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eBooks/Online Book Collections

A guide on how to find and use ebooks in your research. How to work with various ebook platforms: reading, printing, and downloading on your computer or an ereading device.

Tips for Finding eBooks

Millions of ebooks are available to WUSTL faculty, students, and staff. There are different ways for you to find and discover them.

  • The Search eBooks and eJournals tab on the library website can be used to find ebooks. Search by title, keyword in the title, or ISBN.
  • Another way to find ebooks is by using the library's search tool, Primo. Enter your search terms in the box. After your results display, choose "More options" under Refine My Results, Resource Type on the left-hand side of the screen. Click the "Include" box next to Electronic Resource and your results will be updated to only show ebooks. In each record you can click the View Online link to access the ebook.     
  • OR in the WU Classic Catalog Advanced Searching, limit to eBooks by selecting Electronic Resource as the Material Type.   
  • One more way to find ebooks is by clicking the Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science & Technology, or eBook Details tabs on the left-hand side of this page.

Not finding what you need? AskUs!

FAQs about ebooks at WUSTL

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  • What are ebooks? ebooks are electronic versions of print books. 
  • Does the Library have ebooks? WUSTL Libraries has thousands of ebooks covering a variety of fields and topics. 
  • How do I find the Library's ebooks? ebook titles can be searched in both the Classic and Discovery Catalogs and will link to either the individual ebook title or the online database which contains the ebook.  We subscribe to many databases which contain ebook collections and own several online ebook collections. ebooks can be searched in these individual online databases as well.
  • Do I need to set-up an account? Some of our ebook collections may require a user to establish an account, but there are no charges for these materials. 
  • Why can't I read the ebook, it says "in use." Due to our licensing agreements with publishers, some ebooks in our collections are limited to one user at a time. If you need more assistance with an ebook, please Ask Us.
  • Can I download ebooks from a WUSTL collection to my ereader? No, most of the ebook content from WUSTL Library collections CANNOT be downloaded to an ereader at this time.  This is due to proprietary publisher formats and DRM (digital rights management). Some of the freely available ebooks online can be downloaded to ereaders.
  • Can I check out an ereader? At this time, we do not have ereaders available for check out.