Electronic books are another important information source that can be used to study. Besides full texts, that can be read online or offline as needed, the database allows extra work with text - making notes and comments, highlighting text, etc.
CTU Library has access to over 60 000 e-books from a wide variety of publishers and platforms. This guide will help you find a specific title, explain the terms of use and show you how to work with e-books.
Find
In Library catalogue you can search for
- e-books, that are purchased for the collection of Central Library
In Summon search engine you can search for
- e-books that are purchased for the collection of Central Library
- e-books available as a part of database subscriptions
SUMMON
e-books in catalogue
e-books from the OP VVV project
Search for e-books from various prestigious professional publishers that are primarily intended for teaching the individual fields of CTU. E-books were purchased in 2018 and 2019 as part of the OP VVV project, call no. 44. The purchase was made on demand of CTU faculties and departments.
List of publishers who provided e-books
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Recommended e-books
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Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies
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Drones in Society : Exploring the Strange New World of Unmanned Aircraft
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Access
E-books are available on PCs as well as on mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops):
online
- within the whole CTU network (library, faculties, colleges)
- via remote access comfortably from home or any place
offline
- parts of the e-book can be downloaded or printed
- download the whole e-book for a limited period (Short Term Loan)
Such e-book is protected by Adobe DRM and special software installed is needed
- PC - Adobe® Digital Editions
- mobile devices – e.g. Bluefire Reader(Android, iOS)
list of ADE supported devices
It is also necessary to create the AdobeIDand the reading device must be authorized with it. Thanks to AdobeID the e-book can be read on several devices simultaneously (max. 5)
In general each e-book can be used under different conditions due to several types of licenses. You may find basic information about the platforms available at CTU by clicking the tab Read.
If you find an e-book that is not accessible at CTU which might be useful to have, let us know at knihovna.fondy@cvut.cz.
Read
Each platform or vendor offers different options or features for using e-books. However, using e-books may also vary across a single platform depending on the type of license.
Under the applicable license agreements, it is FORBIDDEN to use resources other than for your own personal immediate study and research needs. Bulk downloading of data from the individual sources, which apparently exceeds current personal need is considered to be violation of the license terms and may result in withholding access to the particular source for all CTU members.
Proquest Ebook Central
| Direct Access | Remote Access |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
Titles from Science & Technology Ebook collection and other more than 300 selected titles. |
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DRM |
Restricted printing, copying and saving. Download maximum varies from 3 to 21 days depending on publisher. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Depends on the title. Some e-books are restricted to a maximum of 3 or 1 concurrent users. Once the limit is reached the following notice appears 'Your institution has access to x copies of this book. All copies are currently in use. Please check back later, or search for another book.' |
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Formats available |
PDF for chapter downloads and ePub for entire book downloads (whole book downloads available on phones). |
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User account |
Useful for making personal notes, lists of e-books, highlighting and sharing the content with other users. |
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Downloading |
Book sections can be downloaded as PDFs and kept indefinitely. Some titles offer a full download to ePub for limited time period within 3 and 21 days. ePub requires Adobe Digital Editions. To download to iOS or Android devices you also need Bluefire Reader and an Adobe ID. |
EBSCO
| Database Access |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
More than 300 selected titles including books of Czech publishers (Portál, Carolinum, MUNI Press etc.) |
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DRM |
Restricted printing, copying and saving. Download maximum 7 days. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Depends on title. Some e-books are restricted to a maximum of 3 or 1 concurrent users. When the limit is reached the following notice appears ''Sorry this book is in use'. Please try again later (you might need to refresh the screen). |
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Formats available |
PDF and ePub depending on publisher. |
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User account |
You will need to create an account to download e-books for offline reading. Follow the prompts after clicking the download button. |
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Downloading |
Available for most titles. Book sections can be saved as PDFs indefinitely. For some titles the entire book can be downloaded and read offline for up to 7 days using Adobe Digital Editions. For offline reading on mobile devices use available Bluefire Reader app. |
Knovel
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
E-books and reference books from several subject areas in engineering and technology. Knovel features a web-based application integrating technical information with analytical search tools. It provides access to property data search tool, periodical table or an extensive unit conversion tool. Many resources also include interactive graphs, equations, charts and tables. |
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DRM |
