Search Ebrary not much unlike you would any other database. You can also find Ebrary books using the library catalog, but you can only read them if you find them directly in Ebrary. "Simple Search" searches all of Ebrary, including the main text of the book. The advanced search option allows you to search by particular fields, such as author, title, and subject.
Click open the book you want to read, search, add to your bookshelf, etc. Under the QuickView tab you'll see either the front cover or the title page of the book. To turn pages, simply click on the arrows to go back and forth respectively.
You can also navigate through the book by jumping to individual chapters, or by searching the book's content using the search box above the Table of Contents. The occurrence ranking of your term appears next to each chapter as a status bar. In the example below, a book on the history of Methodism was searched for occurrences of the term “Wesley,” for John Wesley, a key figure in Methodism's early history.
Creating an account in Ebrary means creating a "bookshelf." Once you have a bookshelf, you can use the highlighter and notes features. Using other features under "Infotools," such as "Define" (dictionary) and "Explain" (encyclopedia), does not require an account.
Clicking "Create Note" will bring up a text box into which you can write notes associated with the respective page, just as you would if you were writing notes in the margins of a book that you own. Clicking the highlighter icon will turn your mouse cursor into a virtual felt tip highlighter, available in sorted colors.
Books on your bookshelf will appear with a list underneath those book titles to which you added notes or highlights. The list is of all the notes and highlights you added to the book. Simply click on the desired note or highlight to go directly to that page.
You can put all of your books on one bookshelf, or you can create category "folders" in which to put your books. Either way, having a bookshelf in Ebrary relieves you of the burden of visiting your library to check out and return books. You can keep books on your bookshelf in Ebrary for as long as you have the account. You will not be charged overdue fines, and you can search or browse for books directly from your personal computer.
To create a bookshelf in Ebrary, you will need your Mitchell College Identification Card.
On the back of the card is your library barcode.
Click on the bookshelf tab and enter your library barcode. This barcode becomes your individual login for your Ebrary account. Now you can use all the features of Ebrary, as well as access Ebrary from off-campus. The prompt will look like this:
