About NetLibrary

NetLibrary provides ISU Library users access to thousands of electronic books in a wide variety of subject areas -- it is especially strong in the fields of computer science, business, and education.

Sign-up

In order to browse or check out an e-book, you must first sign up as a netLibrary user. To do so, follow these steps:

For your initial sign-up, you must be at a PC within one of the ISU Library facilities, i.e., Parks Library, the Vet Med Library, or one of the reading rooms. After your initial sign-up, you'll be able to access ISU e-books from any PC, anywhere.

Using a library PC, go to www.netlibrary.com. In the navigator bar at the top of the screen, click on "Create Free Account". Follow the instructions, making sure to complete all required fields, which are labeled in red. netLibrary will maintain your user name and password for future use. Each time you attempt to browse or view a netLibrary book, the system will ask for your user name and password.

If you are a remote user who cannot visit the ISU Library in person, please contact the Circulation Desk at CircDesk@iastate.edu, or call (515) 294-3961 during normal business hours, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

Searching for e-books

You can search for e-books in two ways: within the ISU Library Catalog, or directly on the netLibrary website.

All e-books owned by the ISU Library can be searched in the ISU Library Catalog. A link to the electronic full-text of each book appears in the catalog record, in the field labeled "URL". Clicking on this link will display the selected e-book on the netLibrary site.

You can also search for e-books directly on the netLibrary site, by author, title, subject, keyword, publisher, publication date, or ISBN. For more information about searching directly on the netLibrary site, click on "Search tips" on the netLibrary homepage.

Browsing and viewing full-text

After having searched and retrieved an e-book, you have two options: browse or view.

To browse a book means to view its contents for up to 15 minutes, without actually viewing it. You will need to provide your user name and password to browse a book.

If the book is already being viewed by another user, you will receive a message indicating this. At present, there is no way to place your name in a queue for viewing, or pre-schedule a viewing time. You can request to be notified by email when the book becomes available.

Printing from an e-book

You can print books that appear in pdf format. To comply with copyright restrictions, however, you can only print from an e-book one page at a time.

For more information

To learn more about e-books, read the numerous help and information screens on the netLibrary website, or ask for assistance from the ISU Library's reference staff. They can be reached in person at the Parks Library General Reference Desk, by phone at (515) 294-3642, or via the Ask a Librarian link in the ISU e-Library.

Journals Books


	e-Journals & e-Books

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