E-materials are licensed services acquired by the library. E-resources include search services and databases that can be used to find references as well as complete articles on various topics. The e-material listing also includes portals, standards, reference works and dictionaries.
As a rule, e-materials are paid services that the library has acquired for the use of customers. Their use is limited to the students and staff of the university of applied sciences as well as the local customers of the library. Melinda operates freely online, but may include links to licensed materials.
Reference databases contain brief information about an article or book. The material itself must be obtained for use in other ways.
E-journals are journals and journal articles that can be read online. Articles are searched using search services. Search services also allow you to browse the issues of individual magazines. E-journal services include e.g. Help Inform, Academic Search Elite, Emerald, Sage Premier and Science Direct.
E-books in English can be read through Ebook Central and VLeBooks, of which the former contains thousands of e-books from various fields.
Material is acquired for the Centria Library within the budget of the library. And there are efforts to increase the use of electronic material in particular.
The Centria Library buys e-books both in large database packs and in single pieces. Some of the books can be read by many users at once, while some are only readable by one user at a time. You can make a reservation for some of the e-books on loan if you wish.
The Centria Library is unable to obtain each student their own e-book. If the e-book is not available and its physical edition is on loan, it is always possible for the student to buy their own book.