Digital Textbooks
What are digital textbooks?
Textbooks that are not printed on paper, but are instead are stored in a format that can be used on a computer.
What technology is needed to use digital books, and where do I get it?
Digital books can come in multiple formats, such as Daisy, plain text, pdf, Word, or audiobook. If you have a basic computer you should be able to handle all the formats as long as you have the proper software. The OSID office can help with viewers and players if needed. To read books out loud, you will need Read and Write Gold or some other text to speech software.
Daisy players - Dorina Daisy Reader, Victor Reader Soft, Read and Write Gold
Word viewer - Microsoft Word Viewer
PDF reader - Adobe Reader
Audiobook players - Windows Media Player, Quicktime, WinAmp, Real Player
What is the best electronic format?
It depends on your abilities. If you are able to make use of visuals, such as illustrations, charts, photos, and drawings, you may prefer to have a pdf with images intact. If you are unable to see any images, it would be more efficient to have a plain text document with image description. Often, the initial format is under the publisher's control. If necessary, we can extract the text and offer it in a different format.
How do I obtain digital books?
- You must have a print disability and be registered with EKU OSID.
- Pre-order your books for fastest service.
- Fill out the following forms and leave them with the OSID office:
Contract Form Digital Books Disclaimer
Digital textbooks can be simple and quick to provide, however, sometimes the book is unavailable or the publisher does not send it for a couple of weeks. In some cases, the OSID must cut the binding off the book and scan the book for you.
To speed up the process, there are a couple of things you can do.
As soon as you know your schedule for the next semester, please fill out our Digital Book Pre-Order Form. This allows us to begin searching for a digital copy of your book. You will still need to completely fill out the form and provide receipts before receiving a digital copy of the text.
If possible, order a digital book direct from Barnes and Noble or Amazon online. Be aware that refunds are typically not available for downloaded files. The first few chapters can be ordered digitally at a low cost if you still haven't decided whether to continue or drop the class. If you have financial aid or vocational rehab funds, verify you will be reimbursed before ordering digital books from online sources.
Ordering digital texts is a great way to save money, however, you must know how to download and use them on your computer. Some downloaded textbooks have a time limit of 180 days or less, and compatibility with Read and Write Gold or other screen readers could be an issue. Additionally, since the books have different publishers, the books may not be available from one location.
Articles and magazines can sometimes be obtained from the EKU library in digital format. Go to EKU Libraries online to search.
You may also directly to the KY Accessible Textbook Service Library Database to see if your books are available at that resource. Some books are audio on cassette or CD. If your title is available at this location, the OSID office can order it for you.
OSID is registered with Bookshare.org and can obtain digital books (web and Daisy format) on your behalf if you can provide documentation of a print disability.
If you require an audiobook, it is easiest to set up a personal account with RFB&D, however, there may be a charge for the service ($100 first year, $35 each year after). They do require print disability documentation.
Audiobook classics can be found at LibriVox. LibriVox depends on volunteers, so the books may be read by more than one reader, or they may be incomplete. For contemporary audiobook novels and non-fiction texts, order from Audible (fee based). The public library also has audiobooks available for download. It is recommended that you obtain a Madison County Public Library card, and a Lexington Public Library card. Madison County offers digital downloads through Kentucky Libraries Unbound. The Lexington Public Library offers digital downloads through netlibrary.org. Eastern Kentucky University also displays digital ebooks through netlibrary.org, however, you need to read the pages online and they may not be accessible by screen reader.
If the book is in public domain (usually classics), go to Project Gutenberg online to get the book for free. The books at this location are typically in digital txt format, however, they have also begun storing books in audio format.
Additionally, if you have the time to do your own search, the following links provide free digital and audio books. The following list is useful if you are not searching for a specific book.
Universal Digital Library
Fantastic Fiction
Baen Books (science fiction and fantasy novels)
Books for the Blind Online Library
Full Text Books Online
World eBook Library Consortia
Hogan - computer and tech books
Open Culture: Audiobook Podcast Collection
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
British Wireless for the Blind Fund
Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center
