eBooks at Cook Library

The purpose of this guide is to help users navigate electronic books (eBooks) at Towson University, troubleshoot issues, and answer related questions.

eBooks are an essential part of the research content the library provides for faculty and students. The library provides access to over 500,000 eBooks in its collection which were viewed more than 400,000 times during the past academic year.

The Library has purchased or subscribed to eBooks on a variety of platforms which have different requirements and features. These are described on pages for each platform.

Note to faculty: Before using any eBooks for course reserve, please contact tutechservices@towson.edu to determine if the eBook has been purchased and, if so, what the number of simultaneous users is, or if it is part of a subscription collection (which means it may be removed from the collection at any time). If you contact us in advance of class use, we will try to ensure permanence and an appropriate number of simultaneous users.

If you are experiencing problems with access to or use of eBooks, please contact TU Library Technical Services at tutechservices@towson.edu and our staff will investigate the problem and respond to your questions as soon as possible.

If possible, please include the following information in your report:

• The title of the eResource that you are unable to access
• Where you found the eResource (Cook OneSearch, Library Catalog, Journal List, Database List, etc.)
• A screenshot of the problem that you are seeing
• The browser and version of the browser that you are using
• If you are on campus or off campus when you are experiencing problems
• Anything else that you think might be relevant or helpful

Off campus access via proxy server

The proxy server allows our patrons to access library resources from off campus.

• The proxy server presents itself as actual text in the URL of whichever resource you're using. If the proxy server information isn't in the URL, you're not using the proxy.
• The proxy server will always remove itself when accessing a resource from on campus, even if the link you clicked on was proxied.
• Always use the permalink feature in the platform when available. Some of our eBook platforms produce proxied links through this feature.
• If you need to make your link a proxied link, you can use the Proxy Builder.
• You only need to provide a proxied link for subscription/purchased resources. Open Access and other resources the library doesn't pay for do not need to be used with the proxy.

How the proxy server works

The proxy server presents itself as a string of text embedded within a URL.

The URL text for our proxy looks like: proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu

You'll see two forms of proxied links. Some links you click on will present the proxy as a URL prefix:

http://proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1229456&site=ehost-live

After you've clicked the link, the URL in your browser's URL bar will look like this:

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=12de9c10-2ee3-438e-b45d-c8e2499a9505%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d

Now that you know what the proxy looks like in a URL, you'll be better able to spot a proxied link when you see one.

Simultaneous users

Many of the library's eBooks are provided in a package subscription and have no simultaneous user limits. If you want to check whether or not the eBook you want has a user limit, you have two options:

1. Simultaneous user limits are sometimes shown in the OPAC note if you click on the "Availability" link:
2. Contact us at tutechservices@towson.edu to ask if there are limits on your eBook. We can find this information for you and add it to the record for future reference.

Adobe Digital Editions

Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) is an ereader program that lets users read eBooks on computers and mobile devices. The program lets users manage their personal ebook collection in addition to the eBooks that they've checked out from their library. This program is required for users to check out eBooks from the library's two largest platforms (Ebscohost and Ebrary).

How to download Adobe Digital Editions

Platforms that require Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) for users to download and read eBooks offline will prompt users who don't already have the software to download it before downloading their eBook. While it's possible to download ADE solely by following prompts, here is some advice on less apparent parts of the process:

1. You might overlook the links to download ADE on EBSCOhost. They are located below the "Checkout & Download" button.
2. The eBook platform will direct you to the ADE website where you can download ADE. On this page, you'll have several options for which file to download, depending on the device you're using. There's an option for Apple computers, Windows computers, iPhones, and Android phones. Read each link to determine which file you need to download.
3. Once you download the install file, go to the Downloads folder on your computer (or device) and open the install file and follow all of the prompts. The default options are perfectly fine for you, but there is a point during the installation process where you have a choice. In the screenshot below, you can choose to add a shortcut to ADE in your start menu, on your desktop, and even a quick launch shortcut. Feel free to select or deselect these options as you wish.