What is Bookshelf?

Bookshelf by VitalSource is an online text delivery system for higher education that collaborates with companies, universities, publishers and resellers, providing digital course materials to users. It is an e-textbook system that enhances learning through digital content and you can use it exactly like you use a hardcopy book (highlight, annotate etc.). You are able to access it via Blackboard Learn wherever you are located.

View your eTextbook(s) through Blackboard Learn

The e-Texbooks are automatically adopted to the Blackboard Learn courses. That is, once you login to a Bb course, you will find a menu item with the name eTextbook. In this eTextbook area, there is the link to the e-book. All eTexbooks are added in the Blackboard courses at the latest by the end of online late registration of each semester/session/term.

If a user is about to access Bookself by VitaSource and her e-Textbook for the first time, then she first has to activate her VitalSource account. This procedure only takes place once. If you use VS for the first time, click Activate Bookshelf by VitalSource to view how to activate your user account.

View your eTextbook(s) through VitalSource

VitalSource Bookshelf offers you:

• Instant access to your eTextbooks for online and offline use
• Access via multiple devices that are able to synchronize
• “Read Aloud” option so as to listen as Bookshelf reads to you
• Flash Cards and Review Mode so as to review the material
• Notes and Highlights so as to color and keep notes
• Global Search for searching content in an eBook or in your library
• Wikipedia Lookup for looking up unfamiliar words with Define and Wikipedia Search

To access and manage your eTexbooks and user account via VitalSource visit the website VitalSource.com and access BookShelf or directly visit BookShelf and use your @acg.edu email credentials to login.