How can I find and read non-copyrighted (freely available) books?

Did you know that Bookshare includes nearly 10,000 books that are not copyrighted and available to anyone, even non-members of Bookshare?

For example, here are three lists containing hundreds of freely available titles that anyone can access:

To search the full collection of freely available titles:

  • Go to the Advanced Search page in Bookshare (you'll find the Advanced Search link under the standard search box in the Bookshare header)
  • Choose "Freely Available Books" from the list of which "Books to Search"
  • You may want to further limit your search, selecting categories or books with images, etc.
  • Select the "Advanced Search" button

Bookshare  will display the list of freely-available books in the search results screen.

You can further refine your search using these filters and drop-down options in the left-hand menu:

  • Sort the list by Copyright Date so that the most recent books appear first
  • Select specific language(s) or authors from the drop-down lists
  • Identify the category or categories of books you would like to include

Once you find a book or books that meet your criteria, you can read them or share them with others:

  • Select "Read Now" (if available) to open the book in Bookshare Web Reader, a basic browser-based tool for quick and easy reading
  • Download the book in your preferred format, depending on the reading tool you will use
  • If you are a Bookshare member, you can add any of these books to a Reading List
  • If you are a Sponsor on an organization account, you can assign the book to a member listed on your account

What are freely-available books? They are books that are no longer under copyright, were never copyrighted, or perhaps were created as an "Open Educational Resource" or Creative Commons work.