The Basics
Only available through the library website
Only available to UMBC faculty, staff and students
UMBC users cannot borrow or access ebooks owned by other USMAI schools
You can only download ebooks on personal PC or laptops
You can only read (not download) ebooks on public computers
Ebooks cannot be placed on hold, recalled or renewed
Choose an ebook provider to learn more:
EBSCO
To checkout or download an EBSCO title you will need to set up an EBSCO account and create an Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) account.
Loan Period
1-7 days
Downloadable?
Yes
Printing
Yes (print/paste up to 100 pages)
Browser Compatibility
Firefox, Chrome, and IE 10.0>
# of Simultaneous Users
One
Supported Devices
Adobe Digital Editions, Apple, Nook, Sony, Android, not Kindle
Proquest Ebook Central (USMAI)
To download Proquest Ebook Central ebooks to Android and Apple devices you will need to download Bluefire reader.
Note: Proquest Ebook Central ebooks are not available to guest account users.
Loan Period
1-7 days
Downloadable?
Yes
Printing
Yes (print up to 20% of book and copy/paste 5%)
Browser Compatibility
Firefox, Chrome, IE, and Safari
# of Simultaneous Users
No limit
Supported Devices
Adobe Digital Editions, Apple, Nook, Sony, Android, not Kindle
Proquest Ebook Central (UMBC)
To download Proquest Ebook Central ebooks to Android and Apple devices you will need to download Bluefire reader.
Note: Proquest Ebook Central ebooks are not available to guest account users.
Loan Period
7 days
Downloadable?
Yes
Printing
Yes (print up to 40% of book and copy/paste 20%)
Browser Compatibility
Firefox, Chrome, IE, and Safari
# of Simultaneous Users
One
Supported Devices
Adobe Digital Editions, Apple, Nook, Sony, Android, not Kindle
SpringerLink
There is no checkout process with Springer ebooks.
Loan Period
No checkout needed
Downloadable?
Yes
Printing
Yes (the entire book)
Browser Compatibility
Firefox: 8>, Chrome:16>, IE: 7>, and Safari: 5>
# of Simultaneous Users
No limit
Supported Devices
Adobe Digital Editions, Apple, Kindle, Nook, Sony, Android
JSTOR
There is no checkout process with JSTOR ebooks.
Loan Period
Download chapters to keep
Downloadable?
Yes
Printing
Yes (unlimited copying/printing)
Browser Compatibility
All
# of Simultaneous Users
No limit
Supported Devices
Adobe Digital Editions, Apple, Kindle, Nook, Sony, Android
Troubleshooting
Why can’t I download an ebook?
Not all eBooks are available for download, some publishers restrict it and only allow their eBooks to be read online.
I've downloaded the ebook file to my desktop, but it won't open correctly.
You probably need to install Adobe Digital Editions software in order to read the book on your computer. You can download the newest version of the software ; if that doesn't work for you, many people have success with one of these older versions .
I’ve followed all the steps to download an ebook to my mobile device, but when I open Bluefire reader, I get a "no tokens available" error message.
This means that Bluefire has not yet registered that a book has been downloaded. Closing and then opening the Bluefire Reader app a few times should solve this problem.
Why do I get a "Sorry, this eBook is in use" message after I have closed the eBook?
If you click the eBook Full Text link to read an eBook online, the eBook is checked out for the same duration of time that your institution has set as the session duration before timeout.
If you start a new session, the eBook will not be available until the previous session has ended unless you logged in as a Personalized User in both of those sessions.
Try clearing your Temp Internet files
Clearing your temporary internet files solves log-in problems, file download issues, and other common internet troubles.
With the exception of the mobile device instructions at the very end, all of these instructions take place in the actual internet browser.
Google Chrome
Click on the Menu icon
Under More Tools, click Clear browsing data…
Select the items you want to clear (e.g., Browsing history, Download history, etc.)
You can choose the period of time for which you want to clear cached information from the Clear data from this period drop-down menu. To clear your entire cache, select "the beginning of time"
Click Clear browsing data
Close window
Exit Chrome and then re-launch Chrome
Safari
Open the Safari menu and select Clear History
Click the Clear History button
Exit Safari and then re-launch
Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Menu icon, then click on Options
Select Privacy, then under History click the "clear your recent history" link
Select the Time Range to clear (drop-down menu). Select "Everything" to clear the entire cache
Click Details to choose what history elements to clear (cache, cookies, etc…)
Click the Clear Now button
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 and 11 (Windows 7 & Vista)
Click the Tools menu (looks like a small gear on the upper right side).
Choose "Safety"
From the menu that appears, click "Delete browsing history"
Select Temporary Internet Files, Cookies and website data, and History
Click Delete
Close the browser, and then reopen it
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 (Windows 7 & Vista)
Click the Tools menu (named either tools or looks like a small gear on the upper right side)
Choose "Internet Options"
Under "Browsing History" click "Delete"
Select Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, History, Download History, and Passwords
Click Delete
Close the browser, and then reopen it
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 (Windows XP)
Click Tools in the upper toolbar or click on the Tools icon
Click Internet Options and choose the General tab
Click Delete under "Browsing History"
Click Delete Files under "Temporary Internet Files"
Click Yes on the Delete Files dialog box
Click Close and then OK
Safari Browser On iPod/iPad/iPhone
From the device's Home screen tap the Settings icon
Choose Safari
Tap Clear Cache
Nook Tablet Browser
Clear cache through Privacy under Settings
Further questions or concerns, please contact the UMBC library Reference Desk at 410-455-2346 or https://library.umbc.edu/researchhelp.php
