LibGuides: eBooks & audioBooks: Home

What is an eBook license?

eBooks and audioBooks are purchased under various licenses. These licenses have different restrictions on use. They dictate how many users can access a title simultaneously, how many times a title can be accessed (check-outs) or for how long a title's access is available. Some licenses include a combination of factors.

USER CONCURRENCE
How many users can access a title at the same time. Typically 1, 3 or unlimited. Equivalent to number of copies, in print books.

CIRCULATION

How many times a title can be used. Once this number is reached, the title is no longer available. Some titles may have a limit on circulation that is on an annual basis. Equivalent to number of check outs in print books.

TERM

A limited time frame when a title can be accessed. This model is common for "renting" e-textbooks. The University Library does not pursue titles with a term limit, unless they are part of a subscription package.

PERPETUAL

Titles purchased with perpetual access are permanently retained by the library for the life of the item, much like purchasing a print book. They may still have limited user concurrence or limited circulation per year.

SUBSCRIPTION

This type of license provides access to a package of titles for a set time frame, before renewing or cancelling. Titles are typically unlimited users and circulation. The University Library has several subscription eBook collections.

PAY-PER-USE

This model is just as it sounds, titles are paid for when they are used. Some eBook titles are not purchased until they are used by a patron.

This chart shows typical eBook licenses the University Library may purchase:

Label	Definition
1 User	One user at a time
3 User	Three users at a time
Concurrent Access	200-325 loans per year; unlimited simultaneous users
Non-Linear Lending™	200-325 loans per year; unlimited simultaneous users
Unlimited	Unlimited number of users
DRM-free	No limitations on downloading, printing, or saving

eBook Platforms

EBSCO eBooks

Search the full collection of EBSCO eBooks, or search by subject set.

eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window This includes all the EBSCO eBooks - individual titles and subscription sets.
eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window This growing subscription package contains a large selection of multidisciplinary eBook titles representing a broad range of academic subject matter, and is a strong complement for any academic collection. The breadth of information available through this package ensures that users will have access to information relevant to their research needs.
eBook Business Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window This collection offers nearly 20,000 business e-books selected to assist students and scholars with various business research, special project and entrepreneurial needs. A key resource for academic and business school libraries, eBook Business Collection encompasses a variety of topics, such as marketing, finance, supply chain management and entrepreneurship. Titles are available from many noteworthy academic and business publishers, including Oxford University Press, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, World Scientific Publishing Company, Princeton University Press, AMACOM and Gallup Press. All titles are available with unlimited user access, and titles are regularly added to the package.
eBook Nursing Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window Designed for use in hospitals, medical institutions and academic institutions with nursing or allied health programs, this subscription collection features more than 600 hand-selected, quality e-books that focus on the needs of nursing professionals, including clinical guides, evidence-based practice manuals, practical handbooks and professional growth titles. All titles are available with unlimited user access, and titles are regularly added to the collection.
eBook Religion Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window This unique collection features more than 8,600 e-books from trusted publishers covering a broad range of religious subjects including philosophy, ethics, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, religious texts and more. This dynamic compilation of texts explores religious beliefs, faith, cultural systems and world views and provides a key resource to meet the needs of students and scholars in their research. Titles are available from a variety of distinguished academic, university and religious publishers, Oxford University Press, University of California Press, Brill Academic Press, De Gruyter, InterVarsity Press, Harvard University Press, Society of Biblical Literature, State University of New York Press, Peter Lang and The Jewish Publication Society. All titles are available with unlimited user access, and titles are regularly added to the collection.
eBook University Press (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window This collection contains more than 35,000 multidisciplinary e-books from more than 90 of the best university presses in the world. Covering a variety of subjects such as technology, science, literature and humanities, the collection serves a full range of audiences, offering basic introductory texts to high-level research materials.

Other eBook Platforms

ProQuest eBook Central This link opens in a new window Easy to use eBooks from ProQuest.
SAGE eBooks This link opens in a new window This robust collection of over 5000 titles is available for 1 year, through the library's membership in LOUIS's Affordable Learning LOUISiana Initiative. High usage titles and titles used in courses will be reviewed and purchased at the end of the 1 year period.
R2 Digital Library This link opens in a new window The R2 Digital Library is a web based database from Rittenhouse Book Distributors. It offers fully integrated and searchable medical, nursing and allied health source book content from key health science publishers, on a web based platform. This collection is set up as a patron driven acquisition model. Most books are not owned, but when titles are used, librarians can track interest and purchase titles based on the data.

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Directory of Open Access Books This link opens in a new window The primary aim of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books.As of August 24, 2017 there were 8787 Academic peer-reviewed books and chapters from 224 publishers.
JSTOR & Artstor Open Content This link opens in a new window Explore academic content on JSTOR that is open to everyone, everywhere. Search thousands of free journal articles and open access book chapters.
LOUIS Faculty Portal This link opens in a new window Using the Louisiana Statewide Common Course Catalog, LOUIS created and maintains a list of potential open educational resources (OERs) that faculty may choose to adopt in their courses. The Open Textbook Library is the primary source of OER content for this project and content from other OER repositories will be included on an ongoing basis.
OER Commons This link opens in a new window From a single point of access in OER Commons, you can search, browse, and evaluate resources in OER Commons' growing collection of over 50,000 high-quality OER.
OpenStax This link opens in a new window OpenStax is a nonprofit based at Rice University whose mission is to improve student access to education. Their first openly licensed college textbook was published in 2012, and the library has since scaled to more than 20 books for college and AP courses used by hundreds of thousands of students.

eBooks & audioBooks: Home

What is the Reserve Collection?

The University Library provides eBooks on multiple platforms, including EBSCO, ProQuest, JSTOR, R2, ProQuest and Sage. Ebook titles can be viewed online or downloaded/checked out for a set timeframe. Options may vary based on the platform.

What is an eBook license?

eBook Platforms

EBSCO eBooks

Other eBook Platforms

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

AudioBooks

Request a Title for Reserve

Reserve titles are added based on the online bookstore's required/recommended list at the beginning of each semester. Faculty may contact a Librarian to request that an item that was not included on the textbook list be added to the reserve collection.