Restricted printing and saving. You can't download the entire book at once, only by chapters. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF. |
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User account |
You will need to create an account "My Knovel" to download e-books for offline reading. You need to use an email with domain name @cvut.cz (or @faculty.cvut.cz) No account required for online reading. You can use it for saving search results, creating bookshelves, etc. |
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Downloading |
You can download only by chapters, not entire e-book. Knovel ToGo app is available for download into mobile devices. |
Springer Link
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
Collection Mathemathics & Statistics 2017, 2018, Physics & Astronomy 2018, Computer Science 2018-2025, Lecture Notes in Mathematics 1997-2021, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 2005-2021. Unavailable content displays as |
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DRM |
No restrictions. As with all electronic resources though, you should follow copyright regulations. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF and ePub. Some content also in HTML. |
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Downloading |
Chapters and entire e-books can be downloaded to PDF. Entire books can also be downloaded to ePub. PDF requires Adobe Reader and ePub requires Adobe Digital Editions (or Bluefire Reader if using mobile devices). |
ScienceDirect
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
More than 500 selected titles. Available titles with full text are marked with green icon. E-books are accessible by chapters. |
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DRM |
No restrictions, but you can't download the entire book at once, only by chapters. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Mostly unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF. |
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User account |
Not necessary to access and download the content. Useful for creating bookshelves, saving highlights, adding bookmarks or notes. |
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Downloading |
You can download PDF by chapters indefinitely. |
Wiley
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
Collection Science, Technology and Medicine (STM) and almost 600 selected titles. E-books are accessible by chapters.
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DRM |
Not restrictions. Though you can't download the entire book at once, only by chapters. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Mostly unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF. |
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User account |
Not necessary to access and download the content. Useful for creating bookshelves, saving highlights, adding bookmarks or notes. |
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Downloading |
You can download PDF by chapters indefinitely. |
Available e-books.
Taylor & Francis
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
Almost 1 400 selected and open access titles. |
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DRM |
No restrictions. Copyright law is still aplicable. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Mostly unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF. |
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User account |
Not necessary to access, read and download the content. |
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Downloading |
You can download PDF by chapters or entire e-book indefinitely. |
World Scientific
| Direct Access | Remote Access (off campus) |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
Selected titles, mainly textbooks and handbooks. |
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DRM |
No restrictions. Copyright law is still aplicable. |
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Simultaneous user access |
Mostly unlimited. |
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Formats available |
PDF. |
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User account |
Not necessary to access, read and download the content. |
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Downloading |
You can download PDF by chapters or entire e-book indefinitely. |
IOP
| Direct Access | Remote Access |
Check the most requested eBook titles from science and technology publisher IoP Publishing.
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Fields |
Physics, radiology and nuclear medicine, astronomy and astrophysics. |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Coverage |
The most wanted 10 titles of ebooks of 2021. |
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DRM |
No. |
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Formats available |
Pdf, ePub3, HTML, MOBI (Kindle). |
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Downloading |
E-books can be downloaded by chapters or as entire book. |
The list of titles:
ICE
| Direct Access | Remote Access |
A selection of e-book titles from the scientific and technical publisher ICE Publishing (Institution of Civil Engineering). Institution of Civil Engineers books are available online only on the ICE Virtual Library platform.
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Fields |
Transport & Logistics, Energy, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Construction, Architecture & Urban Planning. |
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Access and authentication |
CTU IP range, remote access (Shibboleth). |
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Content |
Selection of requested and open access titles. |
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DRM |
No. |
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Formats |
Pdf. |
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Downloading |
E-books can be downloaded by chapters or as entire book. |
We currently have the following titles available:
| A Short Course in Foundation Engineering | ||
| Designing for Cycle Traffic | ||
| Seismic Design of Foundations |
+ Open Access e-books
Open Access
What is an OA book?
