How to find and use ebooks at Cambridge: new induction video

In response to student inductions moving online for 2020/21, we have produced a short video introducing students to the world of ebooks.

The video covers:

• How to find ebooks in iDiscover
• How to connect to an ebook and read it online
• How to download ebooks
• Electronic Legal Deposit
• Copyright information

The video is available through the ebooks LibGuide. Librarians – please feel free to reuse the box on your guides or embed the following code directly:

A transcript version is also available on our LibGuide and through the University Streaming Media Service, where the video is hosted.

Please share the video widely and send any feedback by email to the ebooks@cambridge team.

Hands-on training on ebooks for Cambridge librarians

The ebooks@cambridge Advisory Group are running 2 hands-on ebook sessions for Cambridge University and College librarians, which are taking place next week in the Freshfields IT Training Room in the Law Faculty on the Sidgwick Site.

Tuesday 23rd September, 10.30 – 12.30

Thursday 25th September, 2.30 – 4.30

Led by Catherine Reid, Jayne Kelly and Penelope Butler.

These hands-on sessions will include a presentation on the basics of how to search for and access titles from our ebooks collection, and also news of new services and developments. The second half of the session will offer a chance for attendees to have a go at finding and accessing ebooks themselves. There will be a workbook which attendees can take away if they wish. This is particularly suitable for library staff who are new to the University of Cambridge or those who want to refresh their knowledge of ebooks.

These hands-on sessions are each open to 20 people and places need to be booked via the Librarians In Training booking site. There are still a few spaces left particularly for the Thursday session.

Chemistry Drop-in Session

Start the new year by solving all your ebook worries!

Date: Wednesday 29th January

Time: 1pm – 2pm (pop in whenever you like)

Venue: Cybercafé, Department of Chemistry

 

Got any questions about using ebooks? Come along and talk to the ebooks@cambridge team, who will be available in this informal session to answer any queries. We can show you how to find, access and download titles, and look into any problems you may be having.

Feel free to bring along your tablet, mobile, or e-reader – there will be Wi-fi available. We will also have a range of devices available for you to try. For more information see this poster created by the Chemistry library team.

If you are not sure where to go, go to the Department Reception and you will be directed from there.

Bring your lunch for another drop-in session!

Date: Wednesday 27th November

Time: 1pm – 2pm (pop in whenever you like)

Venue: LR5, Department of Engineering

Open to everyone – students and staff – no matter what your subject!

Got any questions about using ebooks? Come along and talk to the ebooks@cambridge team, who will be available in this informal session to answer any queries. We can show you how to find, access and download titles, and look into any problems you may be having.

Feel free to bring along your tablet, mobile, or e-reader – there will be Wi-fi available.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it! You can always contact us at ebooks@lib.cam.ac.uk. Also, keep up to date with any news from the team by following us on Twitter or find us on Facebook.

For more information see this poster created by the Engineering library team.

Lunch time drop-in at the SPS Library

Date: Wednesday 13th November

Time: 1pm – 2pm (drop in whenever you like)

Venue: SPS Library on the New Museums Site

Open to everyone – student or staff – no matter what your subject!

              

The ebooks@cambridge team will be available in this informal session to answer your questions and help you get to grips with using ebooks. We can show you how to find, access and download titles, and look into any problems you may be having.

Feel free to bring along your tablet, mobile, or e-reader – there will be Wi-fi available.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it! We have another session planned towards the end of November in Engineering. Alternatively don’t forget you can always contact us at ebooks@lib.cam.ac.uk.

If you would like to advertise this session in your library feel free to use our poster.

     

Lovely ebooks librarians go mobile in Psychology (with biscuits)

Want to learn more about how to find and use the ebooks which your libraries purchase for you? Have you got a Kindle, an iPad, a Nook, or a Smart Phone but aren’t sure which of the library ebooks you can read or download onto it?

Come along to the next ebooks@cambridge lunchtime drop-in session and bring your devices if you have one, otherwise just bring yourself! All students and staff are welcome to drop by and ask us questions.

Date: Thursday 7th February

Time: 1pm – 2pm (very informal, turn up when you like)

Venue: Student Common Room (next to the Library) in the Department of Psychology on the Downing Site.

Extra attractions: coffee, juice, biscuits & crisps!

