An ebook is essentially a digital copy of a print book. Some ebooks have been scanned from print originals, and will look like photocopies on your screen. More commonly, ebooks are created from the same digital file that a print book is created from, just formatted to be read on a screen instead of on paper.
A few things to know about ebooks in the library:
- Libraries typically buy ebooks in bundles. Drake LRC offers our users access to several large bundles of ebooks - Ebrary/Proquest Ebook Central, EBSCO eBook Collection, Springerlink, Oxford Reference, Oxford Scholarship, and Gale Virtual Reference Library.
- Ebooks from different collections have different features and might require different methods for reading and/or downloading.
- Some ebooks are meant to be read online, in a web browser. Others can be downloaded and read offline, either in an app (like Bluefire Reader) or on a dedicated ereader (like a NOOK).
One last thing: If your professor says you cannot use "online" sources for your paper, that usually does not include ebooks (or their serial counterpart, ejournals) because unlike a website, which can be created by absolutely anyone, these have to go through editors and publishers before they are seen by the public.
