About Notes and Highlights

Bookshelf allows you to create custom notes and highlights that will sync automatically. Once synced, your notes will be available to you on any of your internet enabled devices. You can also choose to share any or all of your notes and highlights with your classmates that use Bookshelf and have the same books that you do.

Making Highlights

Notes can be added to a highlight. First, create a highlight by selecting the text you would like to add a note to, then click create highlight. To add a note, double click on the highlight. A panel will pop up.
Type your note into this panel and then close by clicking the red button/X. Your note will automatically save and sync to all of your devices.

Viewing notes

Highlights with notes are shown by the symbol appearing at the end of the line. To view the note, double click on the highlighted text and the note will appear in a popup. It is also possible to directly edit the note on this screen.

Working with Highlighters

* Notes, highlights, and highlighters are automatically synced to the server as long as you are connected to the internet. If no internet connection is present syncing will occur next time an internet connection is made.

Adding a Global Highlighter

To make a new highlighter for use in your books press the New Highlighterbutton at the bottom right side of the primary Bookshelf window. You may also go to the File menu and select New Highlighter. A new highlighter will appear with the rest of your global highlighters. From there you can right click on the highlighter and select Rename Highlighter to change its name. Once you are finished press enter or click with the left mouse button and the name will be approved. To adjust the color of a highlighter right click on the highlighter you want to change and select Change color for ”Name of Highlighter.” In the pallet box that appears select the color you desire and click the OK button.

Removing a Global Highlighter

Find the Highlighter you wish to remove and select it. Right click on the highlighter you wish to remove. Select Delete highlighter ”Name of highlighter”. If there are no highlights or notes present the highlighter will be automatically removed.

Tips and Tricks for working with Highlights and Notes

Notes vs Highlights: You can make a highlight in your text without a note, but in order to make a note you have to have a highlight that accompanies it.

Finding & viewing a note: Highlights with notes will have a Sticky Note icon appear next to the highlight. Hover over the sticky note to see the note text.

Adding notes to exiting highlight: If you want to add a note to an existing highlight double click anywhere on the highlight and the note window will appear. Once you have typed your note simply close the window and it will automatically save.

Editing a note: If you need to edit an existing note simply double click anywhere on the highlight and the note window will appear. Once you have made your edits simply close the window and it will automatically save.

Deleting a note: To delete a note double click anywhere on the highlight and the note window will appear. Delete all the text in the note window and close the note window. The highlight will remain but your note will be removed.

Deleting a highlight: To delete a highlight simply right click on the highlight and select Remove Highlight.

Changing an individual highlight color: If you change your mind about which highlighter you wanted to use you can edit that by right clicking anywhere on the highlight and selecting Change to Highlighter > ”Name of Highlighter”.

Changing a global highlighter color: Changes made to a global highlighter in the main Bookshelf window will be applied to all the highlights associated with that highlighter. (Example: changing the color of Exam to purple in the main window will make your book highlights purple).

Table of Contents

To jump to a different chapter, tap the Table of Contents button in the toolbar. The table of contents will appear and allow you to quickly move to another chapter.

Searching in Bookshelf

The VitalSource bookshelf application has flexible and powerful search options that you can’t get with a traditional textbook. You can search through:

  • entire library
  • highlights
  • specific books

Search in a single title

  • Find and open the book you want to search.
  • In the Search box at the top of the Navigation pane on the left hand side, enter the word or phrase you want to find in this book. Your search results will include a preview of that search word or phrase as it appears in your book.
  • Click the result in the Navigation pane to view that word or phrase in the context of the book.

Tip: Be sure to click the result to jump to the search term. If you click the chapter heading you’ll jump to the start of the chapter. The Book window displays the locations of the search result you selected.

Your search term will be selected in a different color within the book so you can find it easily.

When you are done with your searching, simply click on the “X” in the search bar to remove the search term.

Search Highlights

You can also click on the Highlights button to search through the highlights you’ve made. When you are done with your searching, simply click on the “X” in the search bar.