Skip to Main Content

Course Adopted Texts (CATS) Initiative

In an effort to help reduce student spending on textbooks, the library has launched an initiative to cross-reference the faculty course-adopted textbook lists with multi-user e-books that we either already have in our collections, or that we can purchase.

When we find a match, we will notify the faculty via email so that they can have the option to share the link to the e-book with their students through Blackboard.

As of Summer 2021, the library conducted a search of current textbooks and compiled a list of e-books that are currently available, and notified faculty whose courses matched up. Some of the departments currently using library e-books as textbooks include Business, Sport Management, Management, and Health. 

Here is a guide that lists the e-book availability of some of the textbooks being used at DU and a list of what can be purchased. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Publishers make e-books available for purchase by libraries with different licenses. We have hundreds of thousands of e-books in our collections with unlimited user licenses, which are ideal for using as course adopted texts. If an unlimited user license version of an e-book that we don't already own is available, we can also purchase it (or upgrade a more limited license) per faculty request.
We encourage faculty to consult with a librarian before assigning an e-book from the library collection. Not all of our e-books have unlimited user licenses. If an instructor assigns a text and a link to the library record for an e-book with a single-user license, this can result in frustration for students who cannot access the book if the maximum number of other patrons are simultaneously using it.

Although we always check to see if we can upgrade to multiple user licenses, publishers do not always make these available. For these titles, we'd encourage using print reserves as a back-up. In some cases, a 3-user license will be more than adequate for your course needs; please discuss specific course-related questions with your library liaison.
The library can only purchase what the publishers make available. Unfortunately, traditional textbook publishers do not typically make e-versions of their works available for institutional licenses. If you are interested in exploring alternative course materials to help save your students' money, librarians are happy to collaborate with you.
We fully support the individual preferences of all of our library users - faculty and students alike! The program is not intended to prescribe what faculty assign in class, nor to replace print books; it is designed to maximize accessibility to course materials wherever possible.

Note that most of our e-books can be printed at the chapter level, so even if digital devices are discouraged in class, students could still bring printed chapters for discussion.
Ideally, every e-book that the library has would allow for unrestricted downloading, sharing, printing, and reading. But we are limited by the licenses that the publishers make available. Some are more permissive than others, and it varies by title. Here is a useful guide with information about reading, printing, and downloading from e-books.

Resources

More Questions?

Please contact your departmental library liaison, or the CATS project coordinator, Emily Hayes with your questions.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to Jamie Hazlitt at Loyola Marymount, William H. Hannon Library, for giving us permission to use. This guide is adapted from their work.