Members of Cambridge University have access to nearly two million ebooks across a variety of platforms. Ebooks are available on and off campus, 24/7, and can be an incredibly useful alternative to conventional printed books. Many ebook platforms have additional features like searching the text, highlighting, and bookmarking, while methods to make ebooks more accessible to their users are improving all the time.
If you have any issues finding, accessing or using ebooks, please get in touch either with us via library@girton.cam.ac.uk, or with the ebooks team via ebooks@lib.cam.ac.uk.
Finding ebooks
Most ebooks can be found and accessed using iDiscover (although your subject LibGuide may also have links to useful eresources in your field). Ebook records in iDiscover are separate from the records for printed books. They are identified by a green 'Online access' link, which you can click to be taken to the ebook. You can filter search results for ebooks by clicking 'Full Text Online' in the sidebar.
Please note that you won't find any ebooks on Heritage, the Girton College Library catalogue, as it only lists physical items.
If you want an overview of ebooks, the ebooks LibGuide is a useful starting point. It includes information about various major ebook platforms, as well as referencing, copyright, and accessibility.
The ebooks@cambridge blog posts regular updates on new ebook collections as well as other ebook-related topics.
Using ebooks
Once you've accessed an ebook via iDiscover, you will usually have the option to read it online or to download it. Different ebook platforms work in slightly different ways, but the principles are the same.
Be aware that some ebooks may have copyright restrictions or particular licensing in place. This can mean that only a few users can access the ebook at any one time, or that you are only able to download a certain amount of the ebook.
Accessibility
Many ebook platforms now allow you to make changes to the text of an ebook when reading online, for example by changing or resizing the font, altering colours, or enabling text-to-speech. However, this is not the case for all ebooks, as copyright and licensing restrictions can limit options for accessibility.
If it's not possible for you to access an ebook in its current format, you can request an alternate format via the Libraries Accessibility Service. For more information on this, as well as general library accessibility information, see the accessibility and disability LibGuide, or get in touch with the Libraries Accessibility Service via disability@lib.cam.ac.uk.
Electronic legal deposit
Some ebook records on iDiscover will have red 'Electronic legal deposit' text rather than green 'Online access'. Electronic legal deposit (eLD) content refers to UK-published electronic material which is being preserved, and which is accessible only in legal deposit libraries (including Cambridge University Library).
Access to eLD content is restricted. You will only be able to view the ebook on certain library terminals in the University Library and some affiliated Faculty and Departmental Libraries (see the eLD LibGuide for a full list).
Please note that Girton College Library is not one of these affiliated libraries, so you won’t be able to access any electronic legal deposit ebooks on our computers. More information about accessing electronic legal deposit items (as well as referencing, printing, and why access is so restricted) can be found on the electronic legal deposit LibGuide.
Open Access
Open Access ebooks are freely available texts. There are numerous platforms where you can search for open access books, many of which are listed on the ebooks LibGuide. A couple of examples include:
- Internet Archive Text Archive (wide variety of texts, both academic and not)
- OAPEN Library (thousands of titles from European publishers)
- Project Gutenberg (over 60,000 free ebooks, including many classic titles)
Online repositories are also useful places to access material. Repositories hold the research output of members of Universities or organisations, such as theses and dissertations. Cambridge University’s online repository is called Apollo. You can search Apollo separately, or view its holdings on iDiscover. To find and search other repositories, you could start with:
Copyright
There are various copyright regulations you need to be aware of when using ebooks. Some platforms will automatically restrict the amount which you can download or print. As with print items, you are only permitted to copy/print up to 5% or one chapter of a book (whichever is greater) and you cannot download or print multiple copies of a chapter. See the ebooks LibGuide for further information.
If you are a print-disabled user, there are copyright exceptions in place to allow you to access ebooks. Please get in touch with the Libraries Accessibility Service for more details.
Referencing
The ebooks LibGuide has excellent information about how to reference or cite ebooks in your work, and the website Cite them Right is also worth a look for all your referencing needs.
Help within College
Library staff are always happy to provide support and assistance. You can book an appointment with us or ask a question via library@girton.cam.ac.uk.