Well, spring break is but a fond memory. Time to hit the books. Again. FAQ is really sorry about it, but what can you do? A few Fridays ago, FAQ covered the basics of using the library catalog to search for resources located within the library building. Today, we will take a look at using the library catalog to access resources that aren’t literally on the shelf in the library, but are available via the catalog and website at any time.
What is an e-book?
Electronic books, or e-books as we call them, are books in digital format, accessed electronically. The content is exactly the same as the hard copy version, in most cases the pages have been scanned to include all photos, graphs and illustrations just as they appear in the book. The only difference between an e-book and a hard copy book is the way in which they are accessed. Instead of using a call number to locate a book on a shelf in the library, e-books are accessing electronically through a link in the library catalog or via an electronic library collection like NetLibrary. Once you pull the e-book from the electronic shelf, you can navigate through the book using direct links to chapters, indexes, or sections.
Why are e-books useful?
E-books are incredibly convenient. Access is available 24/7/365 via the library website, and once you get the hang of searching for and using e-books, you can set up your own virtual reference collection, available whenever you need it. E-book access is quicker than interlibrary loan, and the PDF file format makes it easy to read, navigate and print content as needed.
How do I find an e-book?
The Hackelmeier Memorial Library subscribes to a collection of e-books via NetLibrary. Many of the titles are “owned” by the library, which means you can link to them directly through the library catalog, as part of a routine search for library resources. You can also go directly to NetLibrary (via the library database page) to search the e-books collection only.
E-books are easily identified in the library catalog by the red E icon, , which appears to the left of the title in the catalog record.
Title: Great jobs for music majors
Author: Goldberg, Jan. Year/Format: 2005 / E- BK
Check for Copies: Marian College
Library / E-Books:
When you click on the book title, you will see an expanded catalog record, which includes a URL link to the book, which is available to our library through NetLibrary.
ELECTRONIC LINK 
http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=135374 ; { An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click for information }
To view the electronic book, click on the icon, which will open a new browser window and display the book in the NetLibrary reader. Use the navigation buttons in the upper right hand corner of the NetLibrary reader to move from page to page through the book. The navigation pane on the left hand side of the reader window allows you to view a linked table of contents, facilitating quick access to different sections of the book. Printing is also an option within the NetLibrary reader, although you will have to do it one page at a time, which can be time consuming.
Oh, and by the way – printing is still free in the Hackelmeier Library, but if everyone starts printing out entire books, that could change. Be responsible and help conserve resources – print only what you really need.
Setting up a NetLibrary account – free and easy access from anywhere
Setting up a NetLibrary account is required if you plan to search and view NetLibrary titles from an off-campus computer, create a list of favorite e-books, or to access NetLibrary directly from off-campus. You must use an on-campus computer when you initially set up a NetLibrary account, so that NetLibrary will recognize you as a valid Marian College user. Once you set up the account, you can log in to NetLibrary as a Marian College user from any computer with internet access.
Follow the link from the library database page, which will take you to the NetLibrary site. Once you get there, click on Create a Free Account in the upper righ
t corner of the page. It only takes a minute or two to set up a NetLibrary account, it’s free of charge, and you create your own login and password. Setting up an account with NetLibrary also gives you access to other added services such as favorites lists and notes options.
Searching the e-book collection via NetLibrary.com
Searching the NetLibrary collection is much like searching any library catalog. Search options include title, author, subject, keyword and full text. Select a search option (keyword is always a winner), type your term(s) in the search box and click on Search.
| 1. | 
| Great Jobs for Music Majors
2Nd Ed. by Goldberg, Jan.
Publication: Chicago McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005. PART ONE THE JOB SEARCH Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use. 10 | Great Jobs for Music Majors mine whether you would be able to meet your basic economic needs in a given geographic location. Housing is 60.59 percent lower. 100 | Great Jobs for Music Majors Sound recordist: $840 per week Stage manager: $12,000 to $40,000 and up per year Staff record producers may be entitled to a salary plus royalties on the number of records produced. View this eBook | Show Details | Add to Favorites |
Click on View this eBook to access the content, or click on Add to Favorites to add the title to your personal NetLibrary resources list. Your favorites list will be available to you whenever you log in to NetLibrary, so it’s a great way to set up quick access to electronic reference sources. You can also add notes to books on your favorites list – click on the Notes tab in the navigation pane when you are viewing the e-book. Notes are handy for resources on your favorites list – you can add notes reminding you about useful chapters or page numbers. View your notes from the Notes tab in the navigation pane or on the Favorites and Notes page.
Sample entry from a Favorites list, including a note:
Checking out an e-book – for your eyes only
The e-book collection is much like any other library collection, generally there is only one copy of a particular book, and it can be checked out by patrons for their use. When an e-book is checked out, it is viewable ONLY to the person who checked it out, for the period of the check-out. For Marian College users, the check-out period is 15 minutes. If you try to access a book that is checked out by another user, you will receive a message that says the book is not currently available. Check out is handy if you are using an e-book for a project and you want to be absolutely certain you can access the content at a specific time. When the check out period expires, the book is automatically checked back in by NetLibrary and becomes available to others for check out. Tips for getting the most out of e-books and NetLibrary
Familiarize yourself with the various ways to access e-books, either through the library catalog or directly from NetLibrary.
Set up an account – it’s free, and you get added value services with an account.
Use the Favorites and Notes options to set up your own virtual reference collection.
Remember that e-books have the same content as the hard copy equivalent, they are just more computer friendly!
