CSU Library Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

No, the CSU Library is an online library. There are no physical books in the collection. All resources found in the CSU Library are in electronic format.

E-books are housed in our eBook Academic Collection database. This database is linked on our library homepage and on our A-Z Database list. It is also a search option within the Discovery Search on the library homepage.

An e-book is a book-length document with all the features of a book, such as individual chapters. E-books are published individually and can be found in our e-books database, accessible through the E-books button on the library homepage. Articles will range in size and are published with other articles as part of a journal, magazine, or newspapers. Articles can be found in many of our databases. For a list of all the databases we subscribe to, visit our A-Z Databases list.

For information on searching in the eBook Academic Collection database, downloading e-books, or other e-book access information, view the How to Find E-books video tutorial for an overview. You can also navigate directly to the eBook download help page in EBSCO to receive detailed instructions on downloading an e-book to your device.

Once you have located an e-book and you would like to "check out", click on the Download option for that book. Downloading is the equivalent of checking out a book. Choose your preferred download format, then follow the on-screen prompts. Install the necessary software and download the e-book to you computer or mobile device. Note: you will need to be signed in to your free myEBSCO database account in order to download an e-book to any device. For more information please view the How to Find E-books video tutorial for an overview.

To download an e-book to a laptop, desktop computer, or mobile device, you will need to download and install Adobe Digital Editions. This free software is different from the more common Adobe Reader. You can look for the free download online or go here. Adobe Digital Editions is also available via app stores for iOS, Android, and e-reader devices. You will also need a free Adobe ID to read this book on a mobile device. Go here to create your free Adobe ID.

Once you have downloaded an e-book, you will have a limited number of days in which you can read the e-book on your computer or mobile device while offline. In order to extend your "check out" period, simply go and download the e-book again in your EBSCO account for further offline access.