2. Research Guides

Electronic Books at the Vanderbilt Library: Textbooks

Find your Textbook @ the Library

Did you know that the Vanderbilt University Library provides access to over 1.5 million full-text e-books, including thousands of online textbooks? Titles cover a wide range of subjects and are available for immediate download. These books can be used for course assignments and readings.

To see if the Library has an electronic version of the textbook you're looking for, search the Library Catalog.

And if you don't find what you want in our catalog, ask us to purchase something!

 

Need help findng good resources?

If you need help locating appropriate resources to achieve your learning objectives you may want to consult with the librarian liaison for your department.

If you choose to use a library e-book as a class text, your librarian can help with the following:

  • Does the license for the e-book allow for multiple users to access it, or can this type of license be obtained?
  • Can students highlight, annotate or bookmark the text?
  • How can the text be used on a mobile device?
  • Is there an option for the student to purchase a print copy if they choose to, e.g. Springer "MyCopy" option

VU E-Book Collections

Many of the library’s e-book collections are free of Digital Rights Management, making them ideal for classroom use. Faculty can link a book or individual chapters directly to their online syllabus (Brightspace?). Textbook friendly platforms include:


For more information, please see our E-Book Guide or Ask a Librarian for help.

Open Electronic Textbooks

  • OpenStax College
    A nonprofit organization committed to improving student access to quality learning materials. Free textbooks are developed and peer-reviewed by educators to ensure they are readable, accurate, and meet the scope and sequence requirements of your course
  • Open SUNY Textbooks
    Open access textbook publishing initiative established by State University of New York libraries.
  • Open Textbook Library
    Textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality.