The Virginia Tech Libraries have subscribed to a number of ebook packages, giving us access to hundreds of thousands of books online. (Since these are paid subscriptions, be sure to use Off Campus Sign In before attempting to connect to an ebook outside the campus network.)
All allow reading the ebook through the browser, and many allow downloading for offline reading or transfer to a mobile device or dedicated ebook reader. Most of our ebooks are PDFs, and thus require no additional software to view. See each entry for formats and restrictions.
Most of our ebooks can be found through Summon—that is the best place to start a search for ebooks. Each provider indexes ebooks differently; some are full-text indexed, and will return results when your search terms are found anywhere in the ebook. Others are indexed only at the bibliographic level; your search terms must match the title, author, subject terms, or sometime table of contents listing to show up in the results. Remember, the search functionality available at each ebook platform typically allows for full-text searches, and other advanced options.
E-reader support
| Provider | Format | Download? | DRM? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS Symposium Series | PDF, by chapter | Yes | No |
| APA PsycBooks | PDF, by chapter | Yes | No |
| ebrary | proprietary | No | Some limit copying and printing |
| EBL | PDF and EPUB | Yes | Yes, requires Adobe Digital Editions |
| Knovel | PDF, by chapter | Yes | No |
| Ebooks on EBSCOhost | PDF by page | Some | Yes, requires Adobe Digital Editions |
| Safari | HTML and page image | Very few | Depends on publisher |
| SpringerLink | Yes | No | |
| Synthesis Digital Library | Yes | No |
Center for Research Libraries
Center for Research Libraries Catalog (CRL)
Catalog of 5 million newspapers, journals, documents, foreign dissertations, archives and other resources for research, which VT users borrow through ILLiad and, in some cases, access online. See also "topic guides." VT does NOT subscribe to all CRL "e-collections." CRL is a consortium of North American research libraries, including Virginia Tech, for preserving and sharing rare or unusual works.
EBL
EBL ebooks
EBL provided ebooks in PDF and EPUB formats. EBL ebooks are licensed for use by current Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff, and require authentication through Off Campus Sign In whenever you access full text, even while on campus. Adobe Digital Editions is required to read downloaded EBL ebooks.
Ebooks on EBSCOhost
Ebooks on EBSCOhost
The Virginia Tech Libraries provide nearly 50,000 ebooks on the EBSCOhost platform, of which only 1100 are not downloadable for offline/ereader viewing. These ebooks are full-text searchable, and the contents are also cross-searchable with other EBSCOhost databases.
ebrary
ebrary
The Virginia Tech Libraries subscribe to both individual ebooks (about 100 titles) and the medical package (over 2400 titles) from ebrary. ebrary ebooks require using an ebrary reader: the QuickView Reader, the ebrary Plug-in Reader and the ebrary Unity Reader. The first works in any browser, the later two require download and installation. This search form retrieves only ebooks in our subscription; all of these ebooks are also cataloged in Addison.
National Academies Press
National Academies Press
The National Academies Press provides over 4000 free PDF ebooks (most of their published titles). Free registration is required before you can download the PDFs. You can download a single PDF for the entire book, or one for each chapter. We link from the Addison screen for our print copies to the online version on the NAP site. You can browse subject categories or search across the collection.
SAGE Research Methods
SAGE Research Methods
SAGE Research Methods indexes full-text books, reference sources, the "little green book" series (Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences), the "little blue book" series (Qualitative Research Methods), journal articles, and videos. Since this platform focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used by researchers from the social sciences, health sciences, and more. Full text available in HTML and PDF. You can limit searches by research method type. 1970s-present.
SAGE Research Methods
SpringerLink ebooks
SpringerLink Ebooks
SpringerLink provides over 12,000 ebooks in architecture and design, business and economics, engineering and the physical sciences, the life sciences, medicine, humanities, and the social sciences. Each chapter is presented as a separate PDF. We have access to most English-language ebooks from 2005 forward (indicated with a green access icon).
Many of our ebooks are available as PDFs and this format is supported by many ebook readers. Here's a chart listing the capabilities of several major e-reader devices. Some of our downloadable ebooks use Abobe Digital Editions to set expiration periods; here's a list of compatible devices.We do not provide support for loading ebooks onto your device.
We recommend these apps for reading most of our downloadable ebooks:
- Aldiko Book Reader for Android
- Bluefire Reader app for iOS and Android
Looking for help with your ereader? Here's some books from our collection:
Newman Library break hours
Sun, May 19: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Mon-Fri, May 20-24: 7:30am - 8:00pm
Sat-Sun, May 25-26: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Mon, May 27: Closed
Art + Architecture Library break hours
Sun, May 19: Closed
Mon-Fri, May 20-24: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Sat-Mon, May 25-27: Closed
NVC Resource Center spring hours
Mon-Thu, May 13-16: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Fri, May 17: 11:00am - 6:30pm
Sat, May 18: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sun, May 19: Closed
Mon-Fri, May 20-24: 11:00am - 6:30pm
Veterinary Medicine Library break hours
Sun, May 19: Closed
Mon-Fri, May 20-24: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Sat-Mon, May 25-27: Closed
