Tools - PDF

  • Fit Page to Viewport: Click the icon to fit the entire page into the viewport.

  • 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.

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

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

  • 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.

 

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.

eBook Viewer Tools - EPUB

  • Fit Page to Viewport: Click the icon to fit the entire page into the viewport.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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 E-Book

You do not need to download to read EBSCO e-books. You can read them in your internet browser. 

If you would like offline access to an e-book, you can download it to your computer. Before you download an e-book, you will need two things:

  • A MyEBSCOhost Account - create one by entering the EBSCO Ebooks database, clicking "Sign In" at the top left of the page, and clicking "create a new account." Follow the prompts to set up your free account.
  • Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)- available for free online here.

Once you have signed up for MyEBSCOhost and downloaded Adobe Digital Editions, follow the steps below to check out and download an ebook.

1. Click the Download (Offline) link for the eBook you would like to download.

2. Select a Checkout period from the drop-down menu and click the Checkout & Download button.

3. The eBook is added to the Checkout area of the folder, accessible from the upper-right corner of the EBSCOhost interface. If you are not logged into your My EBSCOhost folder, you are prompted to do so.

4. Select Open with or Save File from the resulting dialog box.

If you select Open with, your eBook is opened with Adobe® Digital Editions. If you select Save file, the eBook is saved to your computer and can be opened with Adobe® Digital Editions at a later time.

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

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