eBooks for FHS Education Programs
Requests for multiple items may be submitted directly to our Technical Services staff: hsltser@mcmaster.ca. Please include your course code, the size of your class, and the following information :
- Title
- Author
- Publisher
- Edition
- Year of publication
- Catalogue link to the previous edition if one exists
Number of Users and Access for Course Materials
We look at the following when deciding between purchasing access for a single user, 3 users, or unlimited access:
- number of times a user was turned away from a title in the requested period. This is known as “turnaways”, and they would occur in the following scenarios:
- the title was in use by another user or users (depending on the number of simultaneous users available)
- we reached the limit for number of checkouts
- your class size when deciding between purchase options of a single user seat, 3 user seats, or unlimited access.
We can increase the access of an eBook from a single user to 3 users fairly quickly. We encourage faculty and/or students to contact us at hsltser@mcmaster.ca if they encounter access problems.
If you require students to read one chapter of the book this may be downloaded ahead of time and saved to their computer. You may wish to communicate this to students via your course outline.
Turn-around Time
Turn-around time for requests depends on the queue and the number of titles on your list. We aim to respond to individual title requests within 1-2 business days and course requests within a week. Once a title is purchased it will be accessible via the library catalogue within 1-3 business days.
You will receive an update from our technicians confirming the following:
- status of the purchase and whether access is for a single user, 3 users, or unlimited access
- estimated time of availability
Understanding Access
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Platform
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Default Loan
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Customizing Loan Period for Individual Titles
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AODA Compliance
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Publisher Platform
DRM Free
(e.g. Cambridge, Elsevier, Oxford, Taylor & Francis, Wiley)
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Usually unlimited access
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Unlimited access – loan period not needed
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DRM free titles provide the best AODA compliance
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ProQuest
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1 User Seat : 1 day
3 User Seats: 7 day
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The library can reduce a 7 day loan to 1 day, or block “check-outs” entirely and set access to online-only.
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ProQuest Accessibility Statement
ProQuest Accessibility Support
Accessibility Case submissions have a typical response time of 1 business day.
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EBSCO
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Loan period is 1 day
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Library cannot customize loan periods for individual titles.
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EBSCO Accessibility Support
Direct accessibility questions to accessibility@ebsco.com. We typically respond to questions or feedback within 24 hours/1 business day. Requests for remediated files will be fulfilled in 3-5 business days.
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R2 Library
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No Loans. Timeout after 5 minutes of inactivity.
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N/A
R2 ebooks cannot be “checked-out”
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R2 Accessibility Compliance Statement
“Rittenhouse cannot claim full ADA compliance through the R2 Library”
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What to do when eBooks are not available for institutional purchase
There are a few publishers or categories of information that publishers do not license for institutions. Many of these books are “textbooks” and are available for individual purchase via student platform, for example Vital Source (Canada).
Publisher eBooks Often Not Available for Institutional Purchase:
