LibGuides: Ebooks: Public Ebook Resources

Public Ebook Resources

Here are three public ebook resources that allow people to access ebooks for free.

Internet Archive and Libby require people to create accounts and then lets them check out ebooks, similar to physical libraries. In order to check out books from Libby, you must have a library card, as it is linked directly to libraries' catalogs, allowing participating libraries to continue to check out materials during the pandemic.

Project Gutenberg focuses on books that have expired copyrights, so there are virtually no restrictions on reading, downloading, and printing.

Internet Archive

Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Open Library
An offshoot of Internet Archive with a different look, focusing on books. Its homepage displays books by categories, making it easier to browse for books if you do not already have one in mind.
Borrowing From The Lending Library
Internet Archive's page describing how to create an account, how to borrow books, the loan period duration, and the difference between borrowing from the Archive page and the Open Library Page

Libby

Libby
An app (and website) that allows you to check out ebooks and audiobooks from your local library, as long as you have a library card.

*Note: Not all libraries use Libby, but the Houston Public Library does!

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg
"Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free ebooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired."

Due to the expired copyrights, users do not have any restrictions on downloading, printing, or viewing the books.