Why look for ebooks?
Like books, ebooks offer broader and more in-depth coverage of a topic. You can learn more about the relationship between different concepts and topics, get materials recommended by scholars or faculty members in the subject, and find historical perspectives.
They are available online from anywhere for current affiliates.
Research tip: check the Table of Contents and/or index for the concepts and keywords (or even do a page search or a "control F" command) you are researching on, to get a stronger sense of what's in the book!
Getting started
The University Libraries provides access to well over 500,000 books in electronic format. They vary in features (downloading, linking) and are sometimes grouped together by subject or publisher.
To locate individual ebooks, try the Libraries search using these 3 steps:
- Enter a title or subject or author
- Under "Filter my results" refine your search by limiting to "Available Online"
- Refine again by selecting "Books" under "Material Type"
Find info about freely available ebooks from public libraries and other sources.
Overdrive and Libby app
Overdrive and the Libby app are great ways to read ebooks, listen to audiobooks, read magazines and more. These tools are common in public libraries but they are new to the UMN Libraries. We have a growing collection with an early focus with titles from our Libraries Racial Equity Fund. Starting in October 2024, we are pleased to announce that students, faculty, instructors and staff at all the University of Minnesota campuses including the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester have access to Overdrive and Libby.
- Search or browse Overdrive to see the UMN Collection.
- Learn more about getting started with the Libby app.
*new* Magazines in Overdrive and Libby app
We have over 5000 magazines you can read use Overdrive or the Libby app. Read magazines on news, politics, cooking, crafts, fitness and more including titles like The New Yorker, Harpers, Vanity Fair, etc.
