E-book information and more

An e-book is an electronic digital text similar in content to traditional print books, and sometimes restricted with a digital rights management (DRM) system. Most of UA Libraries' e-books are in epub and PDF format. Here's an overview of those formats along with a few others you might run into in epublishing:

• pdf:  An Adobe product that is a document sharing format used for highly formatted content. It has the ability to use Digital Rights Management (DRM) with Adobe Digital Editions.
• epub: An open e-book standard created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It features reflowable text, inline images and the ability to use Digital Rights Management (DRM) such as Adobe Digital Editions
• AZW & kf8: Amazon's propietary DRM restricted format and for use exclusively on the Kindle Reader. But Kindle apps have been developed for devices other than the Kindle reader so that AZW format files can also be opened on smartphones (iPhone, Android phones, and BlackBerry), computers (Mac and PCs), and tablets (iPad, Android tablets, and Windows 8 tablets). 
• mobi: A format primarily designed for PDAs and older mobile devices. Also used on the Kindle.
• lrf: LRF, LRS, LRX are Sony's proprietary formats. They have been superseded by Sony's acceptance of epub as the default format in their e-book store.

ProQuest Ebook Central LibGuide

This libguide includes links for:

1. Platform status updates - to check if there is a known outage
2. How to turn text only mode on or off in Ebook Central
3. Supported devices and browsers

EBSCO Ebooks LibGuide

This website includes links for:

1. EBSCO status updates - to check if there is a known outage
2. Improving search results in EBSCO Discovery Service

In keeping with the University of Alberta Library’s move toward electronic materials, coupled with the need to be fiscally responsible and provide the greatest access for the greatest number of students and faculty at the University of Alberta, electronic format is the default preference for all monographs whenever possible. However, there are exceptions where we will purchase print copies instead:

• Books for which an electronic format is not available

• Books which are used primarily as objects (e.g., some art books, touch books, etc.)

• Books where there is a prohibitive cost to purchasing in electronic format

• Books where the print version contains elements, such as art images, that the ebook version does not contain

• Books published in, or about, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Canadian North

• Essential books for which the electronic format is preferable, but is published much later than the print version