Epub ebooks are coming… soon

Towards the end of last year, I told you all that Ebook Central was introducing the epub format for many of its ebooks at the end of January. A lot of lecturers and librarians then asked what was going to happen to all the links pointing to specific chapters/pages of these ebooks, because most reading lists rely on deep linking to work. EBSCO thought about this briefly, then came back to reassure everyone that they are going to make sure all these deep links continue to work after the change. This has meant that the introduction of the epub format ebooks has been delayed by a few weeks. EBSCO currently hope to make the change at the end of February.

Epub format will make everything better

We’re all looking forward to the new epub format. It should make what are now pdf ebooks so much easier to read and navigate, display better on more devices, and allow publishers to build interactive audio and video into their devices. Epub format is much more accessible for anyone who uses a screen reader or other adaptive technologies, allowing visually impaired and dyslexic readers to enjoy the full ebook experience rather than merely a stripped down plain text version.

Not a perfect world

Not all ebooks will have an available epub version even after the upgrade but we are able to source alternative formats for anyone who qualifies. You can get an idea for what adaptations we can offer on our website. If you experience any difficulties accessing any of our print or electronic resources, please contact your Faculty Librarian straight away. You can find their contact details on your subject page (or ask a librarian and we’ll put you in touch).