eBooks/Online Book Collections  

• 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 subcribe 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.

In the Classic Catalog:

1. Click Advanced Search

2. Select Material Type= Electronic Resource

3. Results list displays electronic/online books within library subcription databases as well as individual online books. 

4. Click into individual record to find the individual link to the item, which displays: WUSTL full text link.

Below is a sample online book from the Classic Catalog with the Electronic Resource Icon and the WUSTL full text link.

In the Discovery Catalog:

1. Click Specific

2. Select Format=Electronic Resource

3. Results list displays electronic/online books within library subcription databases as well as individual online books.

4. Click into individual record to find the individual link to the item, which displays: URL: Click here to access a downloadable ebook.

Below is a sample online book from the Discovery Catalog with the Electronic Resource Icon and the WUSTL full text link.