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 E-Books

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Multi-Subject e-Book Collections

• ebrary: Academic Complete Collection
  Over 33,000 recent electronic books from university presses and other scholarly publishers. It covers all academic subject areas with strengths in business & economics, computers & technology, science, medicine, education, history, and social science. You will need to install the ebrary reader prior to viewing texts. If you are using a library computer, the reader has already been installed. You can navigate through individual books using the table of contents or the tool bar above the e-book page (blue icons).
  • How to download and install the ebrary reader (online tutorial for Windows IE or Firefox) .  Note that this is a quick, one-time installation.
  • Creating a personal bookshelf online tutorial
  • Link to ebrary titles in Blackboard
• Gale Virtual Reference Library VCU
  Includes notable and frequently used encyclopedias and other special reference sources in electronic full-text format. All reference works in this package can be browsed by subject area, searched individually or collectively.
  • Link to Gale Virtual Reference Library titles in Blackboard
• NetLibrary
  A collection of more than 34,000 electronic books from leading university, trade and professional publishers available via the Internet 24 hours a day. Please note that NetLibrary titles are considered "checked-out" while being viewed (maximum of 4 hours at one time).  This means that only one user may view a particular book at a time.  Though not required, users may create an account in NetLibrary to maintain a list of favorite titles and take notes on individual e-Books (500 character limit).   To take advantage of this feature, click on the link at the top right of the NetLibrary window that says "Create a Free Account." 
• Link to netLibrary titles in Blackboard
• Oxford Reference Online VCU
  Provides access to more than 140 dictionaries and reference works published by Oxford University Press. The titles cover virtually all subjects in the humanities, social sciences, business, the sciences, language, and general reference.  The entire collection can be searched collectively or browsed by reference type or subject area.  Individual titles can also be searched.
  • Link to Oxford Reference Online titles in Blackboard

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Medical e-Book Collections

• MD Consult
  A clinical library online; includes reference books, journals, and patient education materials. Enter through Generic Edition, or set up your own Personal Edition.
  • Link to MD Consult titles in Blackboard
• NCBI Bookshelf
  Biomedical books adapted for Web access by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).  Books can be searched collectively or individually.  Books may also be browsed individually.
  • Link to NCBI Bookshelf titles in Blackboard
• STAT!Ref Electronic Medical Library
  STAT!Ref is an electronic medical library that enables VCU users to search individually or to cross-search over 20 core medical references such as Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, the Merck Manual, Williams Obstetrics, and Diseases and Disorders: A Nursing Therapeutics Manual.
  • Link to STAT!Ref titles in Blackboard

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Specific Discipline e-Book Collections

• ACLS Humanities E-Book VCU
  Humanities E-Book (HEB) -- offered by the American Council of Learned Socieites (ACLS) -- is a digital collection of significant scholarship in the Humanities.
  • Link to ACLS Humanities documents in Blackboard
• Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
  A comprehensive source for research and study in international affairs. Includes journals, books, working papers from university research institutes, conference proceedings, and policy briefs.
  • Link to CIAO Documents in Blackboard
• CRC Press Reference Handbooks for the Sciences VCU
  Full-text searchable database of CRC Press reference books for chemistry (CHEMnetBASE), engineering (ENGnetBASE), forensic science (FORENSICnetBASE), materials science (MATERIALSnetBASE) and environmental science (ENVIROnetBASE).  These interactive e-Books allow you to easily navigate through dense reference libraries of materials with ease through clickable table of contents, keyword searching, categorized information, specialized reference tools, and other interactive features.  To use these collections you should first have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, and the ability to install plug-ins (for CHEMnetBASE).
  • Link to CRC Press e-book collections and resources in Blackboard
• Knovel Library VCU
  Reference works on engineering, chemistry, material science, environmental science, microelectronic materials. Utilizes interactive tables and allows customization of data using Interactive Data System similar to common spreadsheet applications.
  • Link to Knovel titles in Blackboard
• Safari Books Online VCU
  Books on all aspects of computers, programming and the web from such publishers as O'Reilly, Sams, New Riders and Adobe.
  • Link to Safari Books Online titles in Blackboard

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Other e-Book Resources Outside VCU

• There are many free e-Book collections available on the World Wide Web - a well known example is Project Gutenberg.  To find free e-Book collections, you may conduct a Google search for the keywords - free online books.  Another possible resource to consult for free full text titles is the Digital Book Index (please note that not all are free, and this index is not comprehensive).