Research Guides
1. Can I return a checked out ProQuest or EBSCO e-book early?
ProQuest e-books expire automatically at the end of a loan, and cannot be returned early. Deleting the e-book file from Adobe Digital Editions deletes the e-book file from your device, but does not end the loan.
EBSCO e-books can be returned early. To return an e-book before it is due:
Downloaded E-Books
Downloaded e-books can be checked in before the end of the check out period using Adobe Digital Editions. E-books can only be checked in using the desktop version of Adobe Digital Editions. They cannot be checked in when using Adobe Digital Editions on a mobile device.
Open Adobe Digital Editions on your computer.
On the Library View screen of Adobe Digital Editions, hold your pointer over the e-book you would like to check in and click the arrow in the top left corner.
Click Return Borrowed Item.
Click the Return button to confirm you would like to return the e-book.
The e-book is checked in and removed from your Library View screen and is available to other patrons.
E-Books Viewed Online
E-books that are being viewed online can be “closed” and made available to other users by clicking the Result List, New Search, Back, or Exit links in the eBook Viewer.
2. Are library e-books available to multiple users at a time?
Some vendors sell their e-books with an unlimited user model while others sell their e-books with a single user, limited user, or linear model. To learn which e-book vendors use which model, visit the Download, Printing, and Copying Permissions by E-Book Collection section of this libguide.
3. Can I download an entire e-book?
It depends. Some e-book vendors, such as Springer and Oxford, allow full e-book PDF download, while others limit downloads to chapter PDFs or to a certain number of pages. To learn which e-book vendors allow what type of downloads, visit the Download, Printing, and Copying Permissions by E-Book Collection section of this libguide.
4. How do I know what restrictions are on an e-book in terms of copying and printing?
Each e-book vendor has their own restrictions on how much can be copied or printed from an e-book. To learn how much each e-book vendor allows, visit the Download, Printing, and Copying Permissions by E-Book Collection section of this libguide.
5. Why can I no longer access a title?
Some titles may have been part of a trial or part of a collection to which we no longer have access to. Sometimes e-books are pulled from a vendor's website because they have lost the rights to the title. For others, the user limit may have been reached. If you are having trouble accessing an e-book, you can reach out via email and someone will assist you.
6. What does nonlinear/concurrent mean?
Under the Non-Linear & Concurrent Access models, titles are not restricted to linear distribution (one patron at a time) but rather they can be lent to any number of users concurrently. There are a set number of lending days per title per year, typically up to 325 days. Lending days reset annually. The number of days used for each loan is subtracted from the total number of annual loan days available for the title. For example, if four users each trigger a five day loan for the same title, 20 days are deducted from the title’s 325 loan days. The combined number of loan days cannot exceed the annual loan days in a year.