Research Guides: Find Free &amp; Affordable Textbooks &amp; Course Materials: Find Textbooks at the Library

Where to Start

There are a few ways to find textbooks through UO libraries.

The first place to check is UO Libraries catalog, LibrarySearch. This searches all the print and digital material UO owns and the materials you can access through UO subscriptions, like eBook databases.
If you can't find your textbook through LibrarySearch, the next place to check is Course Reserves. If your book is available through course reserves than you can go to the library and check it out for short periods (usually three hours).

library search search bar LibrarySearch offers a streamlined interface for finding books and other media that combines the collections of UO Libraries and Summit libraries. Try searching for your textbook on LibrarySearch, you can filter your search to include only print materials, or eResources available through UO to see eBooks that you can read for free. For more help check out the LibrarySearch video tutorial.

Checking ebook licenses

When libraries purchase ebooks, they purchase licenses that control how students can access the book. There are two main types of licenses libraries purchase when they buy ebooks: unlimited licenses and limited licenses. When we purchase books for use in courses we always attempt to buy unlimited access ebooks to ensure all students can access the book at the same time, but sometimes only limited licenses are available. In those cases, there is a chance you'll need to wait to access an ebook if too many other students are reading it at the same time.

There are a few ways to check ebook licenses, when you find an ebook in the library catalog you might see a note within the catalog record that tells you how many copies the library owns.

If you don't see a note, click on the link below the 'view online' heading to access the full text of the book. You'll be taken to the ebook database where you can access the ebook, in most databases there is a section labeled 'availability' or 'permissions' that will tell you how many copies UO libraries owns or if we own an unlimited license. This section will also tell you how you can download the book, some books allow full text download, others only allow you to download sections, or require you to download a free third-party app like Adobe Digital Editions and put a time-limit on how long you can 'check-out' the ebook.

Course Reserves

Course reserves are required course materials (like textbooks!) that are placed in specially designated areas within the library and given shortened loan periods. Course Reserves include library- and instructor-owned books, videos, audio recordings, and other relevant materials in support of classroom instruction.

We don't typically have enough copies of a book on Reserve for everyone in a class, but this is a good option if your course materials are expensive and you want to borrow the book for short periods of time. To check if your course materials are on Reserve, visit our Course Reserves page and search by your instructor's name or the course number.