Q. Why can’t I read an ebook in Ebook Central?

Factors such as web browser or licensing restrictions may impact your ability to read an ebook.

Web Browser

If you have difficulty accessing or reading an ebook online, try the following steps: 

1. Open a different web browser or an incognito/In Private browser window 
2. Search the ebook title in Library Search 
3. Click on the "Access electronically" link 

If these steps allow you to access the resource, your access issue is being caused by your browser cache. Clear the cache in your primary web browser and this should solve your ebook issue. 

Licensing Restrictions

If the browser steps don't allow you access to the resource, it may be that the item has limited copies available. This means that there is a limit to how many users can access the resource at the same time.

To check how many copies are available, look for the “Availability” section on the details page for the item. If there are no copies available, you will need to try again another time.

If an item has limited copies available, we suggest that you download sections you need as pdfs and use them offline. Please be aware that ebook publishers have different limits on copying and downloading, in some cases, having a 24-hour reset of limits. For more information see our Copyright guide.

If you continue to experience access issues, please contact us at uow-library@uow.edu.au and provide as much detail as possible to assist us with your enquiry, including: ebook title, your web browser, and the steps you’ve taken to access the ebook. Screenshots and a record of error messages are also appreciated. 

For other reasons you may not be able to read an ebook, check our FAQ "Why did my ebook disconnect?".