Electronic books (e-books)

This section of the guide advises on how to use e-books, including information on how the platforms vary in regards to downloading, copying and printing content, annotating, and accessibility.

For the majority of e-books purchased by UCL Library Services there is no limit on the number of people that can read them at the same time (unlimited simultaneous users). However, owing to publisher restrictions, some of our e-books do restrict the number of simultaneous users and some may even only allow one reader at a time - you will see a note in the View It menu in Explore if there is a limit on the number of people that can access the book at the same time. 

Depending on the e-book platform, you may see the message Sorry, this Ebook is in use or All copies are currently in use. Once someone closes the e-book, you will be able to read it, so please try again later.  

To keep waiting times down, make sure you close your browser window once you have finished reading the e-book. If you are repeatedly unable to access the e-books you want because of these messages, please let your subject specialist librarian know. You can find their contact details on the Subject Guide page for your subject:

Although e-book platform interfaces vary, the functions are generally the same. To find out more about how to use and navigate some of the major e-book platforms, you can click on the links below.