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Reading and Downloading Ebooks

About Ebooks

The JBU Library has over 400,000 ebook titles. These titles are available for online viewing or downloading. This page describes accessing the two largest collections in EBSCO eBook Collection and ProQuest Ebook Central. ProQuest Ebooks can be searched by using the eBooks tab on the JBU Library Search; EBSCO eBooks can be searched by using the Quick Search tab and limiting your results to Full Text and Source Type: eBooks or by selecting EBSCOhost eBook Collection from the Databases page. 

Both EBSCO and ProQuest ebooks can be read online without any requirements other than a current browser and internet access.

Most books also offer the option of downloading either individual chapters or the entire book for offline reading. This may be preferable if your internet access is limited or when a more intensive reading experience is desired. 

When you download individual chapters as PDFs, these files can be printed or transferred to the PDF reader of your choice (including Kindle). There is a page limit for these downloads (varies by book), so you generally cannot download the whole book all at once this way, but the files do not require special software or accounts and never expire. The page limit resets every 24 hours.

When you download an entire ebook to read offline you will need the following:

  1. A computer, tablet, or mobile device.
  2. Adobe Digital Editions installed.
  3. An account for the appropriate lender (EBSCO or ProQuest).

Adobe Digital Editions is free digital rights management (DRM) and reading software that can be installed by download from the Adobe website or from the Apple and Google app stores. EBSCO and ProQuest accounts can be created for free. These accounts are separate from your JBU username and password, so pick a username and password that you will remember. Full-book downloads function like digital check-outs and expire after a set number of days (normally 7-21 days, depending on the book). 

Links to Ebook Collections

Video Tutorial: Ebook Options