FAQ


What is the Canadian Cloud Library?

The Cloud Library is a new online resource that uses Cloud technology to provide quality all-Canadian digital books.


What is in the collections?

Each of our collections offers highly illustrated and visually engaging books for Canadian students. The books cover many of the topics specified in provincial history and social studies curricula.
You can find more about each collection on the About the Collections page


What is needed to use the site?

The site can be accessed from any laptop or desktop running Windows 7, 8,10 or iOS.
You can access the library using current versions of Firefox, Chrome or Safari.
You can use a tablet running Android or Ipads running iOS from version 7.1


How do you access books on the site?

Click anywhere on the cover of the book, or on the Look Inside tab. The book will open within a few seconds. Once a book is open, you can scroll through the entire book, starting with the front cover, followed by the back cover and the title page. The pages you see match exactly the pages of the print version of the book. The digital version of the book is never downloaded to your computer or tablet.


Where do the books come from?

Our collection is 100% Canadian. All our books are written by Canadians authors and produced by Canadian publishers.


How does simultaneous access work?

Each subscription gets one username and password that can be shared with all users of that subscription. We offer both School-based and Board-based subscriptions.


Will my email address be secure?

Yes your email will be secure. The Cloud Library does not share email address or personal data with any third parties. 


 Why are book titles starred? 

Book titles starred indicate highly illustrated books. We have included a selection of books which are not extensively illustrated, but whose content is useful for reference purposes. If you want to stick to checking out illustrated books, keep to those with stars.


How do I search inside a book?

Open the book, and then use the search field and magnifying glass icon you see at the top in the middle of the page display. Enter your search term in the search field. If you click on the magnifying glass icon, click twice to initiate a search. Better, enter your search term and hit Enter on a keyboard to start the search. You can go from one search term to another, generating the search with the Enter key. Note that this search is limited to the content of the book you have open, including the text, photo captions, footnotes, bibliography, references and index entries.


How to do a search covering all the books in the collection?

In the top right hand of your screen you will find a search bar. Search across every title in the collection simply by typing in a specific word, the title of a book or the name of author.


How can I use the table of contents in a book?

Using a tablet double click on the contents page to show links to chapter openings. Click on the link to go to the chapter opening.


Can I use the index to the book?

Yes you can! In almost all cases, you will find the index included in the print version of the book. You can use the page number references to find the indexed entry — but keep in mind that, for now, the pdf pages numbers are off by two pages from the true page number shown on the page itself, and referenced in the index. So, an entry on page 80 of the book (according to the index) will be found on page 82 of the pdf. (See Feedback section for more details.)


Why won’t my book open?

If you click on a book and it fails to open, check to be sure your internet connection is working. The time taken to open the book depends on the speed of your connection, and the bandwidth of the connection. If your book does not open after a reasonable time period, please contact us.


How can I view two-page spreads?

Many illustrated books are designed to be viewed in double-page spreads, rather than page by page. Use the double-page spread tab in the viewer to opt for a double-page views.


Can the size of the page be controlled?

The viewer lets you change the zoom level, so you can zoom in and out of the pages. Use this function to get a close look at details in visuals.


Can users copy text & visuals?

You can use your browser’s copy function to copy text from the book you are looking at. Use the selection tool to highlight the text and either use the key command CTRL+C on a PC, or CMD+C on a Mac, to copy the text. This function allows you to copy a page and paste it as a quotation in a report or essay. Use the ‘About this book’ button to get reference information on the book. Keep in mind that the page numbers you see on the book are identical to the pages in the print version of the book.
You can copy a complete page, including visuals and text, but it’s not possible to copy a single visual from a page.


How can I learn more about the author?

Check the back cover of the book (usually page 2 of the book file) for brief information about a book’s author. Also, go to the ‘About this book’ button for an author biography. You can search across the collection to see if there are other books by the same author in the collection.


How can I learn more about a visual I see?

Most illustrated books have cutlines or captions which describe the content of a visual, and often provide other information such as its date and its artist (in the case of visual art). Most illustrated books also included visual credits, which provide additional information about visuals in that book. It’s usually in the visual credits where you can find detailed information about images which are drawn from archival sources. Often the visual credits will cite the unique identifier an archive uses for an image drawn from its collection.


How much does the site cost?

The cost varies for each collection.
For an annual school-based subscription the prices are as followed:

• The Illustrated Canadian History collection –  $300.00 CAD
• Righting Canada’s Wrongs –  $295.00
• Deal With It: A conflict resolution series for ages 9-14 – $295.00

For more information on pricings please visit our Pricings page