How to Use netLibrary eBooks

Online Resources at Hartford Seminary Library: netLibrary eBooks

Did you know that literally thousands of e-Books can be borrowed through the Hartford Seminary Library? Having e-Books expands our holdings without taking up shelf space, and allows borrowers to access the texts directly from their home computers -- no having to troop in to 77 Sherman Street, or to have bulky volumes sent to you snail-mail.

Let's say you're interested in having a look at Leonard B. Glick's volume Abraham's Heirs: Jews and Christians in Medieval Europe. The Seminary Library catalog will tell you that the book is available through the Seminary, but that it's a "[computer file]." A click on the title will lead you to the "catalog card" containing title, author, date, publisher/location, and so forth. Towards the bottom appears the message "Bibliographic record display. An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click for information."

Do so.

Now the journey gets interesting. Your click has taken you to the netLibrary site, displaying the book cover, subject areas, and giving you options for browsing the title, or checking it out.

If this is your first visit to netLibrary, you will need to create a new netLibrary account. If you do this from a Library computer, you will be automatically recognized as one of the Hartford Seminary Library users and your free account will allow you to access all of the eBooks purchased by Hartford Seminary Library. If you are connecting from off-campus, you can login to the Library's proxy server first, to verify your affiliation with Hartford Seminary Library. These are found on your Hartford Seminary Library Card. Anyone who has borrowing privileges in our Library may access Seminary holdings in the netLibrary. You will be prompted for your username and password. Then you are ready to create your netLibrary account. Simply fill in the information on the form. Your username and password can be ones you have used elsewhere, or they can be new. They are being created on the netLibrary system, so the User Name will need to be unique on that system. You may be prompted for a different username if someone is already using the one you first type in. After you have created the account, you can connect directly to netLibrary without having to login to the Library's proxy server.

If you have already created your netLibrary account, you need to login to netLibrary in order to access the book(s) you want to read. On the right are boxes for your User Name and Password. These are the User Name and Password you established when you created your netLibrary account.

Once access to netLibrary has been achieved, you will have two types of access to the book. "Browse" will let you look at the book for a short period. "Check out" will put the volume on your own e-Bookshelf for four hours.

You may bookmark a page (making it easier to "flip" to it later, instead of leafing through page by page), take notes on the book on any given page, look up words you don't recognize through an online dictionary, or , while in the "Reading Room", list the book as one of your "Favorites" so that it will be easier to locate the book again next time you visit the netLibrary.

Of course, this is just a simplified overview. There are many other features that make e-Books in the netLibrary worth exploring. Be sure to check your book back in when you're done, and to log out when you've finished your netLibrary session.

Additional information about using netLibrary eBooks can be found at:

http://www.library.hartsem.edu/Guides/netLib or you can call the Library at: 860-509-9561 to receive assistance.

Have fun!

Find what you were looking for?

If you haven't found what you were looking for, students and faculty may contact the Reference Librarian for additional assistance.