A growing eBook collection that contains a large selection of multidisciplinary titles representing a broad range of academic subject matter. There are over 200,000 eBooks including titles from leading university presses such as Oxford University, State University of New York, Cambridge University, University of California, MIT, Harvard University and others. Additional academic publishers include Elsevier, Brill Academic, Taylor & Francis, Sage Publications, and John Wiley & Sons. 

Subject coverage includes:

• Art
• Business & Economics
• Education
• Language Arts & Literary Criticism
• Medicine
• Performing Arts
• Philosophy
• Poetry
• Political Science
• Religion
• Social Science
• Technology & Engineering
• And other academic fields

All titles are available with unlimited user access. New titles are added monthly.

Most eBook records are included in the RISD/ATH Catalog. eBooks are also included in Fleet Search.
To search only for eBooks select eBooks Collection from A-Z Databases, or Browse the eBook Academic Collection by topic.

Browse eBooks by Category

Once you have chosen an individual ebook record, choose PDF Full Text to open and read the book online.

See EBSCO's eBook Accessibility Guide and Text to Speech Readers and Screen Readers

The Checkout or Download Time Period may vary

Most ebooks "check out" or can be downloaded for 28 days at a time. Some ebook titles check out for 7 days at a time. If an ebook can be checked out, it can be checked out repeatedly. The license is for unlimited user access. This means that if you're using an ebook for a class, everyone in your class can access, read online, and in most cases, download the ebook simultaneously. If you still need the book at the end of 7 days or 28 days, you will need to download the ebook again until you're done with it or until the end of the semester.

Please note that some eBooks cannot be downloaded in their entirety as a PDF. They can only be downloaded in a restricted ePub file format that is read by proprietary software (Adobe Digital Editions).

You can download or print excerpts from books (see below). Again, the number of pages you can download is usually limited. It's possible to do this more than once. If you need help, contact a research librarian.
 

Downloading PDF Excerpts

To download a part of an eBook in PDF format, first open the eBook in your browser by clicking "PDF Full Text."

Then, click "Save Pages." The amount of pages you can download will be limited by the vendor.

EBSCO eBook FAQS
Q: How long may I check out an eBook?
A: Most check out for 28 days; some books have a shorter check out period such as 7 or 14 days

Q: Can more than one person check out the same eBook?
A: Yes

Q: Can I renew an eBook?
A: No, but you can check it out again and again

Q: Is there a limit to the number of eBooks a person can check out (download) at one time?
A: Yes, 50 simultaneous checkouts per user; however, content is available for viewing without checkout.

Q: Can holds be placed on a title?
A: Usually no - if it’s part of the eBook Academic Collection (unlimited user access)

Q: Is there a record of the eBooks I have checked out?
A: Yes, you’ll find your record by logging in to your Ebscohost Account

Q: What is the Concurrent Access Model?
A: The Concurrent Access Model (CAM) provides a perpetual license to eBooks available on an unlimited concurrent access basis up to an annual maximum of uses (typically 365 uses). Once that number is met, the eBook becomes unavailable. On the anniversary of the purchase date, the number of uses is reset to the original maximum.

Q: What's Ebscohost?
A: Ebsco or Ebscohost is the name of the eBook database vendor

Q: What is DRM Free?
A: DRM free means the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology of the eBook has been removed. eBooks without DRM protection can easily be read on any device.

Q: Are EBSCO Ebooks OCR accessible?
A: Yes. See the EBSCO EBook Accessibility Guide for more info.

For additional help email a librarian at researchhelp@risd.edu