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eBooks at UofL Libraries: FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Can I keep the e-book forever? What happens at the end of the download period?
    Alas, no. Most of our commercially produced e-books will “disappear” or become "locked" from reading on your device after their due date.
  2. Can I “return” an e-book before the end of the download period?
    Unfortunately, there is no way to "return" a book early.
  3. Can I take notes in the e-book?
    Yes, you can take notes on the books after you log into your account. We recommend exporting your notes/bookmarks in order to save them.
  4. Why are e-books so complicated?
    Excellent question. We’re wondering the same thing. Probably because they are so new and the publishers are still working to figure out which revenue models will work.
  5. How does the library decide what to buy in electronic format?
    We take a number of factors into account. Obviously availability through our vendor factors in significantly, but date, subject matter, and our best guess as to use also weigh into the decision.
  6. When I clicked on the “View Now” button in Quick Search, it said “No Links found in local OPAC”. What does that mean?
    That means that we don’t own an electronic copy of that book. Quick Search also searches other libraries’ holdings and so you are seeing that another library has access to that book (WorldCat Local Libraries in green) but we do not.
  7. Can I borrow an eBook through Interlibrary Loan?
    No, unfortunately, eBook vendor contracts prohibit libraries from loaning these books. It is possible that if you just need a chapter, another library might provide it, but that would depend on their license agreement.
  8. How do I tell how long it is checked out?
    Depends on how you are looking at the book. The best way is to determine the loan period is through Ebook Central, each book has a webpage with an "availability" section that contains the loan period for that particular item. In Bluefire Reader, you can sort your library of eBooks by expiration, but you cannot view the exact expiration dates. In Adobe Digital Editions software on your computer, the check-out time remaining will appear across the cover of the book.
  9. If I’m not a UofL faculty, staff, or student, can I get access to a UofL e-book?
    The short answer to this right now is “maybe.” Books from the ebrary vendor can be viewed by non-UofL affiliated people on computers in Ekstrom Library. Books from the EBL vendor require currently require a UofL ID; this technology problem is being addressed, but we’re not sure when a solution might be found. Neither vendors’ license allows non-UofL affiliated patrons to access the books off-site.

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