- Freely available e-books. Scholarly, peer-reviewed books, popular science books, exercise books, textbooks, teaching materials etc.
- Users won’t need to register or log in, and there are no DRM restrictions or limits on chapter PDF downloads or printing.
- OA e-books are indexed in global databases, discoverable and downloadable from anywhere.
- The same principle as for OA journals - peer review process ensures the high quality content, only the business model of publishing changes.
What is Open Access?Open Access e-books collections
DOAB
| Access to the database |
Open Access books from a number of academic and research publishers - both, commercial research publishers (eg. Springer), as well as academic publishers of major universities and research centers (MIT, Cambridge University, Oxford University, etc.). All books in DOAB have been peer-reviewed and published under a Creative Commons license.
OAPEN
| Access to the database |
Register of Open Access books, especially in the field of social sciences and humanities, incl. law, economics, architecture, art, landscape and environment, IT, natural sciences.
SCOAP3
| List of e-books |
SCOAP3 is a one-of-its-kind partnership of over three thousand libraries, key funding agencies and research centers in 44 countries and 3 intergovernmental organisations. Working with leading publishers, SCOAP3
- has converted key journals in the field of High-Energy Physics to Open Access (OA),
- is also convertin to Open Access key textbooks and monographs in the field of particle physics and related disciplines.
As one of the partner institutions CTU in Prague has financially supported the transition of selected relevant books to Open Access.
A first purchasing recommendation of 102 existing books was approved in May 2021 and the books are in the process of being transitioned to OA. The list of already transitioned books is on the SCOAP3 website. The list will be continuously expanded as more books become available.
FaQ
Search and use
How can I find an e-book?
There are two ways the library offers:
- Either conduct your search in Summon search engine and select filter Full text Online together with eBook to refine your results
- Or use the Library catalogue, either select filter Document type then electronic books to refine your search or search in the E-books database
Each option may lead to different results, it is worth trying both.
What is the best way to use an e-book?
Most of the e-books provided by the library can be simply read online using a web browser and/or downloaded by section, by chapter or the whole book in PDF format.
To access, download and read most e-books you simply need:
- CTU login and password (to read out of the CTU network)
- A device such as PC, laptop or tablet with access to the Internet
- An up-to-date web browser
- A PDF reader such as Adobe Reader
Some e-book providers though may require to borrow an e-book on its website and use concrete software such as Adobe Digital Editions for reading and downloading the e-book. In such case you will be asked to do so and follow the given instructions after trying to access the e-book.
How long can I 'borrow' an e-book for?
Most e-books are free to access. You can simply read them online. In case you need to download an item be aware some e-books may be protected by DRM. These e-books can be downloaded for a fixed lending period and they automatically 'return' themselves after the period expires. The lending period may vary
- For ProQuest Ebook Central platform – 3-21 days
- For EBSCOhost platform – max. 7 days
To access an e-book again return to the database and repeat the downloading process.
Do I need to have an e-book reader?
No. You need a PC or laptop that supports e-book software (e.g. Adobe Digital Editions) to download them. In most cases you can start reading right away. Browser is already supported.
Do I need special software?
Generally e-books from the library do not require any specific software and you can read them online straight away.
In case you want to download and read an e-book protected by DRM offline, you will need Adobe® Digital Editions software for PCs or Bluefire Reader app for mobile devices (Android, iOS).
Refer to the READ tab for DRM protection of each platform or vendor.
Can I read e-books on mobile devices?
Yes, you can. However not all vendor websites are compatible with mobile devices and have a responsive design. For easy online reading we recommend installing Bluefire Reader app.
For e-books protected by DRM it is essential to create an Adobe ID and the mobile device is needed to be authorized with it.
Can I read e-books on an e-reader, e.g. Kindle?
You can download whole e-books or chapters in the PDF format, which is supported by all e-readers. E-books for a limited period loan are besides PDF offered also in the ePub format. This format is supported by all e-readers except for Kindle.
