Books and e-books
You can search for printed books and e-books in several ways. Here you will find information on how to search, borrow, and access the library’s materials.
Search for printed books
Use the Library Search Tool find printed books. You can search by title, author, ISBN, or keywords. To search only for printed books, follow these steps:
- Select All filters
- Select Printed material
- Go to Resource type and select Books
- Select Apply
You can also filter by language. If you want to search for books from other libraries, remove the filter Available at LTU.
The results list shows titles that match your search. Select a title to find more information about the book, such as edition and ISBN.
- The Library Search Tool
Start your search in the Library Search Tool and refine your search using filters.
Information about the title
If you select Find/Reserve, you will find the following information:
- Item type
Shows the loan period. Course books can be borrowed for 14 days and other books for 28 days. Library use only means the book can only be used in the library. - Home library
The library where the book is located, for example Luleå, Piteå, or Skellefteå. - Collection
The location within the library, for example entrance level. - Call number
The book’s location on the shelf. - Status
Shows whether the book is available, on loan, or reserved. - Date due
The date when the book must be returned.
Borrow printed books
If the book is available, you can borrow it directly at the library. Books that are available at your home library cannot be reserved. You need a library account to borrow or request printed books.
If the book is located at another library, for example in Skellefteå, select Find/Reserve and then Place hold.
- Borrow
Information about library accounts, loans, and requests.
The library collection
The library mainly provides course literature and academic books within the university’s subject areas. There are also special collections and donations, for example The Nordkalott Collection and the Ragnar Lassinantti Book Collection. The Nordkalott Collection includes books from many subject areas related to the Nordic Arc. Parts of the Ragnar Lassinantti Collection are included there. The rest of his books are integrated into the general library collection.
- Special collections and donations
Information about the library’s special collections and donations.
Can't find the book?
If you cannot find the book you are looking for, you can request an interlibrary loan or submit a purchase request.
- Suggested purchases and interlibrary loans
Information on how to request books from other libraries or suggest a purchase.
Search in Libris
You can search for printed books and e-books in Libris, Sweden’s national library system. Libris includes books and other materials from Swedish university, college, and research libraries, as well as many public libraries.
Search by title, author, ISBN, or keywords. When you receive your results, you can refine them using filters. Select Book to display both printed books and e-books. Select Electronic resource to display only e-books.
- Libris
Search Sweden’s national library system.
Search for e-books
At the university library, you can search for e-books in two ways: in the Library Search Tool or through the library’s e-book search.
The Library Search Tool
The Library Search Tool works best when you search for e-books using keywords. You can also search by title, author, or ISBN, but some titles may be missing from the results. This is because not all e-books are fully searchable in the discovery service. In that case, use the library’s e-book search.
To search for e-books, follow these steps:
- Open All filters
- Select the Fulltext filter
- Open Resource types
- Select E-books, Books, and Electronic resources
- Select Apply
You can also filter by language or other options.
The results list shows titles that match your search. For each title, you will find information such as author, year of publication and subject.
In the Access options menu, you can choose between different formats, such as PDF full text or EPUB full text. If one link does not work, try another. Select the title to find more information about the book, such as availability and access requirements.
- The Library Search Tool
Start your search in the Library Search Tool and refine your search using filters.
The library’s e-book search
If you have a title or an ISBN, the easiest way is to use the link Find eBooks. You can also search by keywords, but this may give many results. Since there are limited options to refine the results list, it may be harder to find the correct title.
Follow these steps:
- Go to All fields
- Select Title or ISBN
- Enter the title or ISBN in the search field
- Start the search
You can sort the results by Relevance or Title.
- Find eBooks
Use this service to search for e-books when you have a title or ISBN.
Access to e-books
If you are on campus at Luleå University of Technology, you have automatic access to e-books. If you are in another location, you need to sign in with your LTU account.
You have an LTU account if you are a student or employee at Luleå University of Technology. Without an LTU account, access is limited.
If you do not have an LTU account
If you do not have an LTU account, you can access e-books in the library premises. Use your own computer or one of the library computers and generate a code using a dedicated iPad in the library. You always have access to openly available e-books.
