ZB MED opens up nationwide access to e-books
“Starting today, our users will be able to access e-books from a range of publishers without leaving the comfort of their own home,” says Mareike Grisse, a licensing specialist at ZB MED. This has been achieved through a framework agreement with the owners of the ProQuest platform, which provides digital content worldwide to academics and researchers, libraries, businesses and schools. Library licences are usually tied to a specific location, for example a university campus. That’s why ZB MED users could previously only access electronic media licensed by ZB MED while they were actually on Cologne University’s campus.
But now an initial selection of 150 e-books has been opened up for external access. “We will gradually be increasing the number of available items by adding nationwide access to e-books and e-journals from other providers, too,” says Grisse, explaining ZB MED’s plans for the future.
To use the electronic media off-campus, users will need a valid ZB MED library card. This is available to anyone who is resident in Germany. It is also necessary to install a proxy server. One way to do this is by using a browser add-on, and you can find instructions on how to set up one of these add-ons at ow.ly/Zg6q9. Once the proxy server is properly configured, users can easily access the e-books through the ZB MED search portal LIVIVO.
“Our users are spending more and more of their time online while on the road, and they want direct access to the items they need. This new service helps them achieve that,” says Ulrich Korwitz, Director of ZB MED.
