ETSU libraries are now offering a collection of online books through a service called netLibrary.
Accessible from the library home page, netLibrary offers two collections of e-books, which are electronic versions of a printed book. The first is the public collection, which contains over 5,000 public domain texts. These texts are free for everyone and include many classics.
A library collection is available as well, which was bought from Solinet, an organization that helps libraries purchase things.
The library collection contains 10,690 titles addressing such subjects as literature, business, history, health, sociology and religion. Also represented are 1,300 science, technology and computer science titles.
“The nice thing about netLibrary is that it gives you 24-7 access,” said Marie Jones, extended campus service librarian.
Once an ETSU patron creates a netLibrary account, he has access to thousands of e-books and resource materials.
“You can set up an account on campus or on one of the extended campuses,” Jones said.
To create an account, one must click on the netLibrary icon from the ETSU library home page and follow the step-by-step instructions provided.
“Once you have your account, you can use it at any computer anywhere in the world,” said Jones.
Dean of Libraries Rita Scher said, “It’s [netLibrary] going to be great when you’re at home in the middle of the night writing your paper.”
By offering full-text searches, netLibrary allows users to find material that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to locate.
“The other day I had a student looking for a book on Flamenco dancing,” Jones said.
After doing a search, the student found an e-book with an entire chapter devoted to this topic.
“We wouldn’t have been able to find that book without doing a full-text search,” Jones said. “It’s amazing.”
Another advantage of netLibrary is that it eliminates overdue fines. After someone has viewed an e-book for two hours, the system automatically retrieves the book. It can then be checked out again if no one else needs it.
“It’s pretty cool that you don’t have to remember to return your book,” Jones said. “No more overdue notices.”
Also e-books are impossible to damage. “You don’t have to worry about people spilling their Coke all over it,” Jones said. “It [netLibrary] saves shelving costs, mending costs, and billing.
So it’s a cost-effective kind of thing for libraries while opening the library up to you 24 hours a day.

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