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Collection Policies: Books

Print vs. Ebook Purchasing: Tips for Faculty/Instructors

If no format is specified in a request, print will be ordered for our permanent collection. Academic ebooks come in various forms, both licensed and purchased. The number of users and pricing models vary between publishers. Please contact your library liaison if you need more information on what types of options are available for a given title. The library cannot order Amazon titles for Kindles.

Single User: closest corollary to a print book in terms of circulation; when "checked out", no one can access it until the check-out period expires and it is "returned".

Multi User: expensive; best used in situations where remote access is necessary for large groups of people within a class, such as distance education, overseas program, or reserve readings.

NOTE: Ebooks classified as "Textbooks" by publishers are typically unavailable in multi-user form.