EBSCO E-books: Public Library Subscription Collection Webinar

Important to know before commencing:

General information on EBSCO E-books:

• Provides access to 41 thousand e-books which have been chosen specifically for public libraries
• Collection suitable for both children and adults (art, cooking, self help etc)
• Unlimited user access/licensing
• Titles are regularly added to the collection
• Loan period= 21 days
• Kindle not compatible
• Items download to Adobe digital editions
• Google chrome will not work to view the EBSCO e-book collection use safari/explorer/firefox

Searching for items:

• Truncation available for searching
• Browse by category or search for specific items
• Able to view detailed record of items

Viewing the item and checking out:

• Similar to other EBSCO databases – can save to folder etc
• As in all EBSCO databases the dictionary, citation, permalink, bookmark and export options are all available
• Option to open/save when downloading
• View items online either through:

o  PDF

o   E-pub format (text can be formatted to fit screen only in this option)

• Patrons can view the item offline by checking out and downloading the item
• 95% of resources can be downloaded offline – the 5% that cannot are mostly published by Cengage Learning
• Option to search within the full text of the article/book – may be useful for patrons searching a particular paragraph or recipe etc
• Can also email/save certain pages (up to around 60 pages) which may be useful for patrons wanting to share certain information (i.e. recipes for the recipe club)
• Table of contents allows users to jump to certain sections etc- contents has hypertext links
• Same as other e-book databases – right click to return items

Viewing from a mobile or tablet device?

• If viewing on the mobile- users will need the ‘bluefire reader’ app
• Bluefire reader app is compatible on both Iphones and androids
• With the app you can:

  o   Download books offline

  
  

  o   Easily return books and auto delete (just like overdrive)

  
  

  o   Customise the reading experience (i.e. adjust the font etc)

• Sample book will appear in the reader app – good to know as some patrons might get confused and think they downloaded it
• Trash can option allows you to delete certain items.
• Make sure the bluefire app and your device is on the latest versions
• Error message may occur on downloading the bluefire app and this is usually because the software is not up to date

 To transfer an e-book from your laptop or personal computer to mobile device:

1. Open your downloaded eBook in Adobe Digital Editions. If you have not authorized Adobe Digital Editions, you will need to complete that step first. An Adobe ID is not required for authorization. Simply select I want to authorize my computer without an ID and click Authorize.
   However, if you have an Adobe ID and would like to synchronize your reading across multiple devices, you can elect to authorize the app using your existing Adobe ID, or create a new one at the following link:
   Adobe ID Registration.
2. Connect your portable device to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Turn on the eReader. If the reader offers an option to Recharge or Connect to the computer, choose the “Connect” option.
4. Open Adobe Digital Editions – it automatically detects the presence of your device and offers to authorize it.
   Just as the Adobe Digital Editions software must be authorized, the portable device must also be authorized to be able to transfer protected content to and from the device.
5. Click Authorize Device in the resulting window.
   
6. Click Finished after your device is authorized.
   
7. After authorization, the device appears as a new bookshelf in your library. Transfer items to and from the device bookshelf by clicking on the book title, then dragging and dropping the title into the device bookshelf.
   Note: Do not disconnect the device while you are in the process of transferring a title to the device.
   

For more details on how to check items out, save pages and downloading Adobe Digital Editions visit: 
https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/eBooks_Audiobooks/eBooks 

Or visit the tutorials online at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBC_CPlZqhatEZJN_oIldtg 


~Sophie