E-Books
Finding E-Books
In TUM OPAC
All of our e‑book holdings are listed in the TUM OPAC. You can identify whether a title is available as an e‑book by the “Read online” button. You can also refine your search results by selecting “E‑Books” in the filter options.
The e‑book category includes:
- e‑books licensed by the TUM University Library
- e‑books available via national licenses
- selected freely accessible online resources
- open‑access publications by TUM members on mediaTUM (e.g., dissertations)
On Publisher Platforms
Many e‑book providers offer their own platforms with advanced search and browsing options. You can access these platforms via the Database Information System (DBIS), where we also list our e‑book packages.
Please note:
In many cases, the University Library licenses only selected titles rather than a publisher’s complete catalog. Therefore, publisher platforms may also include titles that are not accessible in full text via a TUM subscription.
Accessing E-Books
Most of the e-books licensed by the University Library are access-restricted and located behind publishers' paywalls. To access full texts free of charge, you must be an active TUM member or use the services on site at the library. Depending on the provider, different authentication methods are available:
eAccess
As an active TUM member, simply click the “Read online” button in the TUM OPAC. You will be automatically redirected to our authentication portal eAccess and prompted to log in with your TUM ID.
If you are already logged in elsewhere with your TUM ID, single sign‑on applies, and you will be taken directly to the full text.
Institutional Login / Shibboleth
Some publishers, such as O’Reilly, do not support eAccess. In these cases, active TUM members can access full texts via Institutional Login. Click “Read online” in the TUM OPAC, select “Technische Universität München” as your home institution, and log in with your TUM ID. If you are already logged in elsewhere with your TUM ID, single sign‑on applies, and you will be taken directly to the full text.
TUM-LAN (Proxy)
Another option for accessing e‑books is via TUM-LAN. This requires configuring a proxy in your web browser. Your affiliation with TUM is verified via your IP address, allowing you to access publishers’ content. This authentication mechanism works only on computers connected to the wired network (LAN), not via Wi‑Fi.
Access for External Users and TUM Alumni
Due to licensing restrictions, remote access to e‑books is not available to external library users and TUM alumni. However, you can access our electronic resources at research PCs in our branch libraries.
Please note:
Depending on the publisher, you may be able to download entire e‑books or only individual pages or chapters.
Terms of Use
- Licensed online resources provided by the TUM University Library may be accessed remotely by active TUM members via eAccess, Institutional Login, or TUM-LAN (Proxy), provided the respective providers support these access methods. External library users and TUM alumni may access these resources only on research PCs in the branch libraries.
- Full texts and data may be printed or saved only for personal use and non-commercial purposes (science, research, and teaching).
- Sharing with third parties is not permitted, either electronically or in printed form.
- Systematic downloading of data, papers, or search results, especially through automated tools or robots, is prohibited.
Violations of licensing terms are monitored by publishers and may result in the suspension of the entire campus license for all of TUM.
Data Tracking by Publishers
Some publishers and providers of scientific information track the research behavior of users on their websites. They create profiles and evaluate the data for their own purposes without the consent of those concerned.
How We Protect You from Data Tracking
The authentication method used by the TUM University Library for licensed resources do not pass on personal data to publishers.
- Our authentication portal eAccess uses a rewrite proxy method in which only the IP address of the University Library's eAccess server is transmitted to our business partners.
- TUM uses the Shibboleth authentication service for the Institutional Login / TUM Login. When logging in, you can check the option “zu übertragende Daten anzeigen” to verify which data is shared with publishers. The data set generally does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about individuals.
- If you use the access option TUM-LAN with proxy configuration, only the IP address of the central LRZ proxy server is transmitted to our business partners.
Whenever possible, the University Library does not accept licensing models from publishers or agencies that aim to identify users and rely on corresponding technologies.
How You Can Protect Yourself from Data Tracking
Regardless of our authentication methods, eAccess, Shibboleth, and TUM-LAN with proxy configuration, many publishers offer personal accounts, for example, to save settings and search histories.
We recommend avoiding these functions where possible, adjusting privacy settings, and carefully reading the providers’ privacy policies. In general, most scientific resources licensed by the University Library can be accessed without creating a personal account with the provider.
To protect yourself against common website data tracking technologies, we recommend using your browser’s built‑in protections (e.g. Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection) and following the Electronic Frontier Foundation's recommendations.