Open Library-borrow books for free.

Did you know that there’s a free lending library online? OpenLibrary allows access to plenty of books with a free account. You may borrow up to 5 books at a time. It’s kind of a random little library. You won’t find a ton of the newest bestsellers, and some very popular authors are under represented (there are some but it isn’t the backbone of this collection). But what you may find are little hidden treasures of books that may be out of print and may never see release as an ebook. These are scanned copies, often of older books, so even if epub is available, you will want to request the pdf version. Adobe Digital Editions is required for downloading most books, but there is often a read in browser version too.

For the visually impaired, they also offer protected Daisy files. I am unsure how those work, but they are available.

It’s a free and legal alternative to pirating for the voracious reader on a budget, especially if that reader either doesn’t want to deal with their public library or their library doesn’t have a connection to OverDrive.

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