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The following notes include recommended settings for reading EBSCO eBooks on your computer.
Internet Explorer versions 9.0 and older are not compatible with the technology used to support vertical scroll. To be able to vertically scroll EBSCO eBooks we recommend these browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or IE 10.0 or later. For users with Internet Explorer versions 9.0 or older, please see the Adobe Acrobat Reader Browser Requirements and settings for all supported browsers, available here.
For general browser requirements for the EBSCOhost interface, click here.
Internet Explorer versions 8.0 and older are not compatible with eBooks in EPUB format. To view an EPUB format eBook, we recommended these browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer 10 or later.
See also:
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.
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, see: Lexile 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
A Result List of eBooks related to your search terms is displayed.
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.
A Detailed Record can be viewed by clicking an eBook title in the Result list. From the Detailed Record, you can read or download the eBook using the links in the left column. From the right column, you can print, email, save, or export the record, as well as add the details about the eBook to your folder.
If available, the Detailed Record displays the number of copies available via Concurrent Access.
At the bottom of the Detailed Record, you can view Most Relevant Pages from this eBook and the Table of Contents. Both sections can be collapsed or expanded by clicking the plus (+) or minus (-) in the upper left corner of the section.
Most Relevant Pages from this eBook: Displays the most relevant sections of the eBook in which your search terms appear in the text.
Table of Contents: Displays the Table of Contents for the eBook you are viewing. Clicking on a hyperlinked chapter opens the chapter in the eBook Viewer tool.
eBooks can be read online in the eBook Viewer by clicking the eBook Full Text link on the Result List or Detailed Record.
In the top toolbar of the eBook Viewer, you can click the Back to Results, New 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 - Click to add the eBook to your My EBSCOhost folder.
Save Pages - Click to save eBook pages. See Saving eBook Pages for Printing or Emailing.
E-mail Pages - Click to email eBook pages. See Saving eBook Pages for Printing or Emailing.
Cite - Click to copy citation information for the eBook.
Dictionary - Click to search for definitions of words in the eBook you are reading.
Export - Click to export citation information to a bibliographic manager.
Permalink - Click to copy a persistent link to the eBook.
Share - 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.
When viewing eBooks in PDF format, the following options are available on the toolbar at the bottom of the viewer.
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.
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.
If your library offers eBook download capabilities, you may choose to download an eBook to your computer and read it offline at a later time.
Adobe® Digital Editions 1.7.1 or higher is required for offline viewing. This free software can be downloaded from this link.
To download an eBook:
Click the Download (Offline) link for the eBook you would like to download.
If you are not logged into your My EBSCOhost folder, you are prompted to do so.
Select a Checkout period from the drop-down menu and click the Checkout & Download button.
Note: For some titles, you may see the option to select either the PDF or ePub format for an eBook.
The eBook is added to the Checkout area of the folder, accessible from the upper-right corner of the EBSCOhost interface.
Select to Open or Save the file from the resulting dialog box.
If you Open the file, your eBook is opened with Adobe® Digital Editions.
If you Save the file, the eBook is saved to your computer and can be opened with Adobe® Digital Editions at a later time.
When a downloaded eBook is opened, it is displayed in Adobe® Digital Editions.
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 as URLLink.acsm. 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.
If the eBook you have chosen to download is in use by another patron, and if your library offers Holds capabilities, you have the opportunity to place a hold on the eBook to download when it becomes available. Enter your e-mail address in the field provided and click the Place Hold button.
The eBook is placed in the Holds area of your My EBSCOhost Folder. When the eBook is available, you are notified via the e-mail address you provided and the eBook appears in the Checkouts area of your folder.
eBooks may appear in the folder in three areas.
eBooks: When a user adds an eBook to their folder, information about the eBook appears in the eBooks area of the folder, without the eBook being checked out. eBooks may be added to the folder by clicking on the folder icon in the Result List or Detailed Record.
Holds: When a hold is placed on an eBook that is in use by another patron, it is added to the Holds area. Holds must be enabled by your library to place a hold on an eBook.
Checkouts: When an eBook is checked out, it is added to the Checkouts area of the folder. If you have not yet downloaded the eBook, it can be accessed and downloaded from here.
The Notetaking feature assists with your research by allowing you to take notes on eBooks and save them to your My EBSCOhost folder for later viewing.
The Notetaking feature is currently available on PDF format eBooks only.
To use the Notetaking feature in EBSCOhost:
In the eBook Viewer, click My Notes at the top of the column on the left.
Click the + New Note button that appears in the Notes area. If there are existing notes, they appear in a list in the Notes area.
Note: Click the Sign In link to save your note to your personal My EBSCOhost folder account.
Enter your note text in the field provided and click the Save button. You can adjust how the text appears in your note using the Bold, Italics, and Underline buttons above the text field.
Your saved note appears in the Notes list.
Click the Edit link to edit the note text.
Click the Delete link to remove the note.
Click Contents at the top of the column to return to the Table of Contents.
Up to 100 pages of an eBook can be saved for printing or emailing per user as a PDF file from within the eBook Full Text viewer.
Note: The number of pages may vary depending on individual publisher-specified limits.
To save eBooks pages as a PDF:
Open the eBook in the eBook Full Text viewer.
Go to the first page of the section of pages you would like to print and click the Save Pages in the tools menu above.
The Save Pages to PDF menu is displayed.
Select to include in the PDF:
Select:
Open the saved PDF and use the Adobe Print function to print out your saved pages.
Note: eBook pages saved as a PDF can be transferred to, and read on eReader devices such as the Nook or Kindle. Consult your device's user manual for instructions on how to manually transfer files to the device.