Looking for Textbooks?
Students: Some of your course textbooks may be available through the Textbook Affordability Program (TAP) at the USF Libraries. Textbooks that are available through TAP are housed in the reserves collection at the Library Services Desk.
Instructors: Search the E-books for the Classroom database and select titles for course adoption. If you select a title that is not currently part of our collection, USF Libraries will purchase the title and make it available.Please note that the USF Libraries cannot license access to etextbooks by major textbook publishers such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage or W.W. Norton.
- Ebooks for the ClassroomSearch the e-books for the classroom database
- Ebooks for the Classroom Request FormInstructors, use this form to request items NOT in the Ebooks for the Classroom database
E-book Collections
Accessing E-Books
Introduction to e-Books at the USF Library
E-books are electronic versions of print books. The USF Libraries have access to thousands of e-books covering a variety of disciplines. Accessing e-books from an academic library is a bit different than borrowing an e-book from a public library or buying an e-book from an online bookstore. The e-books that are available through the USF Libraries are published by the same scholarly publishers and academic presses as the library's print collection.
- E-books may all be read online
- Many ebooks can be partially downloaded or printed(a chapter or a set amount of pages)
- Some vendors require you to log in through your myUSF account
- Some vendors, such as Ebrary and EBL allow "borrowing" of MOST titles for full-text offline reading, but you need to create an account. The first time you borrow one of these e-books you need to download free Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) software and set up an account. ADE provides the platform for reading and managing rights for downloaded e-books, -- it controls loan periods and ensures that "borrowed" books aren't pirated. (IOS devices require additional software.)
Do I need an account to read e-books?
As long as you are logged into the library website, most e-book collections do not require an account to view and read a title. Printing, copying and downloading books MAY require that you create an account in that collection.
Can I read ebooks on my mobile device?
The USF Libraries subscribe to several e-book collections that currently offer thousands of titles for check-out and transfer to an e-reader or another device. While each collection has its own unique download process, in general, you can use any web-enabled device that is able to run Adobe Digital Editions (ADE), such as Nook, iPad, iPhone/ iPod touch, Sony e-readers, or laptops, desktops etc.
Finding e-Books
E-books can be searched using the USF Libraries catalog. A link to connect full text of the e-book is available below the citation in the catalog record. You can also search specific collections through their individual interface/search pages. There is a link to the search page for each collection under the each table above. Links to individual e-book collections can also be found on the "Research Tools" menu under "Databases by Subject".
Can I print from e-books?
Most e-books allow a "reasonable" amount of printing, typically between 5% and 20% of the book. Some vendors control use through Digital Rights Management (DRM), which requires that users download Adobe Digital Editions (ADE).
Are there print copies of e-books in the library?
The library is moving toward acquiring ebooks over print books in most cases, so the library most likely will have either a print OR an electronic copy of a book. However, for some titles, there may be a print copy as well as an online copy of the book in the collection. This is rapidly becoming the exception, rather than the norm. Check the library catalog to determine the format(s) available