 

 

Going mobile again – ebooks drop-in sessions

Catherine Reid, Jayne Kelly and Rhiannon Taylor are going mobile again this term and will be holding informal drop-in sessions on finding, accessing and downloading ebooks. These events are aimed at students, academics and librarians across the University.

If you want to know more about how to find the ebooks we have in our collection, or want to download an ebook onto an iPad, Smartphone or e-reader, why not come along and ask us your questions?

There will be a chance to see downloading to mobile devices in action, and please bring your own mobile devices with you. Wifi will be available.

Come along to the UL North Reading Room between 11am and 12pm on Tuesday the 22^nd January. If you can’t make this date, we will be holding further sessions in Psychology (7^th February) and Law (date tbc) – more details to follow.

Feel free to use this poster and flyers to advertise the event in your libraries:

ebooks drop-in session Jan 2013

See you there!

RT

The LibrarySearch factor

There is a golden rule when searching for ebooks purchased for University of Cambridge staff and students, ALWAYS use the LibrarySearch catalogue.  This is REALLY important!

But why you cry? Why can’t we use Newton?

Well, you will find ebooks in Newton, but you will not find any ebooks added to the collection after July 2011. This is because all those ebooks have been loaded into an e-resources database, known as the ‘ERDB‘.

The ERDB was created to allow Cambridge University library staff timely access to brand new ebook orders created by the ebooks@cambridge team, there is a read only view, a link to which is available on the ebooks web pages for librarians.

New ebooks added to the ERDB are reflected in LibrarySearch from around noon the following day, following a re-indexing process which automatically happens overnight.

Because new ebook catalogue records are loaded into the ERDB and are searchable in LibrarySearch very soon afterwards, this removes the previous time consuming need to load ebooks into all 7 Newton databases.

For those libraries not using the Voyager library system, new ebook records are regularly archived by Rhiannon and made available for those libraries to load into their own library systems.

For those who prefer to refine LibrarySearch by location, your search results should show all available ebooks, alongside the printed resources relevant to that site.

To help find ebooks when scrolling through a LibrarySearch results list, look for the golden ebook icon next to the record. Students and staff can access the full text by clicking on the link next to Online which they can find near the top or at the very bottom of the ebook record. They will need to use their Raven logins if they are off-campus or for Dawsonera ebooks from anywhere.

So to ensure students and staff are finding all the ebooks on their reading lists, please direct them to LibrarySearch.

Enabling students to find available ebooks is crucial, it allows them extra choice and increased access to the books they need, when they need them.

Want ebooks, think LibrarySearch! 

JK

ebooks online training videos

Having problems with finding, accessing or downloading ebooks and can’t make it to the drop in sessions? Want some ebooks help that you can point your students to? We have created some online training videos which are on the ebooks@cambridge YouTube channel and now linked to from the ebooks@cambridge website.

The videos work best if you click the cog icon underneath the video in YouTube and increase the quality.

Learn how to find ebooks in LibrarySearch and connect to them, as well as how to find your way around and download ebooks on the Dawsonera platform.

Learn how to find ebooks in LibrarySearch and connect to them, as well as how to find your way around the MyiLibrary platform.

Learn how to download MyiLibrary ebooks.

Learn how to find those ebooks that don’t appear in LibrarySearch.

If you have feedback on the videos or if you would like to see video tutorials on other aspects of ebooks or other ebook platforms, please let us know.

RT

Going mobile – lunchtime drop-in sessions

Catherine Reid, Rhiannon Taylor and Jayne Kelly are going mobile and will be visiting the Faculties of Engineering and History in the coming weeks to hold informal lunchtime drop-in sessions on finding, accessing and downloading ebooks. These events are aimed at students, acacdemics and librarians across the University.

If you want to know more about how to find the ebooks we have in our collection, or want to download an ebook onto an iPad, Smartphone or e-reader, why not come along and ask us your questions?

There will be chance to see downloading to mobile devices in action, and please bring your own mobile devices with you. Wifi will be available.

Come along to the Engineering Library on Trumpington Street on Wednesday the 14th November, or to the History Faculty (Seminar Room 5, 2nd floor) on the Sidgwick Site off West Road on Wednesday the 21st November.

Feel free to use this poster to advertise the events in your libraries.

ebooks drop-in sessions Nov 2012

See you there!
JK