While our collection of eBooks is continually growing, we occasionally have to remove eBooks from our catalog, Koha. There are a lot of reasons why this can happen, and it often involves changes made by either the publisher, the vendor (Elsevier, EBSCO, etc.), or the vendor’s platform (ClinicalKey, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, etc.).
In some cases, changes in the publisher’s rights can cause the vendor to drop an eBook from its platform, meaning that it is no longer available anywhere on that platform. With some platforms, such as ClinicalKey or STAT!Ref, this often happens when an eBook is replaced by a newer edition. In other cases, the vendor might keep the eBook, but with different licensing agreements that might mean we no longer have access to it. When this happens, you might still be able to find the landing page for the eBook on the vendor site but not be able to access the full text, and so we remove it from the catalog.
That scenario can also happen if there is a change in our subscription with a vendor. Many of our eBooks are purchased as a subscription rather than as a one-time, permanent purchase. Therefore, we only retain access as long as we have an active subscription.
Unlike with a print book, it can be difficult for us to purchase an individual eBook. Most of our eBooks are purchased as part of a large collection, and sometimes that specific eBook might not be available as an individual purchase. However, purchase suggestions are welcomed. If you are having trouble finding a particular eBook, please get in touch with one of our reference librarians.
The stability of individual eBooks in a collection can vary greatly between vendors. Here are some rough guidelines for which vendors and collections fluctuate more than others. If you would like to know more about a particular eBook title's permanence, please ask a librarian.
Collections from vendors that may fluctuate:
American Academy of Ophthalmology
ClinicalKey
Credo Reference
ebooks on EBSCOhost (some)
McGraw-Hill (all Access products, F.A. Davis Collection)
ProQuest eBook Central (formerly ebrary)
PsychiatryOnline
ScienceDirect (some)
SpringerProtocols
Stahl's
STAT!Ref
Collections from vendors that are permanent:
Books@Ovid
CABI (most: all in the Public Health Collection are permanent; 9 titles are open access and may fluctuate)
ebooks on EBSCOhost (some)
Mary Ann Liebert collection
Oxford Academic
ScienceDirect (some)
Wiley Online Library
Collections that are open access (free, no subscription) and may fluctuate:
CABI open access titles (separate from our Public Health Collection subscription)
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer; published by the World Health Organization)
NCBI Bookshelf
Open Textbook Network
World Health Organization
