By Lisa M. Rabey
Systems & Web Librarian
Did you know that GRCC has nearly 70,000 eBooks on literally just about any topic?
Did you also know that not only can you access these materials at the library but that you can also access them off campus?
Lastly did you also know that you do NOT need a Kindle/iPad/Kobo or any kind of specialty reader to access these materials?
That’s right! If you’re on campus, you just need to access any campus-wide computer to get to the eBooks. But say it’s 2 A.M., you’re in your jammies at home and you need to access books to finish your paper? No sweat! All the electronic materials you can access on campus, you can also access off campus; you just need your Raider number and password!
How do you access those titles? There are a couple of ways to get to the eBooks.
First, if you don’t know if the book is available in eBook form, the easiest way is to search for it via our regular catalog.
- Go to http://grcc.edu/library
- In the RaiderCat search box, type in the title or keywords of the book you’re looking for. For my search, I choose The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As shown by the image below, the top three responses are a print, video and electronic book version of the title.
Click on the image for larger view.
- You can always tell which option is an electronic book because it is listed as such under the Call # heading in the record above as well as the location is listed as GRCC Database. There may also be [electronic resource] appended to the title and there will always be an icon on the left, with a little red e to indicate it is an eBook. I’ve circled the electronic book call # in the image above.
- Click on the title, in this case “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The great Gatsby [electronic resource]” and you’ll be linked to a page similar to below:
Click on the image for a larger view.
- In the above image, I’ve highlighted the link to click on to access the book. This will take you to the browser-compatible eBook reader. No downloads necessary!
But let’s say you already know that the book you’re looking for is available in eBook form, how can you get to it quickly or easily?
- Go to http://grcc.edu/library
- Click on the link for the RaiderCat: Library Catalog
- In the upper right hand corner, there is a drop down box with More Searches. Use the pull down menu option and select Electronic Books. This will bring you to eBrary and NetLibrary, the two electronic book publishers that we use. By clicking either of the links, you can search via their interface to get access to their catalog for eBook materials.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Few tips & tricks about using eBooks @ GRCC:
- You do not have a return date for the eBooks, thus there is no check-in or check-out to worry about AND you can access them at anytime.
- While there is no additional software to install, do make sure you’re using the most current version of your preferred browser.
- While there doesn’t seem to be a eBrary or NetLibrary apps for smartphones, you CAN still use the services by using the browser integrated on your smartphone. Word of warning: There does not seem to be a mobile version of the sites available either, so while you can browse eBrary and Netlibrary from your phone, the text will be small and hard to read.
- Due to copyright restrictions, your ability to print will be limited.
- You can create a separate account on eBrary and NetLibrary to access additional features, such as highlighting, bookmarking, creating lists and bookshelves. This account will NOT be tied to your GRCC account.
This has been a quick and dirty intro and overview to eBooks @ GRCC. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us or give us a call!
42.963359
-85.668086
