Find items in UIC Library collections, including books, articles, databases and more.
Find items on the UIC Library website, including research guides, help articles, events and website pages.
This guide features the UIC Library's subscription platforms for electronic books. Users also have the option of exploring free sources such as those listed in the tabs above (Project Gutenberg, HathiTrust Digital Library).
To find e-books across all of these platforms, use the main library search box. Watch a 2023 video on finding e-books.
E-Book Availability
Because UIC gets e-books from so many sources, some limits apply:
* Some e-books are rented, not owned, and might be removed without notice by the vendor.
* Some e-books are limited to one reader at a time.
Most UIC Library E-books are available through ProQuest E-book Central. For more information on using this platform, see this page.
| Platform | Capabilities | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | How much can you download? | How many pages can you print? | Can you download to mobile device? |
| Create a personal account to utilize Custom Curriculum, save and download images | Users may currently print one page at a time for the first 25% of the book. |
Mobile-optimized versions are currently available for the following sites:
Devices which support the mobile optimized version of the site include the iPhone, Blackberry Bold, and Android devices. |
|
| ACLS Humanities E-Book Collection | Ten pages may be downloaded at a time. |
Ten pages may be printed at a time. HEB also offers a subset of titles from its collection for purchase separately as print-on-demand editions. |
HEB currently offers a subset of titles from its online collection as downloadable/ mobile editions formatted for use with various handheld devices (for the time being, the books can be purchased individually for $9.99 each from different sources). |
| Books@Ovid | Complete citations; whole chapters | Complete citations; whole (or sectioned) chapters | Nook HD Tablet |
| Clinical Key | As an authorized user, you may download and store a reasonable portion of individual book chapters from ClinicalKey for your exclusive use. | Elsevier permits that the Subscriber may copy, paste, and/or print up to a maximum of ten percent (10%) of the Subscribed Product. | The ClinicalKey mobile app is available for Apple and Android devices. |
| Credo | Electronically bookmark, download and save individual entries included in the Works - materials can only be viewed online, other than those exported on an entry-by-entry basis, using the "saved results" or "export to Google Drive" functions on the platform. | Print out single copies of individual entries found in the Works for purposes of private study or research | Credo's titles are available for viewing on any any mobile device. |
| EBSCOhost | You may choose to download an eBook to your computer and read it offline at a later time. You must have a personal My EBSCOhost folder account.(See Downloading EBSCO eBooks - Tutorial for downloading EBSCO ebooks). Adobe® Digital Editions 1.7.1 or higher is required for offline viewing. This free software can be downloaded from this link. |
Up to 100 pages of an eBook can be saved for printing or emailing per user as a PDF file from within the eBook Full Text viewer. Note: The number of pages may vary depending on individual publisher-specified limits. |
An Android or Apple mobile device with the EBSCO eBooks™ app will need to be installed. See EBSCO eBooks App - Overview Tutorial for how to download to your tablet or smartphone for offline reading. |
| EEBO - Early English Books Online | You may download an entire book from EEBO, or a custom range of pages. | You may create printouts of materials retrieved through the Products via on-line printing, off-line printing, facsimile, or electronic mail. | Not stated |
| Gale EBooks | You may download an HTML or PDF file of an e-book article, chapter or section | Printing is generally limited to one entry. | The free Access My Library® app may be used to access eBooks on mobile devices. This app may be downloaded at the App Store or on Google Play. |
| IEEE Wiley eBook Library | Books can be downloaded chapter by chapter. Full text access to all e-Book titles copyrighted in the year(s) 1974-2015 | Whole chapters at a time | All major handheld PDAs |
| JSTOR | Books can be downloaded chapter by chapter. | Whole chapters at a time | All major handheld PDAs |
| Oxford Reference Online | Up to a single chapter or 5% of a single chapter from each Oxford title (whichever is greater) | Up to a single chapter or 5% of a single chapter from each Oxford title (whichever is greater) | iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry (OSO is now "fully mobilized," no specific devices named.) |
| Proquest Ebook Central | You're enabled to download individual pages and chapters as well as the entire book. In some cases of limited availability on a book, your institution may limit the full book download. Ebooks downloaded to personal computers are read via Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). Please ensure you have this free software installed before downloading. Please also check the ADE system requirements. | The default printing allowance is 40% of each ebook, and the copying allowance is 20%. Similar restrictions apply when you read ebooks offline. When printing a chapter or range of pages, a deduction is made from this allowance. | On iOS and Android devices, you need Bluefire Reader, which is free from the App Store and Google Play. You need an Adobe ID to use Bluefire Reader. Downloaded ebooks can also be transferred to any portable ebook reader that supports Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). There's a list of these compatible devices on the ADE website. |
| R2 Digital Library | The R2 Digital Library does not allow direct download of eBooks | Users are able to print or email sections of the R2 digital Library | Tablets, smartphones and web-capable eReaders |
| Safari Books Online (O'Reilly Safari Books and Videos) | May download and store Sections of a work on the individual User's hard drive or other storage device for such individual User's personal use only | May print Sections - the limited portion of a work that is displayed to the User at one time by the Service -- of a work. Individual pages can be printed. |
Apps available for iPad, iPhone, Android Phones, Android Tablets, and Blackberry Playbook for those who have Personal Safari accounts |
| Sage Knowledge | Whole chapters/articles at a time | Whole chapters/articles at a time | E-book reader compatible. Mobile-optimized version available for iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android, Blackberry |
| ScienceDirect | Whole book (one chapter at a time); full articles | Whole chapters/articles at a time | iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry |
| SpringerLink | Whole book (one chapter at a time) | Whole chapters at a time; also can order paperback versions for $24.95 | iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Nook HD Tablet |
| World Bank e-Library | Whole book (may also download one chapter at a time). All eBooks since 2014 are now available to eLibrary subscribers as full text without the need to download a PDF or ePub. | Subscribers may print all content in eLibrary in whole or in part. |
May be downloaded to mobile devices. eLibrary for Mobile supports iOS: 6.1 and later, and Android: 2.3 and later. See Mobile FAQs for how to pair device when off campus, how to search for content, etc. |