Request Ebooks for Classes through the VIVA Faculty Portal
VCU Libraries may be able to help provide affordable versions of course materials to your students. While you won’t find traditional textbooks (e.g. an Algebra 1 or Introduction to US Government textbook) in the library catalog, many of the scholarly works we own as ebooks allow for unlimited simultaneous users, making them ideal for use in courses both small and large. Visit our guide on using library ebooks as course materials to learn more.
If you cannot find the scholarly work you’re assigning, VCU Libraries may be able to purchase it as an unlimited user ebook. However, before reaching out to a librarian, we recommend you check out the VIVA Faculty Ebook Portal (Faculty eID required). The portal contains
- VIVA-owned ebooks. VCU Faculty already have access to these titles as a part of the VCU Libraries collection.
- Open Educational Resources (OER). Everyone can freely access these resources based on their open licensing. To learn more about OER, visit our OER Guide.
- Ebooks available for purchase. VCU Faculty can preview and request titles for VIVA to purchase, which will ultimately be added to the VCU Libraries collection. In order to request the title, faculty have to complete a short form that requests information about the class in which the title will be adopted.
All ebooks available through the portal have unlimited users and limited or no restrictions on copying, saving, and printing the books.
Non-faculty members of the VCU community can also access the portal through VIVA Faculty Ebook Portal [Public Access], but they will not be able to preview or request books available for purchase.
If a book is not available through the VIVA Faculty Ebook Portal, faculty can reach out to a librarian or complete a purchase request and we will investigate the purchase of a title.
To learn more about the VIVA Faculty Ebook Portal or requesting a purchase, visit this guide on requesting ebook purchases for potential course materials.
Categories Open and Affordable Course Content