NSC1210 Skills for the Scientist: Books & e-books

This guide contains key resources for research and critical evaluation of scientific sources of information.

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Electronic books

The library purchases a lot of electronic books, or e-books. You can link through to these from the library website and read them online. You will also be able to download some books for a set time and read them on your own device.

These e-books are accessed through different providers and have different restrictions about downloading and printing. Refer to the e-book guide for more information on accessing e-books.

Book recommendations by discussed research topics

Suggested readings

Looking for an e-book

How to find a particular book

Transcript for how to access e-books video

In this presentation you will see how to search for an e-book using the library website as well as where to find information about e-books such as how to print or download. E-books are books that can be accessed online 24/7 and can be read on computers and other mobile devices such as an iPad or iPhone. E-books are not heavy to carry or return and you do not have to pay library fines on overdue books. You can search for e-books on VU library website by typing in a title, author or simply by entering keywords.I have searched for the words on "sports publicity" and then chosen the 'books and e-books' button and clicked on search. This page shows all the search results. To identify an electronic book, look for the format of the book indicating 'e-book' on the screen. The e-books have been purchased from a number of different providers so there is some variation between e-book borrowing, downloading, printing, reading off-line, transferring between devices and setting up accounts. The library e-book page has information about these providers and help guides. To access ebook information, choose the option 'Access e-books' from the blue box titled 'I want to' or follow the links from 'Access and borrowing'. Back to our search results. Let's have a look at the first book on the results page by clicking on the e-book link. Note that you might be asked to enter your student ID and library PIN. This particular book is provided by EBL. You can read the book online or download it on to your PC or mobile device. Access to the downloaded copy of the book is only for limited time period. Look at the e-book page for further details. Once you have clicked on 'Read online' you will be able to read a chapter online, search within the book or print a limited number of pages. Create a loan if prompted by a message on the screen. This is how a page will appear when you are reading a chapter online. For further information, please contact us through 'Ask a Librarian' service or talk to a library staff member if on campus. 

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Transcript for how to find an exact title on Library Search video

In this presentation you will see how to find a print book at Footscray Park campus library. You can search for books on the library’s homepage by typing in a title, author or simply entering keywords. Type in your key words. Choose ‘books and e-books’ button and search. Scroll down the screen to the ‘Library branch’ heading and choose Footscray Park. The page will update. A call number shows the location of the book on the shelf. This book is available to borrow. If the book is not available, you can place a hold. For further information, please contact us through ‘Ask a Librarian’ service or talk to a rover or library staff member if on campus. 

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