Ebook Central is a paid subscription providing access to thousands of full-text ebooks on many topics. NPS users can access these ebooks on a desktop/laptop, or with mobile apps for Android and Apple products.
You can find these books either through the Ebook Central site or as they appear in your Library Search results.
Using the Ebook Central platform:
- Sign in
Note: If sign-in doesn't work in Chrome, try Firefox. Or you can reset Chrome settings to default.
- We highly recommend that you choose the options to: Read Online and Add to Your Bookshelf
- If you choose "Download Book" it's more complicated, and you can't keep the book or any notes you may have taken past the 21 day period.
- If you choose Download PDF Chapter, you have to wait a full 24 hours before downloading the next set of pages.
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- Read the book online, annotate, highlight, bookmark pages, and more.
- How to use the Reader video (3:34)
- Bookshelf allows you to maintain online access to the whole book and your annotations. No downloading necessary.
- You need an Internet connection.
- Sign in (Note: after signing in, you may need to re-do your search for the book)
- Once you annotate, highlight, or bookmark, the system will automatically save into your Bookshelf.
- Bookshelf features: Download & Loans list, Recently Viewed, Annotations, Folder Organization, Sharing, Emailing, Exporting, Citing.
- See the Bookshelf video (2:28)
Note: We sometimes lose access to a small fraction of books due to actions by the provider which are beyond our control. If you're worried about losing your notes, make sure to export them. The exported file is a simple text file, but it will at least have the page numbers associated with your notes. Highlighted text does not export.
If you want access to the whole book, you'll have to download it a chapter at a time, waiting the 24 hour period in between downloads.
Download/Print Chapter or For Copy Option
- Both options have page limits.
- There is a 24-hour waiting period for the download limits to refresh.
- You can keep chapter downloads for as long as you wish.
Full Download of the whole book for 21 days
We recommend the "Read Online" option (see above), but the full book download option is available if you prefer.
- You can download the whole book for up to 21 days.
- When on your own device, you'll need to install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) (free). The sole function of ADE is to manage the check out period.
- On iOS and Android devices, get the Bluefire Reader app (free) and an Adobe ID (free).
- Only Kindle Fire (which supports the Bluefire app) will be able to read DRM-protected publications on your device. See Ebook Central: Kindle Compatibility.
- Note: If you take notes in Adobe Digital Editions, they will disappear when the book is checked in.
But if you take notes and highlight within the Bookshelf, they will stay with the book for as long as the book stays in your Bookshelf. You can also export them.
Questions? Ask a Librarian
