The library provides access to print and electronic books (e-books). E-books are our preferred format for purchase, and are available for use on and off-campus 24/7 from anywhere you have an access to the Internet. You can search for e-books and books using the Library Search by their title, authors, or by using keywords on your topic. Think about the keywords from your assignment question or paper and use these words in Library Search to find relevant resources.
E-books are easy to read online using a computer, tablet or a mobile device. You can also download an e-book for a set period of time and read it offline on your device. The e-books can be accessed through different e-books providers. E-book providers have different restrictions about downloading e-books and printing pages from them. For more information on accessing e-books, check out our e-books page on the library website.
You can borrow print books from any of our campus libraries.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of freely accessible educational resources that are in the public domain.
Please check out our new library guide ‘OER Textbooks’ that will have some useful educational materials. This is an additional resource to the more general ‘Open Educational Resources’ guide.
See below for subject areas and call number ranges that are typically relevant to Mechanical Engineering.
| Subject | Call number |
|---|---|
| Engineering fundamentals | 620 |
| Engineering management | 620 or 658 |
| Mechanical engineering design | 621 |
| Engineering mathematics | 510 |
| Engineering physics | 530 |
| Manufacturing materials | 670 |
| Project management | 658 |
| HVAC systems | 697 |
| Engineering surveying | 526.9 |
E-books can be downloaded from the Library website to a computer for a limited period (1-7days). With your Adobe Digital Editions ID you can access the one e-book across multiple devices.
To download an e-book you will need to:
Log in to the Library website with your student ID and Library PIN
Download Adobe Digital Editions to your computer
Login with Adobe Digital Editions ID. You will be prompted to sign up for a ADE ID when downloading an e-book or register on the Adobe homepage.
Watch this step by step video on downloading Adobe Digital Editions and creating an Adobe Digital Editions ID.
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. You can annotate the book, get a citation and share e-books easily. You can search for e-books on the VU library website by typing in a title, author or simply entering keywords. I have searched for the words ‘health AND exercise’ 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’. You can further refine your search to show e-books published in the last few years by selecting the date range and e-books option from the left hand side of the page. 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 e- book information, choose the option ‘Access e-books’ from the blue box titled ‘I want to’. Back to our Library search! 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 EBook Central. You can read the book online or download it to your PC or mobile device. Access to the downloaded copy of the book is only for a limited time period. Look at the e-book page on the Library website for further information. 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 feel free to contact us through ‘Ask a Librarian’ or ask a staff member if on campus.
(Video ends)
In this presentation you will learn how to download and install the Adobe Digital Editions program onto your computer and how to create an Adobe ID. E-books are protected by Digital Rights Management systems, abbreviated DRM, which regulate the usage of digital content. It limits the loan period for downloading and the number of pages that can be printed or copied. Adobe Digital Editions, abbreviated ADE, is a free software program that enables viewing and managing of DRM protected e-books. You will need to create an Adobe ID to authorise viewing your e-book on multiple devices. Search for ‘Adobe Digital Editions download’ on Google and download the programme. Note: this tutorial is for downloading ADE onto your laptop or desktop. If using smart phones or tablets then you need to install Bluerfire reader from the app store or google play. Click on the installer, which may appear at the bottom of the page and then click Run. Click on the checkbox to accept the terms of the Adobe licence agreement. Continue the steps to install the programme. When the ADE program has been installed, you will need to authorise the computer. Click on the Help menu and select Authorise Computer. Click on Create an Adobe ID. Fill in the relevant fields and click on Sign Up. Enter your Adobe ID and password and click on Authorize. Once you download an e-book from the library it will appear in ADE. Double click on the book to access the e-book. You can read offline, browse chapters and bookmark pages. You can view the e-book information about how many pages you can print or copy by clicking on the File menu and selecting Item Info. Select ‘Print’ for printing options Contact us for further information.
(Video ends)
View this video on this webpage
