Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Revised May 2014
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What are eBooks and what type of eBooks does the Library offer?
How are eBooks accessed?
How do I view, navigate, search, print, and email within an eBook online?
Can I “check out” or in other words, download an eBook to a computer or e-reader?
Are there limits to the number of pages that may be printed or emailed?
When I am finished with viewing an eBook, how do I exit the book?
I am having problems using eBooks. What can I do?
1. What are eBooks and what type of eBooks does the Library offer?
Electronic books or eBooks are online, full-text versions of books. Since they are online, they are accessible from any
computer connected to the Internet, to be used at your convenience, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The
ECC Library’s eBooks cover a wide variety of subjects. Our eBooks have been obtained from four vendors, EBSCO
Publishing (NetLibrary eBooks), Springer Science + Business Media (Springer eBooks), Gale (Gale Virtual Library
eBooks), and Credo (Credo Reference eBooks). The Library purchased eBooks from the first three vendors, and
subscribe to eBooks provided by Credo. Specific features and functions will vary based on vendor.
2. How are eBooks accessed?
The primary method of accessing eBooks from the EBSCO, Springer, and Gale vendors is through the Library’s catalog at
http://ecclib.elcamino.edu. Credo eBooks may be accessed through the Library catalog or through the Credo Reference
Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
database. (Go to http://www.credoreference.com for on-campus access to this database. For off-campus access, you
must login to MyECC first. View the tutorial video for additional information about the off-campus access procedure.)
If you are searching the ECC Library catalog just for eBooks (perhaps you’re interested in just browsing through our
electronic book collection), you have a couple of options.
o On the basic search screen (see below) you may type “electronic books” (with quotation marks) in the Search box,
making sure that the type of search is “Keyword”, which is the default search type. Then press the “Enter” key or
click on the “Submit” button. You will be presented with records for all the eBooks we own; these records span
over many pages.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
o Or you may use the Advanced Keyword Search feature of the catalog. On the catalog home page, select
“Advanced Keyword” from the “More Searches” pull-down in the upper right corner and then click on the rightfacing arrow.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
You will be automatically presented with the Advanced Keyword Search screen. In the first search box,
enter the appropriate keyword(s) for the electronic book(s) in which you are interested, for example, “global
warming.” Then in the “Add Limits” section, under “Material Type,” click on “eBooks” and then on the “Submit”
button. You will be presented with a listing of eBook records that include your search keyword(s).
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
o Even if you are not specifically searching for eBooks, the titles of eBooks will automatically appear as part of your
search results if their records match your search criteria. Within catalog records, eBooks may be identified by the
eBook icon to the left of the book title. Click on the resulting eBook titles that interest you, just as you would the
titles of printed books in the catalog.
o In an eBook’s full record in the catalog, you will see the phrase “Connect to” and the link “This electronic book.” If
you are using an on-campus ECC computer, click on the link, and if the eBook is available, you will be presented
with an introductory screen for the eBook in a second window.
o If you are using an Internet-connected computer off-campus, and the eBook is available, you will be presented first
with a login screen. Enter your first and last name as well as your 7-digit E.C.C. ID #. If you are not able to login
successfully, it’s probably because you do not have a valid, current ECC I.D. card that has been activated as a
library card. You will need to ask at the Circulation Desk of the Schauerman (Main) Library for help in resolving this
problem, unless you are a registered Distance Education student. If you are a registered Distance Education
student who doesn’t have an up-to-date E.C.C. ID card with activated library privileges, report your
situation using the Ask-A-Librarian online service form at http://www.elcamino.edu/library/
library_ser/ask_a_librarian.asp. Supply your last name, first name, 7-digit E.C.C. ID #, and identify yourself
as a Distance Education student who needs library privileges. Library privileges will be granted, and then
you will be able to successfully login.
o Note that EBSCO eBooks are shared with other community colleges. If you wish to view an EBSCO eBook, but no
copy is available, you will receive a pop-up message indicating that the eBook is in use. You will need to check
again later to determine its availability. The Library’s other eBooks, eBooks from vendors Gale, Springer Science +
Business Media, and Credo are not shared in this way, and there is no limit on the number of users accessing
these eBooks at any one time.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
3. How do I view, navigate, search, print, and email pages of an eBook online?
All the eBooks provide these features, but they work differently depending on the specific vendor. After connecting to an
eBook by clicking on the link “This electronic Book,” in the eBook’s full Library catalog record, you will be presented with
one of four possible screens, each associated with a different vendor. For each screenshot below, click on the associated
vendor eBook link to get information about viewing, navigating, searching, printing, and emailing.
