E-book Help

Most of our e-books are on the EBSCO platform and are embedded into the Sophi Search interface. These books can be read online, chapters or pages can be downloaded for off-line use as PDFs, or the entire book may be downloaded for a limited time using Thorium Reader.

Here are examples of what an EBSCO e-book will look like in your search results:

Access Now (eBook) will take you directly to the e-book viewer. Books with an Access options dropdown may give you the option of  PDF Full Text or EPUB Full Text. Both will take you to an online reader where you can read the book, jump to a specific chapter, and print or save sections of the book to use offline. This is generally the best option for downloading content. Note that both links go to the same content, but EPUB Full Text may work better with a screen reader or when reading in your browser on a mobile device.

When you click into the online full-text reader, you can read the book online in the pane to the left or use the table of contents in the pane to the right to navigate to a specific chapter. You can click on the download button next to a chapter title to quickly download that chapter as a PDF. Icons at the top of the page above the table of contents will let you save, get citation information, share, and more.

The download icon at the top of the page (fourth from the left) will start the process of downloading (or checking out) the full e-book, generally for a limited time. Titles labeled as DRM free are available to download without a time limit and using any e-reader, not just Thorium Reader.

Downloading a book to read on your computer requires downloading a free program called Thorium Reader. A quick guide on how to download an EBSCO e-book on your computer is available in this PDF handout, and in the links below.

There is not currently a mobile version of Thorium Reader, but e-books can be read online in the web browser on your phone. While it will not allow you to read or download the e-books, you can search for e-books on a mobile device (including Chromebooks that support Android apps), using the EBSCO Mobile app. Note that you can also use the EBSCO Mobile app to search all our EBSCO content (not just e-books!) and read articles and other resources you find there, including articles in the Atla Religion Database.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of these books allow unlimited users, but if you are having trouble accessing a book, it may be because the publisher only allows a limited number of people to access the title at once and the book is already in use. You can find information on how many people can use a title on the detailed page for the book under Permissions, just click on the book’s title and scroll down. In that section, you will also find information on publisher page limits on saving to a PDF or copying and pasting text from the e-book:

Helpful links:

• Downloading and Using E-books (quick guide) (Austin Seminary | PDF)
• Downloading and Using E-books (detailed handout) (Austin Seminary | PDF)
• EBSCO eBooks User Guide
• Downloading an eBook Chapter as a PDF
• EBSCO eBooks - LCP & Thorium - Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
• Downloading EBSCO eBooks - Video Tutorial

Our second-largest provider of e-books is ProQuest Ebook Central, and all our ProQuest titles are included in Sophi Search. Here is what a ProQuest e-book will look like in your search results:

Click View Online under the Access options drop down menu to be directed to the ProQuest Ebook Central page for your e-book.

Once in ProQuest Ebook Central, you can search within the ProQuest titles using their unique tools. Like EBSCO e-books, most ProQuest books can be read online and chapters or pages can be downloaded for off-line use as PDFs. Patrons can also download the entire book for a limited time using the Ebook Central Reader App. (Note: this is a different program from the Thorium Reader used for EBSCO e-books above). A quick guide on how to download aProQuest e-book on your computer or mobile device is available in this PDF handout, and in the links below. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of these books allow unlimited users, but if you are having trouble accessing a book, it may be because the publisher only allows a limited number of people to access the title at once and the book is already in use. You can find information on how many people can use a title on the detail page for the book under Availability at the top of the book’s detailed page. In that section, you will also find information on publisher page limits on saving to a PDF or copying and pasting text from the e-book:

Helpful links:

• Downloading and Using E-books (detailed handout) (Austin Seminary | PDF)
• Downloading and Using E-books (quick guide) (Austin Seminary | PDF)
• ProQuest Ebook Central: Options for using the online reader
• ProQuest Ebook Central: Downloading using the Ebook Central Reader App
• Ebook Central App - FAQ

With Credo Reference Online, you can search and read over 1,400 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks on both theological and general academic topics. This is an excellent place to begin when you are first learning about a topic. You will find over 250 e-books under the Religion and Theology subject heading, including commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and encyclopedias.

You can access Credo through the link under the A-Z List of Databases tab on the Research Tools page.

These books are included at the title level in Sophi Search. Here’s what they will look like your search results -- just click View Online under the Access options dropdown menu to go to the title in the Credo interface:

By going directly to the Credo interface, you gain access to special search tools like Mind Maps that can help make new connections in your research.

The interface also includes a large collection of free-to-use images that you can cut and paste into presentations and papers without worrying about copyright restrictions. 

Helpful links:

• Credo handout (PDF)
• How to search in Credo (both basic searching and image searching)
• Using Credo’s mind maps

Ministry Matters provides online access to essential Bible reference works such as The New Interpreter's Bible and The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, as well as the Bicentennial edition of Wesley's Works and resources for preaching and church ministry. It has a unique platform that is best accessed directly, instead of through SophiSearch. 

Ministry Matters Handout (PDF)

Ministry Matters Overview (MP4)

These e-book providers have straightforward interfaces that allow you to read or download PDFs at the chapter level with no additional login or (usually) any limitation on the number of users or pages you can access:

• ACLS Humanities e-books
• Bloomsbury
• Brill
• Cambridge
• de Gruyter
• Duke University Press
• Gale Cengage
• JSTOR
• Oxford University Press
• Project MUSE
• Taylor & Francis
• And more!

The titles will come up in Sophi Search results. Here’s an example of what one of these books might look like in your search results:

Just click on View Online under the Access options drop-down menu and then access the book at the chapter level in the provider’s interface. Some platforms also allow you to download the entire book as a PDF.

Here is an example of one of the platforms (in this case, the interface for Oxford University Press). Individual interfaces will vary, but all have similar features. Use the table of contents to browse to the chapter you need and then click through to view and save a PDF at the chapter level:

The EBSCO Mobile App is asking for a login, and my seminary credentials aren't working:

If you run into issues with the EBSCO Mobile App recognizing your account, just sign out and follow the prompts to find Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and log back in. 

I'm having problems reading EBSCO e-books online with my Mac - what should I do?

To use the online viewer with a Mac, you need to install the Adobe Reader plugin for the browser you wish to use.

Can I transfer e-books to my Kindle e-reader?

Because Kindle uses a proprietary format, you can’t download library e-books directly to your Kindle Reader. You can, however, use Amazon’s Send to Kindle option to send e-book pages saved in the PDF format to your Kindle reader or app. Note that the number of pages you can print to PDF is set by the publisher and will vary from title to title.

• Information on Send to Kindle
• Information on printing or saving EBSCO e-book pages as a PDF

How can I access e-books from the Austin Public Library?

Austin Public Library has a large collection of fiction and non-fiction e-books for all ages available to download for free; all you need is a library card!

• Get an Austin Public Library library card
• Austin Public Library Digital Resources (including e-books) (need library card & pin)