In case of DRM protection e-books might be read only on an e-reader which supports Adobe DRM (list of ADE supported devices).
Does it matter which Internet browser I use?
Usually not. In case you can’t read the book, try another Internet browser if you can.
Can I read an e-book if someone else is already reading?
Yes, in most case. Some e-books have restrictions of number of simultaneous users. If so, you will be asked to try again later. The limit should be given on the e-book page.
Is there a charge if I return an e-book late?
No. It is not possible to have an 'overdue' e-book after you have downloaded it since the Digital Rights Management software takes control of it.
Do I need password to access an e-book off campus?
Unless you have downloaded an e-book on your own device, you need to identify as a CTU user (using KOS username) each time when accessing electronic resources off campus.
Unless you are not asked automatically to log in use Institutional/Shibboleth option to reach the correct sign-in page for the CTU.
Are e-books available for users without a university username?
Yes, only on library PCs though remote access is not available.
Downloading and printing
Can I download an e-book?
Yes but there might be some restrictions depending on the publisher and on DRM. Some e-books are downloadable only by chapters, some only for fixed lending period from 3 to 21 days and after the expired period the e-book will be automatically deleted from your computer.
However, some platforms have minimal DRM restrictions and will allow you to download an entire e-book in PDF.
Can I download more than one e-book at a time?
There is no limit to the number of e-books that you can download or access at one time.
However bulk data downloading from the individual sources which apparently exceeds current personal need, is considered to be violation of the licence terms and may result in blocking access to the particular source for all members of CTU.
Can I print or copy and paste from e-books?
Yes, you can. However, there are copyright limits, see the e-book overview. The limit varies from 5 to 20%.
Do I need any software for downloading?
Depends on DRM restrictions. For most library e-books you will need DRM software such as Adobe® Digital Editions (ADE) for PCs or Bluefire Reader for mobile devices (Android, iOS). For e-books without DRM restrictions the supported browser will do the job.
Do I have to be online to read my e-book once downloaded?
No. You may read it offline. In case of the e-book with fixed lending period, download it again after the period has expired. The period is being monitored.
I have problems while printing from an e-book
Library e-books are subject to copyright restrictions, you may be able to print only limited amount of pages. If you need help, please fill in the E-book help form.
Help and support
What to do if an e-book does not work or is not accessible?
Try the following tips before filling in the E-book help form.
- clear cookies/cache from your browser
- try a different browser
- Google the exact error message, the solution is often online there
- be aware of the fact we rarely purchase all e-books on a particular platform you may contact us though to double check
- check your e-reader software, e-books in ePub format require ADE
do not change it for Adobe Reader, which can open PDFs
- is the e-book PDF trying to open in browser's PDF viewer (e.g. Chrome)?
try changing the browser settings to use Adobe Reader instead
How do I cite e-books?
E-books citing is generally the same as printed books citing. Just do not forget the URL address and date you viewed the e-book.
Example according to the standard ČSN ISO 690:
What does an e-book provider mean in fact?
We buy e-books from different suppliers (providers).
We buy some e-books directly from publishers, e.g. Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley etc. Then you are allowed to read them on the publisher's website.
We also buy from e-book aggregators, something like a bookshop, e.g. Proquest Ebook Central or EBSCO. The e-books have different publishers, but instead of reading them on the publisher's website, you read them on the e-book aggregator's website (platform).
What is DRM?
Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes are monitoring technologies that restrict usage of copyrighted material such as e-books.
E-book platforms often use DRM to restrict copying, printing and downloading. For example Proquest Ebook Central limits the length of time that an e-book can be used offline and the number of pages that can be copied or printed.
To download, print or copy an e-book protected by DRM you will need Adobe Digital Editions software together with Adobe ID account.
Not all e-book platforms use DRM. DRM-free platforms (such as Springer Link, Taylor & Francis Online) impose no technical restrictions on the usage of their content. Yet users are obliged to observe copyright law as well as licencing terms governing the usage of the particular platform.