E-books
Search e-books via our discovery system or the library startpage. On campus you have automatic access. Off campus you must login with your student ID.
How do I access an e-book?
Most e-books are available for reading directly in your web browser.
Search for the book via our discovery system to get access to the e-book database and then log in with your student ID and password.
Note! In order to get access to e-books from the Ebsco database you will need an Ebsco account. You can find how to do this further down on this site, under the heading "Ebsco".
Downloading e-books to your computer
If you wish to download the e-book to your computer you'll need to download the program Adobe Digital Editions and create an Adobe ID. The format of the e-books is either pdf or epub.
Reading in your phone or tablet
Download the Adobe Digital Editions app for Android or iOS and create an Adobe ID to access the e-book in your phone or tablet. If Adobe Digital Editions is not present in your app store you can for example choose the app Pocket Book Reader instead.
Am I allowed to print an e-book?
Usually you can save pages from the book as pdf-files that you can print out. The number of pages allowed to save/print varies depending on which book it is, who the publisher is or which database that hosts it. Some databases allow you to print as much as you like, and some only allow 5% to be printed. Read more about this down below for each database.
Note! You may not share or copy any e-book material. Read more about this in our Copyright guide.
Our databases
Below you can find more information about all of our e-book databases
Ebook Central
Ebook Central
Multidisciplinary e-book collection covering more than 200 000 titles in English.
For more information about downloading, use the Ebook Centrals support site.
When reading in online mode it is possible to take notes, highlight, etc. in the e-book. The notes are saved as long as you are logged in at Ebook Central (use your student account to log in) and you will find them there the next time you read the e-book.
It’s possible to save selected pages as a pdf file and then use these files for printing. This only works in the online interface. The amount of pages you are allowed to save/print depends on book and publisher.
Ebsco
Ebsco
You need an EbscoHost account (which you can create by clicking Sign In in the upper right corner, then click Create a new Account). For more information and help, use the support site for e-books.
When reading in online mode it is possible to take notes in the e-book. The notes are saved as long as you are logged in with your EbscoHost account and you will find them there the next time you read the e-book.
It’s possible to save selected pages as a pdf file and then use these files for printing. This only works in the online interface. The amount of pages you are allowed to save/print depends on book and publisher. For more information read Ebscos support site for printing.
If you have questions about downloading, see the Ebsco support pages.
Elgaronline
Elgaronline
E-books in the fields of economics and business world.
- E-books from Edward Elgar published 2014-2015
- Download full chapters, all content is free to print or share.
SAGE Knowledge
SAGE Knowledge
E-books covering most subject fields.
You can read the whole e-book in your web browser. Only chapters are downloadable (pdf).
SAGE Research Methods
SAGE Research Methods
900 e-books covering research and methods.
You can read the whole e-book in your web browser. Only chapters are downloadable (pdf).
Springer Books
Springer eBooks
About 2500 e-books covering the subjects humanities, computer science and engineering.
When you're in search mode, unbox the Include Preview-Only content box to search for material available for University West.
You can download the whole book or chapters as pdf.
Vitalsource
Unlike other e-book platforms, you need to borrow the book to be able to read it online. When you are finished with the book for the moment, it's important that you return it via the system's menu so that others have the opportunity to use it.
Note! You do not need to create a user account to be able to read books in Vitalsource. You can bypass the login box by clicking on the text "continue without an account" below the login box.