The University of Birmingham now provides access to many eBooks.

Users can access eBooks:

• Searching the library catalogue by eBook  title;
• Or via the eLibrary by searching for a provider (eg Ebrary, MyiLibrary - see below).
• Please see our eBook user guide for advice on accessing eBooks off-campus via the Library catalogue.
• See our new Mobile Devices Guide for information on accessing eBooks and other eResources on Smartphones and other portable devices.

eBooks are offered from key providers in order to supply the widest, most relevant collection of eBooks for its users. 

• Ebrary - More than 1600 titles over a wide range of subjects. Now in 'quick view' or fuller functions using the eBrary Reader.
• MyiLibrary - An ever growing collection currently containing over 600 titles and covers a range of subjects.
• ACLS Humanities Collection - Contains over 2000 full-text Humanities titles and represents over 250 academic and learned societies.  Titles are continuously being added to the collection.
• Eighteenth Century Books Online - Original documents in digitized form.
• Elsevier: Health Sciences, and Clinical Medicine, titles from 2010 and 2011.
• Engineering Village (Referex, CRC ENGNetBASE) - Electrical, chemical, mechanical and other areas.
• Knovel - Covering a range of engineering subjects.
• Oxford Language Dictionaries Online - French, German, Italian, Spanish.
• Oxford Medical Handbooks Online.
• Oxford Scholarship Online - Key titles for Political Science and History.
• Royal Society of Chemistry - Analytical Collection.
• Other individual eBooks - including the Oxford Textbook of Medicine and the African Studies Companion.

eBook Trials

We are currently participating in the following trial:

• Elsevier Science Direct - We have unlimited online access to over 8000 Science Direct eBooks with coverage across 26 subject areas. The trial will conclude on 31/12/2012.

JISC Observatory Project

• The Observatory Project was concluded.
• University of Birmingham came fourth of all 127 participants nationwide - ranking us as a "superuser"**.
• Continued access was purchased for 9 of the 36 titles, covering Business and Management studies and Engineering.

JISC Textbook Project

We  participated in two JISC trials for 3 eBooks (Sept 2009-July 2010) and contributed to a case study***.

• Understanding international relations, Brown, 4th Ed.
• Theories of international relations, Burchill, 4th Ed.
• Economics, Begg, 9th Ed.

For more details on specific eBooks please contact the relevant Subject Advisor

** JISC national e-book observatory project: key findings and recommendations.  Final report. [Online]. [London] : JISC Collections, 2009.  p15.  (Accessed 18/10/2011).

*** Case studies: University of Birmingham. In: JISC E-textbook business models.  [London] : JISC Collections, 2010. (Accessed 18/10/2011).