Got a Question? Need Research Help?
General Purpose reference collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, and guides from a wide variety of academic fields, including Agriculture, Architecture, Allied Health, Automation, Biology, Business, Child Development, Communication, Culinary Science, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, History, Language Arts, Literature, Nursing, Social Science, and many more.
Does the library purchase physical textbooks?
Yes. The library takes donations and makes purchases for its textbook reserve collection. Students can checkout textbook reserves for 4 hours at a time. This means that the collection is more of a backup if the student doesn't have immediate access to the book, rather than a semester-long solution.
Does the library purchase eBook versions of textbooks?
Yes, whenever possible. Every semester the library checks the current list of textbooks in use against available eBooks. If an eBook version is available and affordable, we will purchase it and contact you with a link.
When does the library decide not to purchase a textbook?
If the textbook is very expensive and/or it updates either yearly or bi-yearly, we typically do not purchase it.
Is the library able to purchase Inclusive Access Courseware?
No. Publishers typically do not make inclusive access textbooks available for libraries to purchase.
Why can't the library acquire my textbook as an ebook?
Publishers make more money selling textbooks directly to students than they do selling them to libraries. While some textbooks are available as ebooks, many are not. If you would like a list of ebooks that the library could purchase as a textbook for your class, please contact the library.
What are Unlimited vs Single Licenses?
When the library acquires an eBook, it is licensed either for single use or as unlimited. An Unlimited License means that an unlimited number of people can have the eBook open at the same time. A Single License means that only one person can have the eBook open at the same time. The library prioritizes buying unlimited licenses when it purchases textbooks in eBook form. However, depending on size, cost, and mode of delivery, buying several single licenses can also work given that for online classes students will rarely be reading the book all at once.
How can I see which license an eBook has?
All of the eBooks in Gale Virtual Reference, Credo Reference, and most of our other databases are unlimited. The vast majority of eBooks in EBSCO eBooks are unlimited, but some are not. The status of an EBSCO eBook's license is listed in the Concurrent User Level field of its records page.