Ebrary Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The catalog shows a link that says "An electronic book accessible through ebrary; click to view." What does this mean?

A: The item you have selected is an eBook - an electronic text from the ebrary collection. Mercer has purchased a subscription to ebrary's Academic Complete collection.

Q: So what do I do now?

A: You can browse the eBook online by clicking on the link from the catalog.

Q: I see ebrary listed on the library database page also. Is this the same ebrary?

A: Yes, there is more than one way to enter ebrary. You can enter ebrary through the library catalog by opening an ebrary eBook or you can go directly to ebrary from the database listings and search over 30,000 eBooks.

Q: I see a message stating that I need to download ebrary Reader or I see reference to a Plug-in reader and Unity Reader. What is that?

A: You can view ebrary e-books without downloading anything, but if you wish to use ebrary's personalization features such as Bookshelf, highlighting, stickynotes, etc. you will need to download a reader. A reader is a free piece of software which is available as an add-on to your web browser. Unity Reader is ebrary's new Java-based reader and can be downloaded using the following steps:

1. Open ebrary in your Web browser
2. Click 'My Settings'
3. Select 'Quick View' under the heading "When I click on a document link..."
4. Select 'ebrary Unity Reader' under the heading "When a document is opened in a reader..."
5. Click 'Set Preferences'
6. Using the search bar at the top of the page, search for any book using keywords
7. Next to one of the book records, select the ebrary Reader button
8. Run the applet
9. Select 'Install'
10. Read and accept the License Agreement
11. Select 'OK' when it's done
12. Wait for the book to open in the new reader (may take 20-30 seconds)

If you are at a library computer and you cannot view eBooks, please contact a reference librarian.

Q: Can more than one person view the same eBook at the same time?

A: In most cases, unlimited users can read an ebrary eBook online at the same time, which means that it is always available to you. Exceptions may occur when certain publishers impose restrictions on the number of users authorized to view a book at the same time.

Q: How long can I keep reading an eBook?

A: There is no time limit on your use of an ebrary eBook.

Q: Can I print an eBook?

A: You can print up to five (5) pages at a time. You cannot print a bunch of pages at a time.

Q: The text frame is too small to read! What can I do about that?

A: You can adjust the size of the eBook text by selecting the magnifier above the eBook page. This allows you to select different levels of zoom by set percentages.

Q: A message appeared stating that I need to sign into my ebrary account, or create a new account. Why is this?

A: You don't need to create an account to view an eBook. However, a great feature of ebrary is that you can customize it to suit your needs. This does require that you create an individual account. Just follow the instructions to set up an account and you can enjoy special features such as: