Assistance in dealing with e-books

Help with the handling of our e-books.

Useful link for members of the University of Cologne: VPN instructions of the IT Center University of Cologne (ITCC)

How can I find e-books?

In the UCL-Portal on our homepage you will find - besides the printed literature - also all our e-books. The online resources can be identified by the globe symbol in the hit list. If you only want to see online resources, filter the search result and limit the type of access to "online". You will find the link "E-Book in full text" in the detailed display of the individual hits. This leads to the e-book provider. On the respective platform you can read the e-book online, and if necessary download parts or the complete text.

• Cologne University Catalogue

You can also access the e-books directly via the platforms of the individual e-book providers. There you will also find titles for which no license has been purchased. You will then be unable to use them. The accessible titles are often marked green or with an open lock or key symbol.

E-book providers by subject area (German)

Where and how do I have access?

How can I use, read, print and save e-books?

In any case, you can read the e-books online. Unfortunately, the download and printing options are not uniformly regulated, as we purchase e-books from almost forty different providers. Every provider or publisher of our commercially purchased e-books uses very different formats and licensing conditions. As a library, we unfortunately have little or no influence on this. As a rule, parts of the e-book can be saved and printed, some providers also offer complete works.

To access the e-books, your browser must be up to date. If you cannot access them with your browser, please try using a different browser, such as Firefox.

Some providers restrict access to one or a few users at a time, require personal registration or block e-books for a certain period after they have been called up.

The special features of the individual providers can be found in this list:

Special features of e-book providers (German)

Can I use e-books from other libraries or library networks?

No. In the UCL, you only have access to the e-books for which the UCL has purchased a license. E-books that you have only found in other libraries or library networks are not accessible.