Library Guides: Engineering: Books and eBooks

Primo Library Catalogue

Primo is the gateway to all the library's resources and includes details of both print and e books:

Search Primo:

See videos and guidance on how to use Primo to find books and access eBooks, renew your book loans, request a book that's currently on loan to someone else, and to understand how Primo works. Any questions, please contact Kate.

Library eBooks

All eBooks are catalogued in Primo, the Library catalogue. Whilst you can search inside the full text of some of the eBooks via Primo, the majority will only be found if you type in words that are in the title or blurb of the book. In order to find book content on your specific topic, try searching inside the eBook full text platforms using the links below.

NB: some of these eBooks you can download and keep but some are viewable online only or downloadable on a library-loan model i.e. can be downloaded for 1 day. See guidance for more information on access. Note that for some of these platforms, the Library has only bought a selection of available titles.

Library Skills Guide: tutorials and guidance on eBooks

Ebook central (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Library Ebooks covering all disciplines. These ebooks offer online viewing not permanent download. Every book is full text.
Taylor & Francis eBooks This link opens in a new window
Library eBooks covering all disciplines. Tip: Filter on the left side of search results to ‘show content I have access to’ as not every book has been purchased via this platform. These books can be downloaded to keep.
ICE Virtual Library This link opens in a new window
Institution of Civil Engineers eBooks and eJournals. The majority of the more recent eBooks have been purchased to download and keep.
ASME Mechanical Engineering eBooks This link opens in a new window
Full text ASME Mechanical Engineering eBooks. Titles have been purchased from 2014 to mid-2022. These books can be downloaded to keep.
NOW publishers This link opens in a new window
Covers a broad spectrum of Machine Learning to computer security to mechanical engineering topics. Titles purchased cover 2018-2022. eBooks can be downloaded to keep.
IET eBooks This link opens in a new window
Institution of Engineering and Technology 2020-21 only. Topics covered: control, robotics and sensors; electromagnetic waves; healthcare technology; circuits and devices; navigation; transportation. eBooks can be downloaded to keep.

WIley IEEE Engineering
Wiley IEEE books on all disciplines related to Engineering from 2015-2022. These books can be downloaded to keep.

Finding properties, constants and mechanics information inside books

Knovel This link opens in a new window
Although this is primarily a resource for chemical data, there is also some useful engineering materials property data.
Not just an eBook platform; also Includes interactive tables & graphs. These books can be downloaded to keep.

[See also Ansys Granta Edupack software for materials properties loaded onto many University of Plymouth computing machines and available for personal download via Work from Home]

Classic textbooks

There are lots of classic textbooks in the Library that contain appendices of tables of properties, constants & mechanical data of materials. Most of these classic texts are only available in print. You will need to search Primo or browse the shelves at 670.42 and 620.11 to find some of these well-known texts by Callister, Groover, Bolton, Ashby, Hibbeler, Askeland, Soutos & Domone and Kalpakjian.

Search tips:

Searching for Young's Modulus of Aluminium in Primo is unlikely to find you the information inside these books as Primo is mainly a title search of eBooks. Broaden your search to generic terms such as Engineering Materials / Mechanics and limit to 'books' in the filters to locate some of these texts. See also the table of Dewey ranges below.

To help you on your way, here are a couple of the few eBook only textbooks on this topic:

Ashby's Engineering Materials 1
2019 5th ed (available to download & keep)
Ashby's Engineering Materials 2
2013 4th ed (available to downloaded and keep)

Key locations of print books on the Library shelves

Borrowing, renewing requesting print books: information on how to borrow

The majority of the engineering books are on Level 0 of the library. Books are classified according to Dewey. Examples of shelfmarks for engineering books:

Subject	Library Level	Shelfmark
Engineering Mathematics	1	510.2462
General Engineering	0	620.001
Civil	0	624
Coastal	0	627
Composites	0	620.118
Control	0	629.8
Electrical	0	621.3
Design	0	620.0042
Manufacturing (also some books here with materials properties tables)	0	670 (670.42 materials tables)
Marine	0	623.8
Materials (these books include materials properties tables & mechanics)	0	620.11
Mechanical	0	621