Information on locating ProQuest (formerly ebrary and EBL) e-books at the WSU Libraries; reading them in-browser; checking them out; and downloading them to your computer, tablet, or phone.
Note: (ProQuest) Ebook Central e-books are available in two ways:
Both types will show up in Search It, but may have different access (i.e. check-out time options and one user/three users/unlimited users). In some cases, Ebook Central e-books may also be available on other platforms, i.e. from a publisher such as Wiley InterScience.
This page is currently being updated...
Printing
Copy and print page allowances will be on starting page.
Copying
Notes
In-browser:
ADE (desktop):
Bluefire (mobile):
Highlighting
In-browser:
ADE (desktop):
Bluefire (mobile):
Bookmarks
In-browser:
ADE (desktop):
Bluefire (mobile):
This guide includes screenshots taken from an older version of Adobe Digital Editions (2.0) than the one currently available (4.01). While the look may be slightly different, things should work more or less similarly (watch for notes).
It includes instructions for downloading your Ebook Central e-book to Adobe Digital Editions (desktop/laptop - or you could also use the Bluefire for Windows software). If you are downloading an Ebook Central e-book to an iOS device (iPad, iPhone, or iPod) or Android tablet or smartphone (including the Kindle Fire or the Nook HD) look in the box below XXX [change link to next] this one in this guide.
The ProQuest Ebook Central support links on either side will give additional information, how-tos, and screencast tutorials, including how to download chapters as PDFs and how to download (check out, really) the entire book to your desktop/laptop/device.
1. WSU Libraries e-books via Ebook Central, as well as other e-book vendors and publishers, can be found using Search It (You can do a search then narrow by e-books in the left-hand filter, or preset "e-book" as a format in Advanced Search). They can also be found directly by searching within WSU Libraries' ProQuest Ebook Central e-book databases (WSU owned) or subscription XXX (Ebook Central Academic Complete) - which seem to go to the same thing, don't they?).
Ebook Central e-books records in Search It will look like the images below (note that this one is available both as a WSU-purchased e-book and through the ProQuest Ebook Central Academic Complete subscription database and their number of allowed users at one time may be different). Click on either link to access the e-book - the interface will be the same. You will need to log in with your WSU credentials for access.
2. To read the book immediately on-screen, click the "Available for Online Reading" link. If the publisher permits, you may be able to copy pages (they will download as a regular PDF that you will own) or print pages, but in all cases you should be able to take notes/annotations, bookmark a page, save a title onto a bookshelf so you don't forget it, and more. These are linked to you based on your signing in with your WSU account, and will stay as long as you have WSU access (or delete them intentionally). Note: You may want to check the book out, even if you don't plan on downloading it; this will ensure it is available for you for that period in the event it is a limited-user(s)-at-a-time title.
Note the online reading options; if you mouse over them you will see they are your online reading tools (full download, page(s)/chapter download, copy, print to PDF, add to bookshelf, share link, get citation, highlight, add note, bookmark, etc). Not all books allow downloading, printing or copying; this is a publisher decision, not the WSU Libraries or Ebook Central.
If you highlight text, you will see options to copy (this will create a text box you can copy from - it will also append the citation but not the page number; you can add that in yourself along with any notes before you copy and paste the text where you want it to go outside of the e-book). You can also highlight (including changing the color of your highlighter), and create an in-book note. Notes will have a visible icon on the page, and can also be located, along with all other annotations, highlights and bookmarks, by clicking the star in the purple left-hand menu. You can also add a note or bookmark directly from the icon menu at the top of the e-book page.
3. To download a chapter or page sequence as a PDF, just click on the "Chapter Download" icon at the top of the screen, and you will be prompted to select a page range (there is a maximum number of pages that can be downloaded) or the current chapter. Some publishers do not allow page printing and/or downloads, and there will always be a page limit for printing and downloading. Note that your access is tied to your WSU account, so you can't download the maximum on one sitting and download more the next time you access the book. Your page/chapter download will be a PDF that is your to keep; each page will include a basic citation at the bottom.
4. To download a complete e-book to read offline, click on the Download icon at the top of the Ebook Central screen, or the Full Download button on the left side of the e-book record screen (if you don't see it, click on the "Book details" book icon on the upper left).
The book may not be available to download depending on publisher permissions, how many copies are available through the WSU Libraries, and whether all available copies are already in use. If there are no available copies for download, you may still be able to read it online in your browser in Ebook Central (see #2 above).
If it is available for download, you will see a wizard that will walk you through the process, including
1. selecting a device (laptop/desktop, iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod), Android (phone or tablet - this includes the Kindle Fire), or Other. It will ask if you are using your own computer or a public computer; select the appropriate response.
My Own Computer:
2. prompting you to download Adobe Digital Editions e-book reading software if you have not already installed it (Note: WSU Libraries computers will all have it installed, although perhaps not the most updated version). Note it will also provide a link to create a free Adobe ID that can be used to authorize your Adobe Digital Editions software. You DO NOT NEED THIS unless you plan on transferring your e-book to another device that is not a desktop/laptop/iOS device/Android device (all of which can directly download Ebook central e-books). Basically you only need an Adobe ID if you want to transfer your e-book to a e-Ink Ereader such as a Nook. Otherwise you can just use ADE without authorization. For information on setting up your ADE software, look here. XXXX
3. Downloading the e-book. Note that this may or may not give you a choice on download period (how long you have the book checked out) and format. If you can choose your format, choose EPUB, not PDF - it provides a better reading experience usually. If you have problems, there is a Help link.
