E-books Guide @ HKBU Library: Accessing e-books

Reading library e-books

When you are accessing a library e-book, you might start reading on the web page that it opened on, and that will be fine if you only need to read a few pages. However, often you will want to download some or all of an e-book for easier reading.

Not all e-books are the same. There is no single, standard way of accessing e-books:

• Many can be downloaded as a PDF file
• Some require Adobe Digital Editions to download
• Others can only be read online

Adapted from the James Cook University Library E-Book Guide.

e-book formats:

• EPUB - an open e-book format that supports reflowable content viewed on a wide range of mobile devices. 
• PDF - an open file format that keeps the formatting of the documents the same across different platforms. 
• AZW and KF8 - proprietary e-book formats for Amazon Kindle devices.  
• MOBI (PRC) - an older e-book format developed by Mobipocket Readers (now owned by Amazon). It can be used on Amazon Kindle devices. 

Too many e-books to manage?

Check out Calibre, a free and open-source e-book library manager that helps you organize your e-books. One of its features is the ability to convert between certain e-book formats.  

Adobe Digital Editions

Adobe Digital Editions is software that allows you to view and manage e-books and other digital publications. Downloaded e-books can also be transferred to any portable e-book reader that supports Adobe Digital Editions (ADE).

Adobe Digital Editions is compatible with Windows PCs and Macs. An app version is available for mobile devices and tablets, both iOS and Android.

You will also need to create a free account with Adobe. Instructions on how to use ADE are available from their website.

Bluefire Reader

Bluefire Reader is a common app to use when viewing e-books on mobile devices. It makes it possible to read e-books in EPUB and PDF format (including DRM-protected titles) on both iOS and Android devices.