Borrowing and reading ebooks from eplatform using a desktop or laptop computer. Quick Start Guide

Transcription

1 Borrowing and reading ebooks from eplatform using a desktop or laptop computer Quick Start Guide

2 Who should use this guide Anyone wishing to borrow and read ebooks from the eplatform using: A desktop computer e.g. PC or mac A laptop computer, whether using Windows or ios

3 Via your device s internet browser, visit your library s eplatform site (e.g. yourlibrary.wheelers.co):

4 Browse for ebooks On the Library tab, you can: Quick search by author, title or keyword Browse the A-Z list of authors and series Explore titles by category using the links

5 Double click on a book jacket if you are interested in it. This takes you through to the ebook s record:

6 If it is available to loan, you can borrow the title by logging in: (If a book is greyed out, that means it is on loan to another user. You may be able to reserve the title )

7 Click Borrow Now:

8 Most titles can be read in two ways: Streamed for online reading Downloaded to your device for offline reading n.b. ebooks in PDF format cannot be read online and need to be downloaded for offline reading.

9 Reading your ebook online

10 Click Read Online to stream the ebook for online reading: n.b. earlier versions of IE are not compatible with the Browser Reader App. Compatible browsers include IE 10 or higher, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Kindle Silk.

11 Use the Menu bar options to enhance your reading experience: Settings: enables you to change the typeface, increase or reduce font size, change background colour including night settings, amend justification and colour of text frame Bookmarks: insert place holders and notes in your text available whenever you read that title online Chapters: navigate quickly to another point in the text Account: return to your shelf on eplatform to return your loan early, or to read a different borrowed title

12 Downloading your ebook to read it offline

13 Click Download Now, if you wish to download the ebook file to your device for offline reading.

14 Setting up your device to read the downloaded file: The first time you use a device to read the file you ve downloaded, you need to set it up. Make sure that: Step One: You have an Adobe ID Step Two: You have the Adobe Digital Editions ereader app installed Step Three: Adobe Digital Editions has been authorised with your Adobe ID

15 When you borrow an ebook, links to help you are provided (these are also available on the Help pages):

16 Step One: Creating an Adobe ID You may already have an Adobe ID for other purposes. If you don t, you can apply instantly for an free Adobe ID online by visiting: l-editions-createid Simply fill in the form and click 'Create'.

17 Step Two: Download a reading app to your device You need a reading app to display your ebook in. Without this, it is like trying to read a Microsoft Word file without having Microsoft Word installed. To download and read ebooks on your laptop or computer, you need to ensure you have Adobe Digital Editions installed. n.b. This is different to the Adobe Reader that lots of us already use on our computers, as it has special features for ebook reading.

18 Downloading Adobe Digital Editions to your computer Adobe Digital Editions can be downloaded for free over the internet: Visit and click 'Download Now'.

19 Step Three: Authorise Adobe Digital Editions with your Adobe ID In order to borrow ebooks from a library, you need to authorise your reading application with an Adobe ID, which is the address and password that you entered during Step One when you registered for an Adobe ID. With Adobe Digital Editions, you are usually prompted to authorise the application the first time you try to use the app i.e. when you first try to download an ebook to read. If for any reason you need to authorise your ADE app manually, you can do this by opening up ADE from your desktop shortcut and clicking 'Help' on the top left of ADE and scrolling down to 'Authorize this computer', where you can then enter your details.

20 Finally Return to your Shelf on the eplatform and click Download Now for the title you wish to read This should automatically open Adobe Digital Editions and start to download the ebook into the App. However, the first time, you may find that a pop up appears at the bottom of your screen asking you if you wish to save or open the acsm file. You can click Open and it should automatically open Adobe Digital Editions and start to download the ebook.

21 Returning an ebook early through Adobe Digital Editions To return an ebook early using Adobe Digital Editions. Firstly make sure Adobe Digital Editions is open. Step 1. View your bookshelf and find the title that you wish to return early. Step 2. Place your cursor over the item you are wanting to return and right click. From the drop down box that appears, select 'Return Borrowed Item'.