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E-Books

Multi-Subject e-Book Collections

  • ebrary: Academic Complete Collection VCU only
    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. The default reader is QuickView. To use advanced functionality, e.g., saving notes, copying/printing text, you will need to install an ebrary reader prior to viewing texts: (1) ebrary Plug-in Reader - works in Windows or Mac environments; or (2) ebrary Unity Reader - works in Windows and Linux environments. If you are using a library computer, the ebrary Plug-in 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).
  • 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.
  • NetLibrary VCU only
    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."
    • NetLibrary may prompt you to download and install a viewer called DjVu for titles that contain mathematical formulas and other special characters (use this link, not the NetLibrary link to download DjVU software)
    • Mac users: The Safari browser is preferred for viewing NetLibrary books. A Firefox/Adobe combination may try to download each page instead of providing a view of the page.
    • 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.

Medical e-Book Collections

  • MD Consult VCU only
    A clinical library online; includes reference books, journals, and patient education materials. Enter through Generic Edition, or set up your own Personal Edition.
  • 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.
  • STAT!Ref VCU only 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.

Specific Discipline e-Book Collections

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).