EBSCO eBooks
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Springer eBooks
Gale Virtual Reference Library eBooks
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Credo Reference eBooks
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Here is a screenshot of an introductory page from an eBook provided by EBSCO Publishing.
General Publication
Information
Click here to
look inside the
book starting
with the cover.
Click on these chapter
links to view specific
chapters.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Here is another screenshot of the cover of the same eBook. All pages within the eBook offer page navigation, keyword
searching, printing and emailing tools. For copyright reasons, users are limited to printing or emailing a maximum of 60
pages at a time from EBSCO eBooks.
Click to search
within the
book.
To Print
To Email
Use to
navigate
within the
book.
k
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Here is a screenshot of the introductory book page from an eBook published by Springer Science +Business Media.
Springer is a publisher that specializes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Enter keywords
to search within
the book.
(Make sure that
the window is
maximized in
order to see this
search box.)
General publication
Information
Click here to
download,
save, or
print the
entire book.
Click on
chapter title
for a
chapter
To preview
the book
(usually the
first
chapter).
More book
information,
a summary,
etc.
summary.
Click to
download
the chapter
in PDF, view,
save, print,
or email.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Most Springer eBooks will offer a “Download Book” link to allow you to download the entire book in one step, and then
view, save, or print using the various icons on an Adobe PDF toolbar. Springer eBooks have no copyright restrictions on
the number of pages that may be printed, saved, or emailed. Click on the “Download PDF” link to view as well as
download, then save, print or email a specific chapter. There is a separate link for chapter viewing only. See the
screenshot below. Note that in emailing, you should send the page(s) or a chapter as a PDF file attachment to an email
note rather than use the Adobe SendNow option, which costs money.
“Print”
Icon
.“Email”
Icon
“Save”
Icon
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Please note that some Springer eBooks offer a “View Chapter” link in addition to the “Download PDF” link. When you
click on this, you will be able to view the chapter in HTML format. Then if you wish to print the chapter, follow the normal
FILE pull-down /select PRINT sequence of steps, and if you wish to save, select “SAVE AS.” See the screenshot below.
However, you cannot email from this page, which is why generally-speaking, it is better to use the “Download PDF” link
since all functions—viewing, downloading/saving, printing, and emailing-- are easily accomplished this way.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Here is a screenshot of the introductory book page from a Gale Virtual Reference Library eBook. The Gale Virtual
Reference Library is a collection of encyclopedias and other specialized reference sources that are designed to provide
easy access to factual information. You may view, search within, and download titles anytime from any Internet-connected
device. The “About This Publication” page with publication information is displayed first when you connect to an eBook
from the Library catalog.
From here, you may select the Table of Contents, Book Index or List of Illustrations links, or enter keywords to search
within the publication.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Below is a screenshot of the Table of Contents page.
Other features available include the following:
• eBook Index: Navigate within the eBook Index by clicking Previous or Next, using the browse box, or selecting a
letter link. Then click on a hyperlinked page number below an index heading to go to the referenced page within
the eBook article or chapter.
• List of Illustrations: Link directly to photographs, tables, maps, etc., when available, within an eBook.
• Search “within publication” capability: Search results consist of individual documents from eBooks.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
You can filter your results in several ways using the left-hand sidebar, including by Document Type, Publication Title,
Subjects, etc. Terms within each filter are listed in descending order by number of results (the number in parentheses).
Click a term to view only those results. A View More link is provided for longer lists.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
You may view a document either in PDF format or in what is known as “text format.” Here is a screenshot of a document
view. Initially the document will be displayed as TEXT, but you may switch to PDF view on the right side of the article from
To Download
To Select
To Download
the grey banner.
To Email
to Drive
to eReader
Document View
To Print
Text View - Displays the text of the article -- along with any images and sidebars -- as one continuous page. Use this view when
you want to use article tools such as print, e-mail, download and save the open document to a flash drive, hard drive, etc.,
download PDF to an eReader, and more.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
PDF View – See screenshot below. This view displays the article as it appears in the corresponding print publication using a
built-in PDF viewer. The document viewer in PDF allows the following actions:
• Next and Previous arrows: Page through the article, jump to the first or last page, or go the next article.
• Facing Pages: display side-by-side pages, as in a book.
• Full Screen: Maximizes the viewing window.
Zoom In
Full
• Zoom in or out: magnifies the PDF document.
or
Out
Screen
• Print the article using the tool provided.
• Listen: Listen to the document being read aloud.
Next/Previous
Arrows
To
Print
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
Here is a screenshot of the introductory “About this book” page from a Credo Reference eBook. Like the Gale eBooks,
the Credo eBooks are full-text online versions of reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and
atlases, on a wide range of subjects.