Rules for e-books
The number of users who can open an e-book at the same time varies. Some e-books have unlimited access, which means several users can read them at the same time. Others have a limited number of licences, for example one or three users at a time. If all licences are in use, you need to wait until one becomes available. Rules for downloading, printing, and saving vary between e-book publishers.
E-book providers
Rules for borrowing, copying, printing, and downloading e-books vary depending on the publisher. You can also search for e-books directly on the publishers’ websites. This often provides more search options, such as full-text searching and browsing by subject.
Cambridge Core
Copying and printing
You may copy one chapter or up to 5 percent of a book. You may print one chapter or up to 20 percent of a book.
Downloading
Books can be downloaded chapter by chapter in PDF format.
- Cambridge Core
Use the link to access Cambridge Core.
EBSCO eBooks
Copying and printing
Up to 100 pages per book can be saved as a PDF and printed, depending on the publisher’s rules. Some books do not allow text copying. On the book’s details page, you can find the rules for that specific title.
Downloading
To read books offline, you need to create a free EBSCO-account. Downloaded books can be read for up to 12 hours. Books with single-user access cannot be downloaded.
To be able to read books on a computer (PC, Mac, Linux), the program Thorium Reader is required).
For mobile devices, use the EBSCO Mobile App, available from the Apple Store or Google Play.
Other features
User account: To save notes in the text, you need to create a free user account.
Limited number of users: Some books allow only one to three users at the same time. You can find the number of users allowed on the book’s details page.
- EBSCOhost
E-books on the EBSCO platform. - Ebsco Mobile App: Quick Start Guide
Use the link to access the guide.
ProQuest
Copying and printing
You can copy single chapters. The book’s details page shows which rules apply to each title.
Downloading
To download a full book, you need Adobe Digital Editions on your computer, tablet, or phone. The loan period may vary depending on how many licences the library has.
Other features
You can highlight text, add notes, and bookmark pages in the online version. These are saved to your personal bookshelf.
- ProQuest Ebook Central
Use the link to access ProQuest Ebook Central.
SpringerLink
Copying and printing
Single chapters may be copied and printed.
Downloading
Books can be downloaded in full as PDF or EPUB files, or chapter by chapter as PDF. Individual chapters can also be read online.
Other features
Students and staff at Luleå University of Technology can purchase a printed copy of e-books owned by the University Library.
- SpringerLinks e-book site
Use the link to access the SpringerLink e-book site.
Taylor & Francis
Copying and printing
Printing and copying are allowed for personal use.
Downloading
Books can be downloaded in full or chapter by chapter in PDF format.
Other features
Most e-books larger than 200 MB cannot be read online and must be downloaded.
- Taylor & Francis e-book page
Use the link to access the webpage.. - Taylor & Francis e-book help page
Use the link to access the help page.
Search for open access e-books
There are several search services where you can find openly available e-books. One example is Libris, Sweden’s National Library System. Another example is DOAB, an international service that collects and indexes peer-reviewed open access e-books.
- Libris
Search by title, author, ISBN, or keywords. Refine your results by selecting Free online, Book, and Electronic resource. - DOAB - Directory of Open Access Books
Open access e-books in various subject areas. - Kriterium
A platform for the review, publication, and dissemination of academic books. The books are digitally available with open access. - Open Polar
A portal for freely available academic material about the Arctic and Antarctic.
Listen to e-books
In most cases, you can have an e-book read aloud.
Many e-books are available in PDF format. They can be read aloud using the Read Out Loud function in Adobe Reader.
Activate the function from the View menu and select Read Out Loud. The voice that is used depends on your computer’s operating system, such as Windows or macOS. If you download chapters or pages from some e-book platforms, a PDF may be created as an image file. This type of file cannot be read aloud using Read Out Loud.
TorTalk
At Luleå University of Technology, you can have the text-to-speech software TorTalk installed. TorTalk can read aloud any text that can be selected, for example in Microsoft Word, on most websites, and in PDF files. The software includes Swedish and English voices. TorTalk can also read text in images, for example scanned PDF files and locked e-books.
- TorTalk – text-to-speech
More information about TorTalk.
Would you like to learn more?
Do you want to know more about how to search for information? Explore the library’s open courses and videos on information retreaval and academic writing.
Use the link to access the library’s open courses and films.
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