ebooks at Phillips Memorial Library   Tags: ebooks  

WHAT IS EBL?

EBL - Ebook Library is a library of more than 325,000 ebook titles that can be either read online using a web browser or downloaded to a PC, Mac, laptop, e-reader device (however only Kindle Fire in the Kindle family), tablet, Android device, iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

HOW DO I LOG IN?

1. Go to http://www.providence.eblib.com/patron/
2. Log in using your PC network/Sakai username and password

If you have problems logging in, contact us in any of the following ways:
PHONE:  401 865 1993
TEXT:   401 484 7004
EMAIL: askalibrarian@lists.providence.edu

HOW DO I FIND E-BOOKS?

After you log in, you will see the initial search screen, pictured below. At the top of the screen is a search box.
Underneath the search box are 4 selections:

* Quick Search: works much like any web search by cross-searching data across the EBL catalog to retrieve and rank the most relevant results.
* Category Browse: displays a complete list of ebooks available within a particular subject category.
* Full Text Search: searches the entire contents of all ebooks to retrieve and rank the most relevant results.
* Advanced Search: allows for more complex searching by limiting to, or excluding, multiple search criteria.

When you find a book that interests you, click on the title.

You can then:

• Browse the Table of Contents (no time limit for this)
  
• Start reading the book by clicking "read online". 
• Return to your search list via your browser's BACK button.
  

  

  
  
  After 5 minutes of viewing a book,  you will be prompted to create a loan. Click on "Yes" if you want to continue reading or browsing.
  

Once you create the loan, you can continue to access it directly for 24 hours. You can log back into EBL from any computer's web browser, and the book will appear on your bookshelf list upon login. After 24 hours, you will simply be prompted to create another loan.

In addition to reading books in a web browser, you can also download ebooks from EBL to any mobile device that runs either the Andriod or iOS operating systems (for example, iPad, iPhone, Droid mobile phone).

BEFORE YOU REQUEST A DOWNLOAD, you need to set up the 2 applications listed below:

1. Download Bluefire Reader (free app) from the Apple or Android store.
    
   
   
   
2. Create a free Adobe Account on the Adobe website.
   

Once this is done, open the web browser on your moible device and go to the EBL website

http://www.providence.eblib.com/patron/

Login using your regular PC network ID and password, and browse for books (see instructions above, under "Getting Started with EBL" and "Reading EBL via a web broswer").

When you find the book you want, click the DOWNLOAD button.
You will be asked to select your loan length, either 7 or 14 days.
You will also be asked to choose your download type, either PDF or ePub.  We recommend that you choose ePub if it is available; the formatting is better.

Below are some quick guidelines for a few e-readers.  Please contact us if you aren't sure which download method you should use, or if you have any questions at all!

KINDLE FIRE: You will need to install the BlueFire Reader app on your Kindle Fire. Do so by opening this page in your Kindle Web Browser:  http://www.bluefirereader.com/blog/?p=158
You can also simply use the Kindle Web Browser to access the EBL website, and read EBL books via the browser.

NOOK COLOR: As of now, you need to use the Nook Web Browser to access the EBL website, and read EBL books via the browser. Download capability is not yet available on any Nook.

"old style" Nook, Kobo, or other e-readers WITHOUT web browsers:  Follow the instructions below to download the book to your computer, connect your e-reader to your computer, then use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer the download to your e-reader:

Step 1. Make sure you have an Adobe Account. If you don't have one (or can't remember), go here: Adobe Account page.
Step 2. Install (for free) the  Adobe Digital Editions program onto your computer.
Step 3. In a web browser on your computer, log into EBL, find your book and click DOWNLOAD. After chosing loan length (either 7 or 14 days) and format type (PDF or ePub), your book will be downloaded to Adobde Digital Editions on your computer. 

Step 4. Open Adobe Digital Editions  to see the book you downloaded. To transfer the book to your e-reader, attach it to your computer using its supplied USB cable. The an icon representing the e-reader should then appear on the left side of the Adobe Digital Editions screen.
Click the icon of your downloaded book, and drag it to the e-reader icon. You can then disconnect the e-reader and read your EBL book on it. See screenshots below:

1. Q. When I download an e-book, how long is the loan period?
   A. You will be prompted to download a e-book for either 7 or 14 days.
   
   
2. Q. What happens when the loan period expires?
   A. Your e-book will show as "expired" (the message or icon will be different, depending on what device you're using). However, you can always go back to the EBL site and download the book for another 7 or 14 days.
   
   
3. Q. During my loan period, can I read my e-book online as well as download it?
   A. Yes! You can read and/or download the e-book as many times as you want, to as many different devices as you want, during the loan period. However, the loan will expire on all devices at the same time, no matter where or when it was separately downloaded.
   
   
4. Q. What happens to bookmarks or notes I create if the loan expires?
   A. Your  bookmarks and notes are linked to your login, and will remain when your loan expires and you have to re-borrow your e-book.