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University Library

LibGuides

Finding and Using E-Books

Looking for an e-book? You're in the right place!

How to Find E-Books

You can search for e-books using Easy Search or by going to the Library Catalog. Easy Search includes the Library Catalog, IDEALS, various e-book publishers, Google Books, and HathiTrust.

Subject libraries' websites may highlight more subject-specific e-book resources. 

Finding E-Books in the Library Catalog

You can access e-books through the Library Catalog

Screenshot of library homepage with a red box around "U of I Collection" icon


Once in the library catalog, select 'Advanced Search' located on the right-hand side of the search bar.

Screenshot of library catalog with a red box around "Advanced Search"

Type your search words (keyword, title, author, etc.) into the search box. Make sure to select 'Books' under 'Material Type.' This will limit your results to both physical and electronic books.

Screenshot of the advanced search in the catalog with "Books" selected at the Material Type

On the search results page, locate the search filters on the left-hand side underneath "Tweak your results." Then, select the "Available online" option and click on the "Apply Filters" button beneath the list of filters. This will limit your results to electronic books only.

Screenshot of catalog search result page with the "Available online" filter selected.

Finding E-Books with Easy Search

Start at the Library homepage and begin your e-book topic search in the Easy Seach box. On the results page, select "Ebook Matches" beneath the Library Catalog results: