Using eBooks for Course Readings
You can link to any e-book in our catalog, which is the easiest way to direct students to e-book readings. However, many of our e-books allow only one person to access them at a time.
Several of our e-book platforms allow you to download and save excerpts to distribute as course readings. This can be a good solution if you only want to assign a chapter or two.
Whether an e-book has number-of-users access restrictions, and whether and how much it allows you to download and save, depends on the publisher and the platform. When you find an e-book that you want to use as a course reading, check which platform it's on, and see below for each of our e-books' platform requirements.
If you have questions or need assistance, we're happy to help. E-mail us at library@plu.edu.
ProQuest Ebook Central
How to find:
Available through the library catalog, or search our ProQuest e-book collection.
How to link:
Once you've located a book, click "Share link to book" on the left side of its detail page. Copy the link to share it in Sakai, via e-mail, etc. If the book is listed as unlimited access, there is no limit on the number of students who can access it at once.
How to excerpt:
To make a stable PDF of a chapter or selection of pages, follow the directions on the book's detail page. This will include the maximum number of pages you can save and download. This is a good option if the e-book has user limits, and you don't want to assign the whole book anyway.
EBSCOHost
How to find:
EBSCO eBooks are available through the library catalog.
How to link:
On the detail page of the book you want to use, click "permalink" on the right-hand side. If you're on-campus, copy and paste the resulting link into our resource linker, and use that link in your Sakai or syllabus. (If you're off campus, you can skip this step.) DO NOT copy the link from the web browser address bar! It will not work.
Most of our EBSCO e-books are limited to one reader at a time. We recommend creating a PDF excerpt, especially if you're only assigning a chapter or a selection of pages.
How to excerpt:
Click on the "PDF full text" link on the left side of the book's detail page. Then, click "Save pages." The resulting screen will show you how many pages you can download at once and give you options to select the pages you want. Upload the resulting document to Sakai.
O'Reilly Online Learning (formerly Safari Books Online)
How to find:
Safari books are listed in the library catalog, or search the O'Reilly platform. You and your students must create accounts on Safari to access the books. To do this, do the following:
- Click the "Select your institution" drop-down
- Click "Not listed? Click here."
- Enter your e-mail address to complete the registration process
How to link:
Once you're on the page of the book you want, copy and paste the URL from the browser address bar. Remind your students that they must have created their O'Reilly account or this link will not work for them!
How to excerpt:
Safari does not offer a download feature. However, access is unlimited (though it does require an active Internet connection).
Oxford
How to find:
Search in the library catalog, or the Oxford platform. (If you search Oxford's platform directly, note that we only have access to books with the unlocked, free, or open access icons. Items marked restricted are not in our collection.)
How to link:
Once you've found the book you want to use, copy and paste the URL from the browser address bar. If you're off campus, convert the link using our resource linker before sharing.
How to excerpt:
You can convert single chapters to PDF to download and save, then use in your Sakai site. This is a good option if you only want to assign a chapter or two; there are no simultaneous user limits on Oxford e-books.
Springer
How to find:
Springer e-books are available in the library catalog, or the Springer platform.
How to link:
Once you've found the book you want, copy the link from the browser address bar. If you're on campus, run the link through our resource linker before sharing with students.
How to excerpt:
You can download individual chapters and post on Sakai or share with students. There is no user limit or download limit on Springer e-books.
