E-books

E-books — electronic books — are available at your library in a range of formats. Some can be downloaded and transferred to different devices, while some can only be viewed online. This page details the different e-books available at your library.

Library e-books are available from OverDrive, in the catalogue and in the Source.

OverDrive — download and transfer e-books

OverDrive is a free digital media platform which allows library members to download e-books and transfer them to a different device. Titles self-expire on their due-by date.

• Find out more about OverDrive e-books.
• Use OverDrive now with your your library card number and PIN.

Other e-books

• New Zealand and Pacific Island documentary heritage material is available via the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
• Early New Zealand Books Project
• Downloadable e-book sites from the Internet Gateway
• Online text sources in our Internet Gateway

Selection criteria for e-books

Selection is is based on:

• General guidelines contained in the libraries’ content development policy;
• Focus is on content, rather than format. We include a mixture of ePub and PDF formats. Currently there is more choice available in ePub format;
• Emphasis is on popular fiction for adults, young adults and children, with the highest percentage being adult;
• We are unable to access as much British or New Zealand content as we would like. We are limited to what is available in Australasia. Each title produced as an e-book is restricted by licensing agreements so many titles available in the US, are not available in New Zealand;
• Numbers of copies available to the Australasian market are also limited;
• A very small number of New Zealand authors are available;
• We may purchase some titles electronically which are not held in hard copy;
• In order to offer the widest range of titles in our collection, we purchase only one copy per title. This is reviewed from time to time;
• New titles are added regularly;
• We review what is on offer regularly and buy based on trends, reading patterns and budget available.

Online books in the Source

Several vendors supply online books in the Source, which you can access with your library card number and PIN. These are generally full-text searchable editions of printed books from publishers such as Oxford, Thames & Hudson, Penguin, Black’s, O’Reilly etc. Please note these are not downloadable e-books that can be read on an e-book reader.

Credo Reference

More than 100 reference titles. More information about Credo Reference.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Reference collection. More information about Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Oxford Reference

Reference collection. More information about Oxford Reference.

Safari

Technical and information technology collection. More information about Safari tech books online.

Tumblebook Library

Books, puzzles, and more for children. More information about Tumblebook Library.