What do we mean by ebook?
Ebook - green dot
An ebook which the libraries have purchased, or which is freely available on the web. See the sections on Finding and Using ebooks for information on these.
Electronic Legal Deposit (eLD) - orange dot
The electronic equivalent of a 'library use only' print book - UK publishers donate us these texts because we are a Legal Deposit library. They can only be read on library computers (not your own laptop) from within one of the Bodleian Libraries. See the full eLD LibGuide for information on these items, including printing, and the tab on citing ebooks. The rest of this LibGuide does not apply to them.
Why use ebooks?
There are a number of benefits to using ebooks:
- With remote access, ebooks are there when you need them; not just in library opening hours.
- Full text searching helps save you time when looking for relevant sections, passages and quotes.
- Multiple ebooks are easier to carry around when they are stored on your laptop, tablet, ereader, or phone.
Contact Us
If you are struggling with something, you can contact your subject librarian (see this list), or Hilla Wait, who is the Chair of the Ebooks Steering Group within the Bodleian Libraries.
What do I need to know?
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Finding ebooksA guide to finding individual ebooks using SOLO.
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Using ebooksAll ebooks can be read online in a browser. This guide tells you which platforms allow you to download an entire ebook to read offline and how you can do this for your laptop, tablet, phone, or ereader.
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Citing ebooksYou may need to cite ebooks you have read. This guide has advice on ebooks and page numbers.
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iSkills workshopsThe libraries run a regular iSkills workshop on ebooks and ebook readers. If you have an ereader or tablet and want to know how to use Oxford ebooks on it, or are considering buying one, you may wish to book a place.