Using Ebooks

To read an ebook online via your browser, once the item record is opened in Ebook Central from the catalog link you can select anywhere the "Read Online" open book icon appears in an ebook record:

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The online reading interface will open, and you can use the left menu to toggle views and to adjust the section of the ebook being displayed:

1. Use the table of contents to select a chapter or section of the ebook to display.

2. Enter terms to search the whole book, including keyword search within the text and chapter titles. 

3. Use the icons on the purple menu bar to determine what is shown in the left pane of the online reader: 

Select the closed book "Book Details" icon to show just the bibliographic information and your remaining online and download allowances.

Select the bullet list "Table of Contents" icon to display the table of contents (the default view).

Select the star "Annotations" icon to show any bookmarks, notes, or highlights you've made.

 Select the magnifying glass "Search Within Book" icon to show only search box and results.

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A host of actions can be done within the online reader using the icons visible in the top menu:

Access and Bibliographic Options

1. Select the downward arrow "Full Download" icon to download the entire ebook. Depending on the license for the ebook, the full download will either be a regular PDF or will be electronically "borrowed" for 21 days before the file is recalled. See the Download Ebook section of this page for more details.

2. Select the PDF "Chapter Download" icon to download the chapter currently being viewed. The download will begin at the page being displayed through the end of the chapter, so navigate to the beginning of that chapter if you'd like to download it in its entirety. See the Download Chapter section of this page for details on per patron per day limits on downloading and printing.

3. Select the pages "Copy" icon from the top menu to copy to full text of the page currently being viewed. Alternatively, use your cursor to select a passage and select the "Copy" icon that pops up. See the Copy Pages section of this page for further details.

4. Select the printer "Print to PDF" icon to save a selection as a PDF. A prompt will appear with options to print to PDF the current page, a range of pages, or the current chapter. Your current printing and download maximum will be listed - see the Print to PDF section of these page for details.

5. Select the plus sign "Add to Bookshelf" icon to add the ebook to your personal digital bookshelf - similar to a "My Favorites" section. See the Managing Your Bookshelf section of this guide for more details.

6. Select the chain link "Share Link" icon to bring up a stable URL to the page of the ebook displayed to share with others or save for yourself.

7. Select the quotation mark "Get Citation" icon to generate a citation for the ebook in any of the major citation formats. There is also an option to export to a citation manager.

Annotation Features     8. Select the marker "Highlight" icon, then use your cursor to highlight text. You can also select a passage of text first, and then select one of 3 different color highlighters to apply.*    

9. Select the post-it "Add Note" icon to insert notes in the text. You can also select a passage of text first, and then select the post-it icon that pops up to create a note.* 

Download a full ebook by selecting any "Download Book" link: in the item record, in results list, or in the online reader. The "Download Book" link in the Availability section of the item record will list the circulation period for the full download - usually 21 days. 

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A prompt will appear asking for the type of device being used for download. The device will determine the third-party software required for download and access.

With the appropriate third-party software installed, continue to the next step and follow prompts to download the ebook - this is typically a PDF by default, but some ebooks give the option to select EPUB format. Use the drop-down menu to select how long you want to borrow the book for, up to the maximum of 21 days. At the end of the borrowing period, the file will be removed from your device.

On occasion ebooks do not have download restrictions and Ebook Central allows you to download the title as a PDF or EPUB that does not expire.  The Availability section for the item record will have a message like, "There are no copy, print, or download restrictions on this title." Selecting "Download Book" will bring up the prompt seen to the left.

In lieu of downloading a full ebook, users can download individual chapters. Most books have a maximum number of pages that can be downloaded or printed, with remaining allowances listed in the item record as well as on the Book Details pane of the online reader in the Online Allowances section. There are also default maximum allowances set by Ebook Central for per user per day download, copy, and printing. See this page for details: Proquest Ebook Central Support Center. 

Download a chapter from the item record by clicking "Download PDF Chapter" under Availability or use the "Download PDF" icon next to a chapter in the table of contents. The PDF file will not expire. Selecting any "Download PDF" link will bring up a progress window for the user to begin the download. 

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There is also the option to download a chapter being viewed in the online reader. From any page within the desired chapter, select the PDF "Chapter Download" icon from the top menu.The download will begin at the page being displayed through the end of the chapter, so navigate to the beginning of that chapter if you'd like to download it in its entirety. A pop-up will appear where you can select your preferred citation style from a drop-down menu:

If the download exceeds your page allowance, a notice will appear. You may need to return at another time to complete your download. Review the Book Details in the online reader to monitor your Online Allowances for that ebook.

Print to PDF and Download PDF both count toward the same page allowance, see above. Print to PDF is available in the online reader from the top menu. 

A pop-up will appear to select page range to print to PDF as well as the preferred citation style. Open the generated PDF and save or print out. 

Use the Copy feature in the online reader to save passages from an ebook without downloading. Most books have a maximum number of pages that can be copied, with remaining allowance listed in the item record as well as on the Book Details pane of the online reader in the Online Allowances section. There are also default maximum allowances set by Ebook Central for per user per day download, copy, and printing. See this page for details: Proquest Ebook Central Support Center.