Web Services

In an ongoing effort to provide access to books in a variety of formats, the MSU Libraries recently purchased an arts and humanities-based eBook collection from EBSCO, one of the leading database and eBook providers in the industry.  The collection consists of over 200 titles in the subject areas of history, anthropology, ethics, humanities, literary criticism, media & communication, and classic fiction.  (Complete list of titles purchased)

The eBooks are available through the libraries' online catalog, Discovery Service and via the eBooks from EBSCO landing page.  Having the eBooks in the online catalog and EBSCO Discovery Service puts them alongside other content that may be of interest. By using the online catalog or EBSCO Discovery, patrons can be assured that they will find both eBook content as well as content available in other formats. The other option for searching for eBooks is through the EBSCO eBook landing page referred to as eBooks from EBSCO.  This interface which can be found by using the library database search tool (search for eBooks from EBSCO) provides basic and advanced search tools that include a variety of search limiters.  It searches only those titles purchased through this eBook project and two other previously purchased collections.  The eBooks from EBSCO landing page does not include eBooks found in other databases such as Business Source Complete or Academic Search Premier which also have eBook content.

After finding a title, patrons will be able to browse the table of contents, preview the content and either read the eBooks online or download the eBooks to portable devices.  eBooks can be downloaded to devices that support Adobe Digital Editions.  Supported devices include Nook, iPad (using Bluefire), Sony Reader Daily Edition, Sony Digital Readers and many more (complete list of readers).

• Complete list of titles purchased
• Learn more about Downloading eBooks
• Learn more about Searching eBooks

Accessing Journals and Databases

The MSU Libraries provide online access to thousands of online journals and databases; however, due to copyright and licensing agreements with vendors and publishers the library can only provide MSU faculty, staff and students access to these resources. Because of these restrictions, authentication methods are in place to prevent non-MSU individuals from accessing the content. The following information provides MSU faculty, staff and students with a means of accessing these resources regardless of where they are located.

Accessing resources from on campus:

Anyone using a computer or device connected to the MSU network (hard wired or wireless network) will be able to seamlessly access any of the library online resources whether they use the library website or not. For example, to use JSTOR the user does not have to go to the library website to gain access to JSTOR if they are using a computer that is connected to the MSU network.

Accessing resources from off campus:

Anyone using a computer or device not connected to the MSU network (i.e. accessing from home) will need to either access the resource through the library's website or use the MSU VPN (virtual private network) service, a secure method of accessing MSU resources. This sets up your computer so that it appears to be on the MSU network. By accessing an online resource through the library website the user will be prompted to enter their Netid/NetPassword when they select a protected service. Once the user authenticates, they will not have to do so again within the same session.

Users can also opt to use the MSU VPN service by downloading the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client to their computer. Once installed and setup, the user will be able to activate the VPN client whenever they are using the library resources. For more information on how to install the VPN Service visit http://www.its.msstate.edu/pdfs/MSUVPN.pdf.

Mississippi State University Libraries has chosen EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) from EBSCO Publishing as its discovery tool. The university library was looking to bring all of its resources together under a single search box. EBSCO Discovery Service creates a unified, customized index of an institution's information resources, and an easy, yet powerful means of accessing all of that content from a single search box—searching made even more powerful because of the quality of metadata and depth and breadth of coverage. The EBSCO Discovery Service searches most of the MSU Libraries' major databases as well as the online catalog. Other databases will be added in the near future.

Search EBSCO Discovery

EBSCO Discovery Service offers:
Much deeper & wider indexing than any other discovery solution – In addition to the most comprehensive and robust collection of metadata from the best content sources, EDS also provides full indexing for EBSCOhost databases and other partner databases including Alexander Street Press, LexisNexis, NewsBank, Readex and more.

Everything the researcher needs in one place – By leveraging the fast and familiar EBSCOhost platform, EDS offers a single interface for discovery of a library's entire collection and the powerful features to heighten the research experience.

Full-text searching – EDS offers access to metadata for full-text content, which in turn will yield the most accurate search results.

Fast, simple access to all of the library’s full-text content (electronic and print) – EDS offers a truly integrated one-stop search experience for all of a library's Journals, Magazines, Books, Special Collections, OPAC and more.