NetLibrary eBooks

Please note: the following information applies only to eBooks available through the NetLibrary interface.

Browser Requirements for viewing
To view NetLibrary eBooks, you'll need a recent version of Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox, or Opera. Safari seems to work only with eBooks which aren't PDFs.

In order to view some eBook titles you may need either the Adobe Reader 6.0 plug-in or the DjVu plug-in. If a plug-in is required to view a title, the Viewing Requirements section will show which plug-in is required and will provide a link to download the appropriate plug-in. Please ask at the Reference Desk for additional assistance.

A note about cookies: If a user has their browser set to "block third-party cookies" they may see a variety of error messages, bad displays, etc. To resolve these errors, open your browser settings and uncheck "block third-party cookies." For more information about changing cookies settings, see Cookies and Library Gateway Resources.

Viewing Options (View or Checkout)
NeLlibrary eBooks are available to only one user at a time. Users may choose to View this eBook or Checkout for 2 Hours. To view titles owned by Cornell, users must open NetLibrary from the Library Catalog (clicking on the link in the catalog record for a NetLibrary eBook) or from Find Databases on the Library Gateway. To Checkout the item, users will be prompted to Create an Account.

• View This eBook
  This option opens the full text of an eBook without logging in or creating an account. You may view the eBook for a short period of time (approximately 15 minutes). As long as you are actively using the eBook (turning pages, searching within the full text, etc.) you will be able to continue to view the title in 15-minute increments. If you are not actively using the eBook, your connection may be closed to make the eBook available for someone else to view. See the Checkout option below.
• Checkout for 2 Hours: This option checks out an eBook to your account and allows you to view the full text of an eBook over a 2-hour period. The advantage to checking out the eBook is that access will not time-out during periods of inactivity.

The Download to my Computer option is not available.

"All Copies in Use"
Unlike many online items, NetLibrary eBooks are available to only one user at a time. If all copies are in use, it means that other users are viewing the title. You will be given the option to view the Table of Contents for the title and you may choose to be notified by email when a copy of the title becomes available for viewing.

Printing and Copying Text
You may print or copy one page at a time using your browser's print or copy functions or by clicking the printer icon in the top navigation bar.

Although you can print parts of an eBook, printing an entire eBook violates copyright laws.