Ebooks: Textbooks
Course Reserves
Course Reserves contains the books, articles, videos, and other materials that have been put on hold by Rice Faculty as course materials. These materials have much shorter circulation periods during the semester in order to ensure fair use by the students taking the course. Most of the materials on reserve can only be loaned within the library on an hourly basis. For more information regarding Course Reserves, see the page on the library website.
Still have questions? Contact Course Reserves at: reserves@rice.edu or (713) 348 - 4021
OpenStax
OpenStax is a Rice-based nonprofit that publishes free, openly licensed, peer-reviewed textbooks. This means you can read, download, and print OpenStax textbooks without restrictions.
If you can't find the answer to your question here, check out the OpenStax FAQ page.
Common Textbooks
Here are some OpenStax textbooks you might come across during your freshman year (and beyond) at Rice and the courses they align with:
- Chemistry 2e and Chemistry Atoms First 2e - Textbooks that can supplement your readings for CHEM 121/123 in (Gen Chem)
- Calculus Vol. 1 - Used in MATH 101
- Calculus Vol. 2 - Used in MATH 102 for written homework questions, chapters line up with lectures pretty well
- Calculus Vol. 3 - Used in MATH 212 to get some of the written homework questions, a good place to find example problems for studying
Creating an Account
In order to access features such as the highlighting and notetaking tools, you must first create an account. It is free to do so and is a simple process, especially if you sign up using your Rice email.
That being said, you will still be able to read and download books, even without an account.
Student's Perspective
From one student to another, here are my favorite and least favorite parts of using OpenStax. As OpenStax is affiliated with Rice and has unrestricted ebooks, this is the provider you are most likely to use in your courses. Luckily, it is also one of the simplest and most user-friendly sites!
Pros:
- No restrictions on downloading and printing
- No time limits to read the text
- A standardized format for all the textbooks (each chapter starts with learning objectives, contains examples, and ends with a list of key terms)
- Has textbooks for a lot of introductory courses
Cons:
- A limited number of texts that tend to focus on general topics (do not get very specific or aligned with high-level coursework)
Suggest a Purchase
If the library does not have access to a title you want, do not hesitate to Suggest a Purchase.
Due to restrictions from the publishers, Fondren is unable to buy copies or ebooks of certain works, but we will try our best to get you the materials you need.
Browsing by Subject
If you select 'Subjects' you can browse all of the OpenStax textbooks or filter by subject.
Navigation Menu
Once you select a book you will be brought to a page giving a summary of the book and some information about it. On the left-hand side of your screen, you will see this navigation menu, which will allow you to read the textbook online, download the entire text, or purchase the text.
Reading Online
