Ebooks: Using Marx Library Ebooks with Ereaders: Converting to EPUB

The EPUB (electronic publication) format is an international industry standard designed to allow text display to be optimized and changed for a particular reader. Although it is meant to be device neutral, not all ereaders support EPUB -- Kindle, for example, does not.

Most of the Marx Library's ebooks are provided in pdf format. This is not, however, always the ideal file type to use on an ereader as you cannot adjust the size of the font or always, in the case of the Nook Color, go from page to page easily. A solution for both issues is to convert your pdf to EPUB.

To convert documents to epub, use Calibre -- an open source freely available ebook management program available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Download it here: http://calibre-ebook.com/.

1. Download a book chapter from one of the library's databases (books from ebrary and EBSCO ebook Collection will not work with Calibre because they have digital rights management on them.)
2. In Calibre, choose Add Books
3. Pick your downloaded chapter and choose Open
4. The document will show up in the Calibre middle screen
5. Highlight the book or books you want to convert and click on Convert Books
6. In the dialog window that pops up, choose EPUB from the right.
   
   
   
   
7. Add information about your book if you want to, then click okay.
8. This returns you to the Calibre home screen.
9. When the document is finished processing, it shows up in the right side of the screen as EPUB, PDF
   
   
   
   
10. You can use Calibre's Send to device button to add the document to your device, or you can drag and drop from your computer to your e-reader.