Click here
to view
Table of
Contents.
Publication
information
Enter
keywords
to search
within the
book.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
On the Table of Contents page, all the links under “Contents” are clickable to display the content of the various entries.
Above the “Contents,” there is a toolbar of available functions—the playing of an audio recording of the “Contents” listing,
emailing, printing, saving, and sharing the “Contents” page with various social media. Note that saving is a multi-step
process: click on “Save” and then on “Saved Results.”
Links for
listening to
content,
emailing,
printing,
saving, and
sharing.
Links to
other
Library
resources
Links to
content
entries/
articles.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
When you click on one of the entry or article links, you are provided with the full text of the entry, including any images,
footnotes, charts, graphs, etc. that you would see in the print version of the book. “Related Resources” are links to the
Library catalog and selected databases. Click on the catalog link or a database name to automatically execute a “power
search” within the catalog or database for the entry term of the article that you are reading, in this case, “anteaters.”
You will be taken to the relevant page of the catalog or database, opening in a new window or tab.
Links for
listening to
content,
emailing,
printing, saving,
and sharing.
Enter
keywords to
search within
the book.
Links to the
Library
Catalog and
selected
databases .
Link that will
take you to a
Topic Page that
summarizes
information on
the entry
subject from
many reference
books.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
4. Can I “check out” or in other words, download an eBook to a computer or e-reader?
The EBSCO eBooks may be viewed and used in a variety of ways, but they cannot be downloaded or “checked out.”
Generally, there is only one copy of each EBSCO eBook title, and only one user at a time can have access to it. You do
have exclusive use of an eBook for the time that you are “actively” using it online. “Actively” using an eBook is any use of
the keyboard, for example, associated with turning pages, searching within the full-text, etc. Activity is measured in 15minute increments. If you are not “actively” viewing the item after a 15-minute period, it automatically becomes available
for someone else to view. If you wish to view an eBook, and another user is using it, you will receive a status message
that the Library’s copy is in use. Under these circumstances, the eBook’s Table of Contents is all that you can view. You
can try to access the title again later.
The Library’s other eBooks are not shared with other libraries and may be downloaded to any computer or e-reader which
supports PDF format files. Look for “download” links in these eBooks—generally the download occurs at the chapter or
document level. Also, these eBooks allow unlimited simultaneous usage by multiple users.
5. Are there limits to how many pages may be printed or emailed by a user?
The copyright protection features in EBSCO eBooks affect their printing and emailing also. When you click on the print or
email icons in the column to the right of a viewed EBSCO eBook, you will be presented with limitations and options,
depending on the specific eBook. Generally, up to 60 pages of a title may be printed or emailed by a user in a session.
However, the number of pages may vary depending on requirements of the publisher of an individual eBook. With
Springer, Gale, and Credo eBooks, you may print or email as many pages as you want.
6. When I am finished with viewing an eBook, how do I exit the book?
When you are finished using an EBSCO eBook, click on the Detailed Record link in the upper left corner of the screen in
which you are viewing the eBook. You are now out of the eBook and back to the introductory Detailed Record for the
eBook. Then just close the EBSCO Detailed Record by clicking on the “x” in the upper right corner of the screen. For the
eBooks from the other vendors, just close the window(s) in which you are viewing the eBook. In all cases, note that you
still should have an open, separate catalog window for resuming use of the catalog if you want.
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Introduction to the Library’s Electronic Books (eBooks)
7. I am having problems using eBooks. What can I do?
First, you should review the following information.
o Verify that you do not have a pop-up blocker program running. If you have any pop-up blocker programs running,
you will need to allow pop-ups for the few specific web sites associated with our eBooks.
o Since our eBooks are generally in PDF format, Adobe Reader software is also required—version 8.2 or higher is
recommended. The Adobe Reader software is a free download available from www.adobe.com. Once it is installed
on your computer, open the Adobe Reader program, click on the “Edit” pull-down menu at the top, then
“Preferences,” and then “Internet.” Make sure that there is a check mark next to “display PDF in browser.”
o If you are using a Macintosh computer instead of a PC and experience problems with viewing an eBook despite
meeting the requirements identified above, you may need to install a PDF plug-in available at http://www.schubertit.com/pluginpdf/
If you still need help, submit your question(s) online to librarians through the Ask-A-Librarian service at
http://www.elcamino.edu/library/library_ser/ask_a_librarian.asp or contact a librarian at the Library’s Reference Desk. The
Reference Desk phone number is 310-660-6483. Typical hours of Reference Desk operation during the fall and spring are
M-Th., 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 8-4:30, Saturday 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Hours may vary during other times of the year.
MI 5/15/2014
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