UEL LLS: E-books

E-books Usage Guide

Finding and accessing e-books
Differences between e-book platforms
Using e-books on different devices
Printing and copying
Tips on using Adobe
Get in touch

Finding and accessing e-books

Use the Library Search link from our website
Enter your search terms e.g. Study skills,and click on Search. E-books will be hyperlinked in blue
To filter by e-books click "Full Text Online" under Show Only in the left-hand menu, then select Books from Resource Type. Log into a computer to view these as they will not be available on the fixed library search machines

‌

Choose the e-book you want to read and click on the title or 'View It'
Enter your Athens username and password to access the book

Books can be Read Online or downloaded up to 7 days depending on the provider
Once the download period expires, you cannot re-open the downloaded copy, but books can be downloaded again as many times as you wish by following the procedure above
Once you have logged on with your Athens details, you do not need to log in again in the same session to read other e-books
If reading online, you can navigate through the books by clicking on the arrow keys to move between pages, or clicking on the chapter headings
Search the content of the book by selecting the search option, or add notes (you may need to log in to do this)

Differences between e-book platforms

Although you always search and find e-books in the same way, the library uses several different suppliers. See the table below for the software needed to read and download e-books.

If downloading, first select the number of days, then click on Download
NOTE: It is not possible to print from downloaded DawsonEra books

Click on the Download tab after selecting Read Online to open the book
To download you will need Adobe Digital Editions or Bluefire (click to download for iPad/iPhone or Android). Please note this is not available on most on-campus PCs.
You will need an Adobe ID if using these for the first time.
To view entire collection, go to 'EBL' on the top menu if you are reading a book, or 'Bookshelf' if you are just viewing book details. This will also show you which books you have viewed or loaned.

You can also create your own 'Collections' from this screen. Click here to find out how (this information is also available in PDF format in our Using 'My Collections' in EBL leaflet).
You may be asked if you want to 'loan' a book (see example below) or fill in a short registration form after browsing for 5 minutes. You will not be charged for this and your details will be used for statistical purposes only.

You must register/login to use the various functions, including notes, and to be able to download the complete book. Otherwise only ten pages can be downloaded using the Download icon on the far right of the screen -
To identify books which can be downloaded in full, filter from the left-hand menu after browsing from the homepage. If you have already gone through to the cover of the book, you may need to select Return to Home to search for it again.

Select 'Add to bookshelf for download'. You will be asked to log in - this is for your MyiLibrary Account, not your Athens account.
Access your bookshelf from the 'My Account' menu at the top of the screen
To download you will need Adobe Digital Editions or Bluefire (click to download for iPad/iPhone or Android). Please note, this is not available on most on-campus PCs
You will need an Adobe ID if using these for the first time

Back to top

Using e-books on different devices

Our e-books work slightly differently depending on the supplier and the device you are using to view them. The following table outlines the major differences:

	Dawsons	EBL/MyiLibrary
Download to PC on-campus	Yes with Adobe Reader	Yes with Adobe Digital Editions (not on fixed campus machines)
Download to PC off-campus	Yes with Adobe Reader	Yes with Adobe Digital Editions
Access on Kindle	No	No
Download to other e-reader	No*	Yes with Adobe Digital Editions (via a PC)
Download to mobile phone	No*	Yes
Read on mobile phone	iPhone only with Adobe Reader	Yes
Download to iPad	No*	Yes
Read on iPad	Yes with Adobe Reader	Yes with Bluefire for iPad, iPhone
Read on Android tablets	No	Yes
Download on Android tablets	No	Yes with Bluefire for Android devices
Software required	Adobe Reader	Adobe Digital Editions, or Bluefire for Android devices, or Bluefire for iPad, iPhone

*In development

Back to top

Printing and copying

You are only allowed to print or copy 5% of the e-book when reading online, but you will be told exactly how much when you open each e-book and click on Print. Please check these copyright FAQs for more information.

Tips on using Adobe

'Read Out Loud'

Adobe Reader has a 'Read Out Loud' feature which allows DawsonEra books to be read aloud by a computer once they have been downloaded. To use this simply hold the control, shift and Y keys down at the same time, or choose ‘Read out Loud’ from the View menu.

Some EBL books also have a 'Read Aloud' button which offers the same feature for books read online.

Having problems?

If you're having problems with Adobe Reader, try following these steps:

Upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader or Adobe Digital Editions
If only one page at a time downloads for Dawsonera books, in the Adobe Reader menu try clicking Edit > Preferences > Internet and make sure that 'display PDF in browser' is enabled. Also make sure Adobe Reader is set up as your default reader for pdf files.
You may have to allow pop-ups
You may also need to update your browser if you are still having difficulty

What is an Adobe ID?

An Adobe ID is a way of identifying users. You can create your Adobe ID when prompted within Adobe Digital Editions.

FAQs and more information about Adobe IDs are available here.

Back to top