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Access to HE Social Science: Finding Books and E-books

Books give an overview of your subject and provide information on core concepts and theories.  They are a good starting point for your assignments. 

You can find books for your course by using the Library Catalogue, or you can use the search box at the top of this page. You can also take a look at our recommendations for your subject using the tabs above or check out the unit reading lists for your course in the Reading Lists tab.

Books and Reading lists

Key points about books

  • You can find books for your course by using the Library Catalogue, or you can use the search box at the top of this page.  You can search the catalogue by entering details about the title, author, or subject that you are looking for.
  • If you cannot find what you are looking for, or the catalogue says the item is in the DHB Library Store, please ask a member of staff at the Library Information Desk.
  • You can borrow up to 15 books.
  • Books are loaned for 2 weeks. After you have borrowed an item, if no one requests it, the item will automatically renew a week before the due date.  A Two-week Loan will renew for another two weeks (up to 25 times).

  • If someone requests an item you have borrowed, it will not renew and you will need to bring it back by the due date. If you do not return the items by their due date you will be charged a fine for every day the item is late. Remember to keep an eye on your library record so that you know if an item has been renewed or requested. We will also email your College email address with details of any items issued, returned or requested.

  • You can check your Library record by clicking on the Library Account link at the top of every Library Online page.  Enter your College ID number and your PIN which is your year of birth in the format 2001.

Reading lists

Key points about Reading Lists

  • Find the reading lists for your course units in the Reading Lists tab
  • Reading lists include books and e-books
  • Clicking on a reading list will take you to the Library Catalogue where you can look for other books on your subject
  • You can reserve books by clicking on the Request a Copy button

E-Books

Key points about e-books

  • E-books are digital or electronic versions of printed books which can be read on a computer or handheld device. All of our e-books can be read online.
  • E-books are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on or off campus,

  • The easiest way to find and access e-books is to search the Library Catalogue or use the search box at the top of this page, just like you would for printed books.

    • You can search by author, title or keyword.
    • You can also limit your search to just e-books by selecting E-book from the Item Type drop down menu.
    • If the book is available online click on the "Click here to access" link.
    • You may need to enter your College username and password (your student email and password)

  • Not all print books are also available as e-books as it is the publisher who decides whether to make the titles available online.

  • We buy e-books from two main suppliers/ platforms - Ebook Central and VLeBooks.  
  • Every e-book will give you the option of linking directly to a chapter, searching for keywords, copying and pasting quotations, highlighting text, and reading offline. 
  • You can print or copy sections of the book in compliance with copyright guidelines. This is often set by the publisher.
  • Some e-books have limits where only one person can read the book at a time. If you cannot access an e-book try again later, as it may be that the book is already being used by the maximum number of users.  Some titles allow you to reserve a copy in the same way as you would reserve a print book.
  • If you get an error message when you are trying to access an e-book, and cannot see any reason for it, please email askalibrarian@bradfordcollege.ac.uk providing details of the error message, the details of the e-book you were trying to access and your contact details.
  • For information on the accessibility of our e-book platforms please take a look at their accessibilty statements: