Like many libraries these days, Laupus has a healthy amount of ebooks available in our collection. Our ebooks can be found in our catalog (you can search for them just like any other book title), in One Search, or on our e-resources page.

We’ve noticed an increase in questions from our patrons about whether or not ebooks from our collection can be installed or viewed on e-readers like Kindles and Nooks. Technically, the answer to that question is no. Laupus (and the other ECU Libraries for that matter) do not purchase ebook titles for our collection with the intention that patrons can download them to a particular ebook reader. There are just too many e-readers out there for us to keep up with all of them. When we purchase ebooks, the books are really intended to be read on a desktop computer from the browser or for download to the desktop. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

If you are one of those folks who want to try to read a Laupus ebook on a device other than your desktop computer, there are a few things to consider. Ebooks are hosted on various online platforms and each platform works a little differently than the next. For instance, titles hosted on the NetLibrary platform look and behave a little differently than Ebrary titles; Ebrary titles look and behave a little differently than MD Consult’s ebook titles; MD Consult’s ebook titles look and behave differently than Psychiatry Online’s titles, etc. Also, some of these platforms require you to download software to read the book. If you happen to have an e-reader, smartphone, or other device that doesn’t support that particular software download then you won’t be able to read the book on that device. Many ebooks work a little more simply than that because they are readable in an internet browser. If your device supports a browser, you may be able to read the book that way.  Another option you may have is to read the book in .pdf format. If your reader supports .pdfs you may be able to view the book on your device.

Since there are so many proprietary ebook platforms and ebook readers out there on the market, you can see where all these different options render it difficult to tell if a particular title will work on your particular device. If you’re in doubt you can always contact us.