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E-books

Everything you need to know to use the e-books in our collections, including OverDrive or free e-books on the Web.

E-Reading FAQs


What library e-books are available to download onto my e-reading device(Kindle, iPad, NOOK, etc.)?

  • Overdrive/Libby e-books, which include fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children.
  • Ebrary e-books, which include books for all disciplines.
  • Public domain e-books, which inlcude classics that are out of copyright.

How do I download a PDF onto my device?

Some e-books and e-journals will allow you to download a PDF of one page, a chapter or article at a time. Generally, if you see that a downloadable PDF is available, you can transfer that PDF to most e-reading devices, including Kindle, Ipads and NOOK.

The steps for transferring a PDF from your computer to to a device are different for each device.

Here are a few guides that can help transfer PDFs to major devices:


What library e-books are available to read online from my computer?

E-books that are available in digital format are listed in the catalog as "E-books." You can find information about these collections in the Reference Collection and Library Collections pages of this guide.


What formats work on my device?

These devices work with the following textual formats:

  • Amazon Kindle: PDF, Kindle format (.azw), Mobipocket (.mobi or .prc), Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), HTML, TXT, RTF (doesn't support EPUB format)
  • Barnes & Noble NOOK: PDF, EPUB, PDB and NOOK format
  • Sony Reader: PDF, EPUB, TXT, RTF, BBeB Book

Thanks to Nicole Hennig, Head of User Experience at the MIT libraries for much of the content contained on this page and for permission to customize the information for the Merrimack community.

For questions or feedback contact the McQuade Library
Call us: 978-837-5177 | Text us:  978-228-2275 | Email us: mcquade@merrimack.edu