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Library Online: eBooks

eBooks at Hallam

The Library offers access to tens of thousands of eBooks on a variety of subjects. Use Library Search on the Library homepage to locate and access eBooks. 

eTextbooks

Many textbooks are normally only available to borrow in print format from the campus libraries, and many students purchase their own copy at personal expense. To improve access to learning, your Library has worked with course and module leaders to identify around 100 of the most in-demand textbooks and made these available on the BibliU platform. These BibliU etextbooks have multi-user licences which allow unlimited simultaneous use, and you will get twelve months access to your key textbook from the point at which you first use/activate it. The e-textbooks offers a range of reading and learning functionality, including highlighting, adding to favourites, and annotation.

Why should you choose ebooks over traditional print items?

Whilst you might not be an immediate convert to the eBook and may be thinking, ‘I don’t like reading on a screen’, there are some advantages to reading texts in this format. 

Convenience

The most obvious advantage is that you can access the contents from the comfort of your own home or even on your mobile device, provided you have a reasonable internet connection. Or you can download chapters to read at a later date, which is useful when distance learning, commuting or travelling. Chapters can even be printed off so you can annotate and highlight relevant sections which is something you can’t do with loaned textbooks! But, the number of pages you can download is subject to publisher restrictions in accordance with DRM (Digital rights management). 
And there is nothing to return or fall overdue – so no fines! 

Availability

Increasingly, lecturers are embedding links to eBooks in their Reading Lists Online giving you easy access to course specific resources at the click of a button. This has the added advantage of saving you money too as it means you are no longer required to purchase core texts to support your learning!
Multi-user ebooks allow many students to access the item at the same time. Although not all books have multi-user licences.
Items are always available for on-campus and off-campus use.

Accessibility

When you access an eBook or journal online you can adjust it to meet your specific reading requirements. Print that is readily available in a digital format broadens opportunities for not only the blind, visually impaired, partially sighted and dyslexics but also the sighted as it removes a myriad of barriers to reading.

Key features include the ability to

  • enlarge font size and magnify the print for easier reading whilst still enabling text-flow to fit the screen.
  • alter colour and contrast of the screen to improve reading for the visually impaired and adjust brightness for lighter/darker learning environments.
  • use Text to speech software to enable print to be read aloud by simulated voice technology. 
  • apply alternative text features to obtain a brief description of the information given in images and tables.

Searchability

You can also search the contents of an ebook using key words. This highlights all the mentions of the specific topic within the text, sparing you the time-consuming task of scanning pages for relevant information.

Woman reading ebook

Ebook Central

Authoritative ebooks in a range of subjects from the world's top publishers.

Use Ebook Central to quickly and easily find relevant ebooks and chapters; read online; search within the ebook; and highlight, take notes and bookmark pages in your online copy, stored on your bookshelf for you. You can also share your research with others, download ebooks and chapters to your laptop or mobile device, and more.

 Directory of open access books

A searchable database of peer reviewed scientific monographs that have been made accessible by academic publishers in open access. DOAB  provides direct links to the full text of the publications on the websites of the publishers. The collection covers all disciplines but focuses in particular on humanities, law and social sciences. All books in DOAB have a full open access license, making them ‘free to share’.

Oxford logo Oxford Handbooks Online

An outstanding collection of the best Handbooks across many different subject areas. One of the most prestigious and successful strands of Oxford’s scholarly publishing, the Handbook series contains in-depth, high-level articles by scholars at the top of their field. Each Handbook offers thorough introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship, creating an original conception of the field and setting the agenda for new research.

VLe Logo VLe Books

An enormous multi-disciplinary database of eBooks. You can search for a title or browse by subject category.

 


Adsetts Library
Collegiate Library



Sheffield Hallam University
City Campus, Howard Street
Sheffield S1 1WB