E-Books

How can I know if an EBSCO e-book is single-user?

Find the title in EBSCO's e-book collection, and pull up the detailed record for the book. Scroll down to the bottom of the descriptive information and look for Concurrent User Level, usually the bottom right above the table of contents. 

Limited User Access (1 copies available) = only one person can be reading the book (or have downloaded it). 

Limited User Access (3 copies available) = up to 3 people can be reading the book at the same time (or have it downloaded).

Unlimited User Access = no limits on how many people can read or use the book.

Note "copies available" indicates copies owned by the Library, NOT how many copies are available for reading at that particular moment. The Library may own 3 copies of a title, but all of them may be "in use."

If an EBSCO book is in use, when will it be available again?

It depends on whether the current patron is reading the book online or downloading the book:

• Reading Online -- usually 2 hours after usage stops, or the book is "idle." The timer starts when EBSCO detects a lack of activity from the current patron. Moving to a different page or chapter, or performing other actions, will reset the timer. A patron may be reading online for several hours -- only after they are idle does the timer start.
• Downloaded e-books -- 7 days after download. Most EBSCO e-books have a one-week download period, which begins the day of download. 

If an EBSCO e-book is in use, you can place a notification hold by signing in (or creating) a MyEBSCO account and following the prompts on the "Sorry, this eBook is in use" screen. EBSCO will attempt to send you an email when the book is available.

How can I know if a ProQuest Ebook Central e-book is single-user?

Find the title in ProQuest's ebook collection, and pull up the detailed record for the e-book. 

Look in the Availability section for the usage limits:

Your institution has access to 1 copy of this book = the Library owns 1 copy, and only 1 person can be reading or using the book at a time.

Your institution has access to 3 copies of this book = the Library owns 3 copies, and up to 3 people can be reading or using the book at the same time.

Your institution has unlimited access to this book = no limit to how many people can be reading or using the book at once.

If a ProQuest Ebook Central e-book is in use, when will it be available again?

If a ProQuest e-book is in use, the message All copies are currently in use will display. The options to read online or download will be greyed out, and other availability information will be hidden.

Availability will depend if the current patron is reading the book online, or has downloaded the book:

• Reading Online -- usually 30 minutes after reading stops, or the book is "idle." Clicking to view the next page or moving to a different chapter will reset the idle timer. A patron may be reading the book for several hours of activity -- only when they are idle does the timer begin.
• Downloaded E-Books -- 1 day to 21 days, depending on title. Download limits are set by both the publisher and the Library. Some titles can only be downloaded for 24 hours (or not at all), while others can be downloaded for 3 weeks. 

ProQuest does not offer a "notification hold" feature -- the only way to know if a book is available is to check the page later and see if you can get into the book.

Can the Library force a single-user e-book to be available?

The Library cannot override an e-book's "in use" status. Even if we know the current patron is done with the book, there's no way for us to make the book available again until the book is idle or "returned." This can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 21 days, depending on the publisher and platform usage limits.

Does the Library know who is currently using the e-book?

No. The Library does not know the name or identity of the patron currently reading or downloading an e-book.