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Image ©Andrew Mason via Flickr, modified 2015.
UVic Libraries has thousands of e-books available from different vendors.
Each vendor offers unique features for its e-book platform. You can search, annotate, and mark-up many digital e-books while reading them online or on your tablet, laptop, or smart phone. Use this guide find out about the specific features of each e-book platform available to you at UVic Libraries.
An e-book (short for electronic book, also written eBook or ebook) is converted digital text that forms the equivalent of a conventional printed book, sometimes protected with a digital rights management (DRM*) system. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the e-book as "an electronic version of a printed book," but e-books can and do exist without any printed equivalent. These e-books are said to be born digitally.
*DRM or Digital Rights Management refers to the controlled use of digital media by preventing access, copying or conversion to other formats by the end user.
An open e-book standard created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It features reflowable text, inline images and the ability to use Digital Rights Management (DRM) such as Adobe Digital Editions.
Amazon's propietary DRM restricted format.
A document sharing format created in the early 90s. It is best for highly formatted content and has the ability to use Digital Rights Management (DRM) such as Adobe Digital Editions.
A format primarily designed for PDAs and older mobile devices. Also used on the Kindle.
LRF, LRS, LRX are Sony's proprietary formats. They have been superseded by Sony's acceptance of epub as the default format in their ebook store.
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