LibGuides: Open Access eBooks: Introduction

Open Access Guides

What is Open Access?

Open access (OA) refers to digital content that is available free of charge for everyone. Originally associated only with scholarly journals that published free online, the concept has been extended to other types of content such as eBooks and media. In some cases OA content may also be free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.

Open Access eBooks

Yes, free eBooks! We've collected some of the best sites on the Web that offer open access or free eBooks available to anyone with Internet access. Some can be downloaded, some have to be read online.

Don't Forget About COM Library eBooks!

COM students, faculty and staff can access full text eBooks from eBook Central, EBSCO, Gale, Hoopla and more on or of campus 24/7.

Free Downloadable eBooks

Most of these eBooks can be downloaded to an eReader or eBook app in eBook formats such as ePub or mobi (kindle).

Amazon Kindle Free eBook Collections Free classics and out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books, as well as limited-time free promotional ebooks available for Kindle.
Barnes & Noble Free eBooks Use on your Nook, Nook software or Barnes & Noble eReader software or app.
Free-eBooks.net Discover fiction, from romance to mystery, or non-fiction, from business information to self-improvement.
Internet Archive Download free books and texts. The Internet Archive Text Archive contains a wide range of fiction, popular books, children's books, historical texts and academic books.
LibriVox (audiobooks) LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening.
ManyBooks.net manybooks.net strives to provide eBooks in as many formats as possible.
Open Library Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive. The goal is one web page for every book ever published. Not every book listed has a free eBook version, but there are many available through Open Library and you can limit your search to eBooks.
Project Gutenberg One of the most comprehensive collections of electronic texts on the Internet. Many books can be downloaded for iPad, Kindle, Nook, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Reader.