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Hope Library Guides

ebooks at Hope College: Using ebooks

A guide for using Hope's ebook collections

Single User vs. Multi User

For some ebooks there are restrictions on how many people can simultaneously access a title.  Notes are often provided in Hope Primo to indicate restrictions.  Further information may be provided on the ebook vendor's platform when trying to view an ebook.

Single User

One person at a time can access the ebook.

 

Multi User

Multiple people can access the ebook.  There are a variety of multi-user types which may be indicated in the note (see further examples below).

 

3 User 

Three users can access the ebook simultaneously.

 

Concurrent Access / Non-Linear Lending

Unlimited numbers of people can access the ebook simultaneously.  There is a vendor-set limit to the total number of times the ebook can be viewed within a year.

 

Unlimited Access

Unlimited numbers of people can access the ebook simultaneously.

 

Open Access

The ebook is freely open without any restrictions on access.

Purchased Titles vs. Subscription Titles

Ebooks available from the Hope College Library come in two main categories: Purchased Titles and Subscription Collection Titles.

Purchased titles are ebooks that the the library has purchased and provides perpetual access to (usually through a vendor's platform).

Subscription collection titles are ebooks that the library subscribes to for a specific amount of time. Each year, typically, the library decides whether to continue with a specific subscription collection or not.

When subscribed to a particular ebook collection available titles can sometimes change -- titles may disappear, new titles may be added, and/or some titles may be updated with a new version (e.g. a fourth edition may be updated to the fifth edition). This is often due to agreement changes between an ebook vendor and book publisher. Title changes can happen on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.  Hope Primo is updated regularly to reflect changes in subscription collection titles.

ebook Downloads and Mobile Devices

The ability to download an ebook to a desktop/laptop computer or mobile device varies from vendor to vendor.  In most cases you will be able to view ebooks in a browser on a computer or mobile device.  It is best to check the help documentation on each vendor's website for details on mobile devices and downloading ebooks.  Ebook platforms will often have PDF download buttons/links available.

Some of Hope's ebook vendors allow you to download EPUB (electronic publication format) titles using Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) -- a form of DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology.  See Digital Editions Supported Devices for more information. Creating an Adobe ID and an account on the ebook platform may be necessary in order to download an ebook.  For viewing EPUB and PDF ebooks there are also many apps, including Samatra PDF (also opens EPUB files) and Calibre.  At this time Amazon Kindle devices do not work with Adobe Digital Editions.  Contact the Van Wylen Library if you need assistance with downloading and viewing an ebook.  

 

 

Here are download policies and instructions for some ebook platforms:

ACLS Humanities E-Book (HEB) Downloading 

Ebook Central Downloading (Full)

Ebook Central Downloading (Chapter)

EBSCOhost eBook Collection Checkout / Download

EBSCOhost eBook Collection Downloading on Mobile Devices

Oxford Handbooks PDF Downloading

Printing Limits

Ebook vendors have different policies regarding the printing of ebook content.  It is best to check the help documentation on each vendor's website for details.  

Ebook Platform Help Websites