Can e-books be downloaded onto ones own computer and does the file remain there for an unlimited time?
Yes, and no. Some of our e-books can be downloaded, but they will only be available for a limited time. Providing unlimited downloads would mean we were distributing free copies of copyrighted e-books, which is illegal. Most of our e-books are “tethered” to the Internet and their copyright is “protected” by the publishers, using some form of “digital rights management” (DRM). The e-books Mac Libraries provide our community can be read on multiple computers by authorized McMaster users (using either your MAC ID or an on-campus staff computer to logon). This model contrasts with, for example, Amazon, which sells individual copies of e-books to customers, which can be downloaded to a handheld electronic device or to a dedicated e-book reader.
