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Virtual and Remote Library Services

This guide will help you find access to remote and virtual library resources while the physical library is closed.

Online Textbook Access during COVID-19 

Many vendors are making books, resources, and other instructional materials available online free of charge during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is impossible to list them all, below are several that will hopefully be of use to you as you work to complete your courses online this semester!

This list is evolving and being frequently updated.

Check the publisher of your textbook to see if it is available from one of the below resources:

Commercial Publishers
  • Pearson - If your class uses a Pearson product that is supported by an ebook through VitalSource or RedShelf, your students may be able to get immediate access at no charge. You and your students can use these links to find information on these programs, including instructions on gaining access to the digital materials.
Content Delivery Platforms
  • Redshelf.com - To ensure that all students have access to their course materials amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Redshelf is partnering with the publishing community to provide you with up to 7 free eBooks from participating publishers. Quite a few RVCC textbooks are included in this!
  • National Emergency Library - Announcing the National Emergency Library, a collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed. There are many older editions of our textbook collection listed here.
  • McGraw-Hill Connect - Instructors will need to set up access, but if you're using a McGraw-Hill source, please check it out.
  • OpenLibrary.org - Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
  • Project Muse - In response to the challenges created by the global public health crisis of COVID-19, Project MUSE is pleased to support its participating publishers in making scholarly content temporarily available for free on our platform.

 
University Press Resources
  • Cambridge University Press - Cambridge University Press is making higher education textbooks in HTML format free to access online during the Coronavirus outbreak. Textbook content is read only and cannot be downloaded. Free access is available until the end of May 2020. You can view the textbooks available here.

Open Textbooks / OER

If you can't find your exact book, there are many open textbooks in different subject areas. Try searching the Open Textbook Library for the course or subject (for example, Introduction to Psychology). The open textbook will not be exactly the same as your assigned textbook but may have the general information you need to keep up in class. If you're not sure, ask your instructor.