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E-books at UCLA

A guide to e-book collections at UCLA Library, including information about scope and use.

How to: ProQuest Ebook Central and Ebscohost e-books

This section provides step-by-step instructions for using two of UCLA Library's e-book vendors:

Connect from Off-Campus

Most of the links on these pages go to subscription sources which are accessible from any computer on campus. UCLA students, faculty, and staff can access these sites from off-campus using either the Proxy Server (a simple setting in your browser) or the VPN Client (a program you install on your computer).

For mobile devices: VPN is currently only compatible with iOS and Android enabled devices. Proxy server is not mobile compatible.

About PDF and EPUB formats

UCLA Library offers e-books in PDF and EPUB formats. Choosing the better format depends on the type and size of device used to view e-books and the type of content in the e-books.
 

PDFs:

  • Better viewing experience for books with many illustrations or when layout is important.
  • Look and layout of content will always stay the same, regardless of the application used, device type or screen size.
  • Can be viewed in all popular browsers.
  • File sizes are usually smaller than EPUBs.
  • Majority of books available to download from UCLA LIbrary are in the PDF format.
  • Text can become too small to read on smaller screens.

EPUBs:

  • Text is easier to read on smaller screens, such as on mobile devices, since text reflows (instead of changing size) as screen size changes.
  • Works with most types of software. (Does not work on Kindle E-Readers.)