Electronic books and conference proceedings
Electronic Books
Biomedical monographs and textbooks provide an organized presentation of established knowledge on general or specialized topics.
A small collection of print books coupled with selected e-books can be useful to practitioners for:
- Reference look-ups for checking established data, reference values, disease descriptions, etc.
- Updating (refreshing) background knowledge on in-frequently encountered topics for continuing education purposes
- Learning about new or unfamiliar topics to increase new or foreground knowledge
Electronic books are currently evolving at a rapid pace and the number available will continue to increase in coming years. In addition to electronic journals, it is becoming increasingly possible for practicing veterinarians to access the contents of scientific books and conference proceedings online from their offices and/or mobile devices.
Unlike PubMed and VetMed Resource for locating journal articles, there is no “master index” or single source that helps find or identify e-book titles, book chapters, and conference proceedings, or their textual content. PubMed MEDLINE indexes only journal articles, while CAB Abstracts via VetMed Resource does include some chapters and conference proceedings papers, but will not necessarily note if electronic versions exist.
Practitioners must find these resources by searching veterinary library catalogs and publisher Web sites or referral from Web links, alerts, colleagues, and other sources.
Several access and use options appear to be emerging:
- Viewing (and saving) chapters in pdf or html format posted on a publisher or vendor web site (each interface may be different)
-- Used mostly for scientific and academic e-books - Downloading files to a mobile device or e-reader (e.g., Kindle, Nook, iPad)
-- Currently, used primarily for recreational reading, such as novels.
Sources for finding out about electronic veterinary books include:
- Veterinary college library catalogs, such as
- Publisher Web sites including booths at meetings and conferences
- Amazon.com
- IVIS Bookstore USA
- The VIN Store
Once online book titles or proceedings have been identified in the sciences, the next step involves accessing the pdf or electronic version from one or more Web sites, vendors, or sources.
Access to e-books may be free or purchased from publisher/vendor Web sites. Online access may be included with the purchase of some print volumes, such as Elsevier’s Veterinary Consult electronic versions. If purchased, subscribers will be issued or choose a User ID and password to access the source Web site.
Some e-books available for access on mobile devices may require purchasing or downloading specific mobile application software, called an "app." For example, Elsevier's Veterinary Terminology Flash Cards require a special application program in conjunction with the purchase of access to that electronic resource.
Free sources
- Vendors or aggregators
International Veterinary Information Service (IVIS)
[Free with registration]Provides access to about 50 electronic veterinary books. Some of these “books” are e-only and have no print equivalents.
FreeBooks4Doctors! : Promoting free access to medical books
Currently contains one veterinary book, but content may increase in the future.
- Specialized Web sites
Foreign Animal Diseases "The Grey Book" 7th ed (2008) via APHIS
NCBI Books [See “Books” tab on main PubMed MEDLINE / ENTREZ tool bar
Provides full-text mostly to human and life sciences titles, but also online style manuals
Purchased or membership sources
- Vendors or aggregators
Veterinary Consult (Elsevier)
Look for the Veterinary Consult package when purchasing selected Elsevier print book titles.An interactive interface or platform for accessing the complete full-text of selected books published by Elsevier, “Veterinary Consult allows you electronically search your entire book, make notes, add highlights, and study more efficiently”…..and “will work together on our electronic ‘bookshelf’, so that you can search across your entire library of veterinary books”
Veterinary Information Network (VIN)
[Requires paid membership]Provides full-text access to more than 15 book titles
- Publisher Web sites
Elsevier (Saunders, Mosby, Churchill Livingston) – Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine
Wiley Interscience (Blackwell) -- Veterinary Medicine
Conference Proceedings
Scientific meetings, workshops, and conferences, such as NAVC, ACVIM, AAEP, AVMA, are valuable for networking with colleagues and continuing education to pick up the latest information, trends, or current techniques on various topics. Proceedings may be printed for distribution to attendees at the meeting and/or abstracts may be published in an issue or supplement to an association’s journal. Increasingly, proceedings are being posted on the Web either freely or on member only pages.
Conference proceedings can be useful as:
- Summaries of current methods and protocols
- Refreshers for latest techniques or advances in diagnosis and treatment
- Keeping up-to-date with newer knowledge in general
Free sources
- Vendors or aggregators
International Veterinary Information Service (IVIS)
[Free with registration]Provides access or links to numerous proceedings, such as ACVIM, AAFP, Association of Avian Veterinarians, International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
- Association or Sponsor Web sites (selected)
Purchased or membership sources
- Vendors or aggregators
Veterinary Information Network (VIN)
[Requires paid membership]Examples include: ACVIM, AAEP, AAFP, World Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Association or Sponsor Web sites (selected)
