News

Search tip: Searching for eBooks

article_published_on_label
November 6, 2020

When you think about the library, you may think about endless rows of bookshelves with books lined up waiting to be read. Well, many books are actually eBooks. Do you know how to find them?

Searching for an eBook on a specific topic

You can use WUR Library Search to search and find e-books. You will find the search bar on our website's homepage.

Make sure you use the filter "eBook". The result list will now display all the eBooks held by WUR Library related to your topic. You can click on the blue button “view eBook” to access the eBook. Don't forget to log in!

filter for eBooks is on the left side

Find out if your favorite print book is also available online

Do you have a print book and you want to know if it's also available as an eBook?

Search for your book in WUR Library Search. When you open the book’s record, go to “check availability”. The record will show if the book is available as an e-book.

Under 'check availability', check if your book is available in print, as eBook, or both

Reading eBooks

Now that you know how to find an eBook, you should also know about the usage rights that may apply to eBooks.

Print book restrictions are straightforward and do not need to be explained. If someone has borrowed a book you need, you simply wait for it to come back to the shelf. However, when it comes to eBooks, borrowing privileges are different. eBooks have different usage rights depending on the platform they come from.

  • Sometimes only one user can read the eBook at a time, other times 3, or 5, or unlimited. It's good to check usage rights when you want to use an eBook in one of your courses.
  • You may also be able to download the full text of some eBooks, while you'll need to read others with an online reader. Some restrictions may also apply to the number of pages you're allowed to download.
  • The usage rights are often clearly stated, for example when you access the eBook.
ebooks princetong guide to ecology.png