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Finding, Accessing, and Using E-Books: ProQuest

This guide contains information about The Styberg Library's e-books as well as those that are available through Northwestern.

eReserves for Courses

Most ebooks have been purchased as course reserves and have limited download periods as a result. This ensures that more students have access to them. See the Downloading ProQuest Ebooks box below for more information. Review the additional boxes on this page to learn how to view/download these ebooks.

ProQuest Ebook Information

ProQuest Ebook USearch Link

When you have found a ProQuest ebook, the link within the item record will say "ProQuest Ebooks - Styberg Library." Click on this link and log in as instructed on the General tab of this guide. Once you have logged in, the ebook's homepage will load. On this page, you can view more information about the ebook in the Book Details and Description sections. You can also retrieve a citation for the ebook if needed.

To view the ebook, you may have several options, including reading online and downloading. The ability to download will depend upon the number of copies available. Please note, your download will automatically expire after 1,3, or 7 days. For more information about downloading, see the Downloading ProQuest Ebooks box to the right. You may also be able to print and save pages from the ebook. Check the Availability section for more information. At the top of the Availability section, you can also see the number of copies (1, 3, or unlimited) available.

Viewing ProQuest Ebooks Online

All ProQuest ebooks can be viewed online. If we only own 1 copy of an ebook, you will only be able to view it online, with the possibility of downloading pages/chapters. To view the ebook online, you can click on the Read Online button below the book cover or the Read Online Link in the Availability section. To view a specific chapter directly, you can also click on the View Online link to the right of the chapter details in the Table of Contents.

Once you click on one of the Read Online options, the ebook will open in a new window. The Table of Contents will appear to the left along with a search box, and the ebook will appear to the right. At the top, there are options to download, save, print, copy, add notes, highlight, zoom, etc. To move between sections/chapters, you can simply click on the links in the Table of Contents or use the arrows in the top right.

If you choose to highlight or add notes and bookmarks, those will all be saved in your virtual bookshelf where you will be able to view and export them. For more information about your virtual bookshelf, see the Using Your ProQuest Account box to the top right.

Using Your ProQuest Account

When you sign in to access the ProQuest ebook, you will be automatically signed in to your ProQuest account. You will be able to download ebooks, add ebooks to your bookshelf, create folders, access/export notes from ebooks, and more.

To open your account, select Settings in the top right. Then, select Profile or Language to further customize your account. You can enter your email, preferred citation style, adjust for accessibility, etc. Your account also comes with a virtual bookshelf. To view your virtual bookshelf, select Bookshelf in the top right, next to Settings. In your bookshelf, you can view saved ebooks, notes, folders, etc.

Downloading ProQuest Ebooks

Number of Copies Download Period
Unlimited Copies 1, 3, or 7 Days
3 Copies 1 Day
1 Copy Cannot Be Downloaded

To determine how many copies are available, navigate to the ebook's homepage where you can see information about the ebook and its table of contents. From there, locate the access details, immediately above the table of contents. This area will tell you how many copies are available (1, 3, or unlimited) as well as whether you can print, save, email, copy, paste, etc.

Image of ProQuest Availability

You can download select ebooks from ProQuest. If we have 3 copies, you will be able to download the ebook for 1 Day, but 1 copy will always remain available for viewing online and cannot be downloaded. If we have unlimited copies, you can have the ebook for 1, 3, or 7 Days. As long as no one has placed a hold on the ebook, you will be able to renew it. Since most of our ebooks are needed for courses, we only loan them for a limited period.

If we only have 1 copy of an ebook, you will not be able to download it; instead, you will be able to read it online and/or download a limited number of pages from it. Since we only have 1 copy of some ebooks, only one person will be able to view it at a time. If you only need to read a chapter or two from a 1 user ebook, you are encouraged to save or print the pages if possible. That way, others can use the ebook, too. When you have finished reading or downloading from a 1 user copy, please close your browser/tab so that others can read it. If you try to view a 1 user ebook that is currently in use, you will receive a message that says it is unavailable, and the View Online button will be grayed out. Check back periodically to see when it becomes available again.

Image of Unavailable Ebook Text from ProQuest

Once you have determined that an ebook is downloadable, you can click on the Download Book button to the left of the ebook's information and follow the steps/prompts. To view the book offline, you will need to download a free software called Adobe Digital Editions. For more information about using Adobe Digital Editions, see the Using Adobe Digital Editions tab above. If we have unlimited copies of an ebook, you will also need to select the amount of time that you want to keep the ebook.

Image of Ebook Download on ProQuest

Note about Restrictions

For various reasons, we cannot always purchase unlimited copies of an ebook. Also, some publishers restrict the downloading, printing, copying, and saving options. Finally, the download period cannot be adjusted by ebook; rather, it must be applied to all ebooks.