4. You will see a message indicating that you checked out the e-book, and a box letting you open the e-book in Adobe Digital Editions. Depending what browser you are using, you may see something different - i.e. if you are using the Chrome browser, it may save a "URLLink.ascn" that you will need to click on to open (look on the lower left part of your browser window).
In Firefox:
5. Your book will open in ADE with the cover showing. Depending on the version of ADE you have and how you have it set up, you may read it by scrolling down, or use the arrow buttons to turn pages. Be sure to select Show Page Numbers in the Reading menu!
6. From here you can read your book, bookmark pages, highlight text, take notes, and more. Highlighted text and notes will include the page they were taken from and can be seen through the bookmarks option. NOTE: notes, highlighting, and bookmarks will NOT be available after the book has been returned! If you take notes, be sure to transfer (copy and paste) them into an email or document that you can save on your computer! If you are reading the book online you can save that information if you are logged in, but NOT when you download!! Unfortunately, it is not easy to directly export your ADE annotations.
In ADE, To highlight text or make a note, highlight and right-click on the text of interest and select your option:
7. When the check-out period of the book has passed, the downloaded e-book will no longer be accessible to you (nor will any notes, highlights or bookmarks that you made). In Adobe Digital Editions, if you click on the Library link (upper right corner) you will see a list of titles that you have saved in ADE. If you want, you can right-click on the title and remove the empty record from your ADE library.
Ebook Central recommends Bluefire Reader for downloading e-books to tablets and smartphones. These instructions use Bluefire Reader for iOS - they should work similarly for Bluefire Reader for Android (including the Kindle Fire). Please note that any notes, highlighting, or bookmarks you create in the downloaded Ebook Central e-book on your device will NOT be saved once the e-book check out period has expired (they are if you use the Ebook Central browser Reader). See the middle box on this guide for information on downloading an e-book to your desktop/laptop to read.
For additional information on downloading Ebook Central e-books to a tablet or smartphone, see the "Ebook Central Guides and How-To's" box on this Guide.
1. Using your Android or iOS device, locate an e-book that you want to download using Search It. If it is an Ebook Central e-book (or if you are searching the ProQuest Ebook Central e-book database directly), follow these directions:
To download an e-book to read offline on an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone, once you open it to read in your tablet or smartphone browser, click on the Download icon at the top of the Ebook Central e-book screen or the Full Download button on the left side of the e-book record screen (if you don't see it, click on the "Book details" book icon on the upper left).
The book may not be available to download depending on publisher permissions, how many copies are available through the WSU Libraries, and whether all available copies are already in use. If there are no available copies for download, you may still be able to read it online in your browser through the Ebook Central e-book site. If it is available for download, you will see a wizard that will walk you through the process, including
a. selecting a device - iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod), or Android (phone or tablet - this includes the Kindle Fire)
b. prompting you to Get Bluefire Reader - ignore if if you already have an Adobe account and have installed Bluefire Reader for iOS, or Android on the device you are downloading the e-book to, and just click "Done with this step," otherwise you will be given links to get an Adobe account and download Bluefire Reader (you must authorize Bluefire Reader in advance with an Adobe ID account - this controls checkout terms and more).
c. Downloading the e-book. The book will be checked out to you - for how long depends on the book and (in some cases) your selection, but usually anywhere between one and 21 days.
2. Your e-book will automatically open in the Bluefire Reader application on your tablet or smartphone; you will be notified that the download was successful and given the option to Read Now or Read Later. If you read now it will open up immediately; if later, you can find it by opening your Bluefire reader app.
Note: If you are reading your e-book on a phone, *be sure* to press the bottom of the first screen you see when the e-book opens. This will allow you to increase the font and make other adjustments in Settings - otherwise the default font is too small to be readable. This is also how you can navigate back to your Library, see your bookmarks, highlights, and annotations, etc. The three-dot menu on the Bookmarks page allow you to export your bookmarks, annotations, and highlights (if allowed in book access permissions). Note that you can edit the book's title, author, and publisher metadata to get a better citation than the default. Actually...the smartphone experience is not very fun no matter how you work it.
3. From here you can read your book, bookmark pages, highlight text, take notes, and more. Highlighted text and notes will include the page they were taken from, but the citation itself is minimal (although you may be able to edit it from the Library view). NOTE: notes, highlighting, and bookmarks will NOT be available after the book has been returned! If you take notes, be sure to export, or transfer (i.e. copy and paste), them into a document that you can save on your computer or device! If you are reading the book online you can save that information if you are logged in, but NOT when you download!!
To highlight you can select your text with your finger or a stylus (this is not always easy...), and you will see a menu of operations that includes Define (does a Google search for the highlighted word), Highlight (selects and highlights text in yellow), Note (write yourself a note- the page and source are saved), Share (email, Tweet, save to an application, etc.) or Copy (puts the selected text on your clipboard so you can paste it into another application). There is also a bookmark icon in the upper right of the screen that will allow you to bookmark a page and create a note. The Share and Copy options can be used to send notes and content you want to keep to your email, etc. {Note: this is based on the iPad experience; if you are using a different device your experience may vary, i.e. an Android phone allows fewer options). Note: Publisher restrictions may prevent any highlighted text from being exported using Bluefire reader's export function.
4. When the check-out period of the book has passed, the downloaded e-book will no longer be accessible to you (nor will any notes, highlights or bookmarks that you made). You can delete it from your device at any point, but that will not actually return it earlier than your pre-set check-out period.