Guest post by Kristina De Voe, English and communication librarian with the Open Education Group 

Did you know that each semester Temple University Libraries provide a list of textbooks that are available as library ebooks? The list is based on information Temple faculty submit to the campus bookstore. These materials are free for Temple students. Use our Etextbooks Available Through the Libraries page to find your course and see if your textbook is on the list! 

Why the Libraries Collect Textbooks 

Since 2017, the Libraries have purchased ebook copies of course texts whenever possible. The Libraries are committed to reducing barriers to access a rich array of resources for our campus and the wider community. One way we work to achieve this is by supporting textbook affordability. For example, in the 2022-23 academic year, the Libraries offered electronic access to 33% of course texts, saving students an estimated $732,500. 

The number of ebooks that the Libraries acquire each semester varies as not everything is available in electronic format. Textbook publishers like Pearson or Cengage usually do not sell ebooks to libraries. When an ebook is available to us, we prefer to get licenses that allow multiple simultaneous users, however, in some cases, we need to purchase single-user licenses, which means they can only be read or used by one person at a time.  

Get Help 

Students: Have questions about whether a textbook for your Temple class is available via the Libraries? Contact us!

Faculty: Did you know you can use the Barnes & Noble Adoption Insight Portal (AIP) to adopt a library ebook for your course? Have questions about whether the Libraries can purchase materials for your class? Need help determining what is already available? Looking for instructions on how to link a library ebook in Canvas? Contact your subject librarian or specialist.