Ebooks: Using e-books

E-books aren't forever. The e-book available now may no longer be available in a year, for example. If this happens, please contact the library kirjasto.kokoelmat@oulu.fi.

When you login with your University of Oulu user ID (Haka Login) or use the VPN connection you have access to the electronic resources also from outside the University of Oulu Network.

The library provides e-books on a wide variety of different platforms and from a wide variety of suppliers. Although each e-book platform will look slightly different, the functionality on offer is largely the same.

Almost all e-books can be read online in a browser without signing in to the supplier's database.

E-book services have different terms of use for example with regard to the number of simultaneous users and loan period.

Most of our e-books can be downloaded to your computer/device. E-book platforms often use Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes to restrict copying, printing and downloading. 

• Downloading an e-book allows you to check it out and read it on your computer or portable device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) when you are not connected to the Internet, usually for a limited period of time.
• On many platforms, you must download Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) or an app identified by the supplier before you download your e-book.
• In most cases downloading requires personal user ID to the e-book service in question.
• An e-book will automatically become inaccessible when the checkout period is exceeded. If you wish to continue reading the book you must download it again.
• The e-books are returned on their own after the end of the loan period and no fines are imposed. Therefore, you may not need to return the loan. However, you can return the e-book before the end of the loan period, so that the prospective person in line can access the book faster. The book can also be returned with Adobe Digital Editions.
• The loan period for the reserved e-book starts automatically as soon as the reserved e-book returns from the previous borrower.

See the instructions for e-book services for more detailed information.

Some service providers have an mobile app for borrowing and reading e-books.

1. Creating an Adobe account (Adobe ID)

You should create your Adobe account using your personal email address, which is still in use after your university career. You can of course change your email address for the account if needed, and you can also set up a secondary email for the account.
 

2. Installing Adobe Digital Editions

Software that allows you to read and manage e-books and other digital publications. 
 

3. Using Adobe Digital Editions

Reader view enables you to read and browse e-books as well as search for specific content. 

You can change the font size and use full screen. 

Printing and copying rights can be found at: File / Item Info or right mouse button / Item Info.

Book files can be found at My Digital Editions -directory on your pc. Bookmarks and other notes made in the e-book will disappear after the loan period is over, but you can transfer them to a new loan from the file saved to your computer. 

The e-book can also be retured in Adobe Digital Editions. 

Adjusting the display
Adobe Digital Editions allows you to change the font size of the e-book and use full screen.

Using aids
Adobe Digital Editions usually works well with screen readers, which makes the books accessible and listenable. 

An example of how to download a DRM-protected book from a computer to your own device:

1. Create Adobe account (Adobe ID). 
2. Install Adobe Digital Editions and authorize it by logging in with your Adobe ID.
3. Download and install a reader application to your device. 
4. Authorize the device by logging in with your Adobe ID.
5. Look up a book for example in Oula-Finna and open it through the link in the e-book service. Some e-book service providers require that you create a user account before you can download files from their collections. In this case follow the instructions on the website, create an account and log in.
6. Download the ebook into Adobe Digital Editions. 
7. Connect the reading device with your computer (USB cable).
8. Transfer the book to your reading device in Adobe Digital Editions by dragging and dropping the book icon onto the reading device icon in the sidebar.

When using works (e.g. journal article, e-book) obtained from academic research databases or platforms, APA style rules are:

• do not include the database or platform name
• do not include URLs
• include a DOI if the work has one
• if a work does not have a DOI, treat the work as a print version.

Material without page numbers

• Provide a heading, section name, or paragraph number.
• For ebook chapters without pagination, omit the page range from the reference.

Web citations require much of the same information as print sources, but also provide the location of an online source:

1. Permanent identifier, etc. DOI, URN, Handle, or permalink.
Search for DOI:

2. Reference to web archive, Internet Archive or Memento, either existing version or version archived by you.

3. Avoid using the URL.