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Ebooks at Rowan
Welcome
Welcome to our Libguide about ebooks at Rowan University! Rowan has an extensive collection of ebooks in a variety of disciplines that you can access from anywhere at any time. This guide will show you the ebooks available to you and how to access them.
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Ebook Software
To read and dowload ebooks, you may need the following software:
- Adobe Reader -for reading ebooks and PDFs
- Adobe Digital Editions -for downloading ebooks from Ebrary, EBL, EBSCOhost, and Springer [optional]
- Bluefire Reader -for reading ebooks on a mobile device
- JAWS Screen Reader -for the visually impaired
- NVDA Screen Reader -for the visually impaired
- Follow this link for information on other free accessibility software like screen readers.
Ebook accessibilty software located in Campbell Library:
- Kurzweil 3000 is installed and provides text to speech in 7 languages. Reads any digital text out loud. Available in the Digital Scholarship Center computer lab in Campbell Library 3rd floor, Room 345. Installed on the PCs in Studio A and B, the Mac in Studio A, and two of the PCs in the main room. For more help using Kurzweil, contact Academic Success Center & Disability Resources at 856-256-4259.
- JAWS screen reader is installed, and will enlarge and zoom any text. Available in the Digital Scholarship Center computer lab in Campbell Library 3rd floor, Room 345. Jaws is installed on the PCs in Studio A and B, as well as one of the PCs in the main room. For more help using Jaws, contact Academic Success Center & Disability Resources at 856-256-4259.
Using Library Ebooks with Accessibility Software
Any e-book that is listed in the Rowan Library Catalog, or under the e-books tab of the library web page, can be viewed with common features of accessibility software.
The easiest way to read a library e-book on a screen reader is to download the e-book, even if the screen only lets you check out the online version of the book for a week, or asks for your Rowan login credentials before proceeding. Most e-books will download into PDF and can be read via Adobe Digital Editions software.
Follow this link for directions on how to download Ebook Central e-books to Adobe Digital Editions for offline reading on a laptop or desktop computer. Similarly, follow this link for information on how to download e-books on iOS or Android for offline reading on a mobile device. These directions all work in a similar way for downloading many types of e-books including those from ProQuest, Ebrary, Palgrave, Wiley, and other publishers.
You may also use any of the online e-book interfaces to skim through book chapter headings first, without ever downloading them. In fact, some publishers do not allow direct downloading of e-books at all, even temporarily. Here are some more directions for navigating specific e-book interfaces:
Follow this link for information on how to navigate the "Ebrary Accessibility Mode" which describes using the Ebrary online e-book interface using accessibility software. ProQuest EBL and Ebrary are merging -- more accessibility information for their combined "Ebook Central" here as it develops.
You can also read e-books on your mobile phone using BlueFire Reader, which is also screen-reader friendly. Follow this link for more information on how to download a book for offline reading on a mobile device using a BlueFire reader.
And remember, Campbell Library e-books can appear from any vendor, so bookmark this page so you can return to these updated directions at any time.