What is netLibrary?

netLibrary is a collection of electronic books (eBooks). You can access a wide range of research, reference, and reading materials from the netLibrary collection, as well as publicly-accessible titles online from any location. You can search across many eBooks, or conduct your search within a particular eBook. The guide below explains how to access an eBook collection directly from within the library or remotely via the Internet. Listings for all netLibrary titles are also included in the VSC online catalog. The books are marked [Electronic resource], and can be accessed by scrolling down through the book record and clicking on "Bibliographic Record Display" next to Internet Access.

Search netLibrary

Accessing the eBook Collection

How do you want to use eBooks?

• If you only want to search and browse eBooks while you are in the library, you don't need to create an account. In this case, skip to Searching for an eBook to get started.
• If you want to "check out" an eBook for an extended time or access it from outside the library using an Internet connection, you need to create a free account that identifies you as an authorized user of the library’s eBooks. See Creating an eBook Account.
• Reading an eBook has its own peculiarities. To help you navigate, search within a book, print, copy, etc. while viewing an eBook, check the helpful "Reading tips" link on the left-hand sidebar when you have a book "open."

Creating an eBook account

1. Go to the netLibrary home page. In the upper right-hand corner, click the "Create a Free Account" link.
2. Enter your identifying information (name, security information, Email address) and choose a username and password.
3. Submit your information

Logging in

You need to log in each time you want to check out an eBook or access a book remotely.

How to log in

• Click the blue "Log In" link in the upper right-hand corner of the netLibrary home page. Enter your username and password.
• If you do not have a username and password, click the "Create a Free Account" link in the same corner of the netLibrary home page.
• With a log in, you will have access to all eBooks available in the library's collection whether you are on or off-campus.

Searching for an eBook

Start your search in one of two places:

• The Keyword Search box is located at the top right of your browser window on the main navigation bar. A keyword search allows you to search for a word or phrase in the title, author, Library of Congress subject heading, publisher, and ISBN fields. To perform a keyword search, enter the search term. Note: To do a phrase search, submit your search in quotes – for example, “small business.” Click the Go button to display search results.
• You can also perform a more advanced search in the Search this eBook Collection section, at the top left of the home page. Fill in any or all of the fields that appear on the home page including title, author, subject, keywords, full text, publisher, pub year, and ISBN. Note: To do a phrase search, submit your search in quotes – for example, “small business.” Click the red Search button to display search results.

You have the option to keep track of titles that interest you with "My List and Notes," which allows you to access titles at a later time without doing another search. Choose "Add to my list" for any title in the search results that you want to include.

Browsing an eBook

• You may browse an eBook without logging in.
• Browsing an eBook is the equivalent of taking a book off the shelf and looking through it. While you are actively using it, no other user will have access to it.
• If 15 minutes elapses without active use, the eBook is “put back on the shelf” and another user will have access.

How to check out an eBook:

• To check out an eBook, you must first log in.
• Checking out an eBook gives you exclusive use of the eBook for the checkout period. The eBook is automatically returned when the checkout period expires.
• Search for your book and choose the "Show details" link. You will have two viewing options. You can view the book without checking it out, or you can check it out for the time period shown.
• A checked out eBook title is placed on the "My Checked Out Items" list so you can quickly view the title again and track the titles you have checked out. To use this feature, you must be logged into your account.

Adding Notes to a Page within an eBook

Once you have logged into netLibrary and opened an eBook, you can annotate any page of the eBook and save your notes for future reference.

1. Select the specific page you wish to annotate.
2. Click on the Add note button located at the top of the page.
3. A pop-up window will appear on your screen.
4. Give the note a descriptive name.
5. Add text to the note field. You will be limited to a total of 500 characters.
6. Click on "Add note."

You can access notes you have created using the Notes tab available within an eBook, or from the "My List and Notes" link on the netLibrary home page.

Printing or Copying Text

• You may print or copy one page at a time using your browser's print or copy functions.
• Although you can print parts of an eBook, printing an entire eBook may violate copyright laws. Precautions are taken to protect copyright laws; if a suspicious usage pattern indicative of excessive printing or copying is detected the activity is logged and the user is sent a copyright warning.

For assistance, ask an LSC Reference Librarian

Link to net Library Help page