Electronic books have become very popular based on our usage statistics. Last semester, the Irwin law titles in the ebrary platform were heavily used. Working with e-books comes with a lot of pros such as the customized features like –
- Copying and pasting
- Highlighting into your word document
- Downloading (this option varies in each platform, some allow you to download a chapter each while others limit you to 100 pages)
- Creating folders
- Saving books into your personal bookshelf
- Export to RefWorks and Endnotes
- Printing (save as a pdf document first).
Note that you will get better results by creating your own account in ebrary.
E-books are compatible with most devices like tablets, smartphones and eReaders. More information on mobile applications is available here http://guides.scholarsportal.info/content.php?pid=328165&sid=2829117.
There are a few things to note in using e-books. Like with print books, sometimes we are only permitted to have one or two people access an e-book at a time. If you are having trouble accessing a book, especially a popular book that needs to be read for class tomorrow, try to access it again in 15 minutes. Some platforms provide an electronic waiting list. Be thoughtful of your classmates and download your chapter before reading it so others can access it too.
Downloading and printing have also confused some people. If you are downloading a chapter or set of pages, take note of how the e-book platform is counting the pages. Ebrary, for instance, counts the pages starting at 1 for the very first page, even if the page number on the screen is something else, like (i). You can easily tell by looking at the page count in the top right corner of the ebrary screen. For example, if the page number printed on the page of the e-book is 172, but it says 202 in the top right corner, you are going to enter 202 as the first page in the page range you want to download (and perhaps eventually print). Calculate the end page the same way.
If you need help, feel free to contact the reference librarians, or check out the training materials on ebrary’s website:
http://www.ebrary.com/corp/collateral/flash/QuickStart/; http://www.ebrary.com/corp/collateral/en/Quick_Guides/Quick_Guide.pdf.