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4 Free Online Resources for Books


By Kate A.

Hello, and welcome back to the blog. If you're anything like me, you are stuck at home with no books to read because you've already read everything you could find. All the libraries are closed, so I thought I would tell you guys about some websites you can go to if you want to read some new books. All of these websites are free, easy to access, and some of them don't require a library card! If you don't already have a library card, you can sign up for a virtual library card here if you live in Champaign or here if you live in Urbana. A virtual library card will allow you to access online books and audiobooks for 90 days, but it won't allow you to access everything at the library.

1. Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is a collection of full text eBooks in the public domain. Most of the books in the collection are older works with an expired US copyright. It is the oldest digital library and was created by Michael S. Hart with the goal of making full text books available to everyone. It doesn't require a library card, and you don't have to register, so it is very easy to access books.

2. Hoopla: You can borrow audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, music, and TV shows using Hoopla. You have to register using a library card from one of several public libraries in Illinois, including the Champaign Public Library and the Urbana Free Library. With this website, you can borrow up to 20 items each month, and you have access to pretty much everything that you could have borrowed at the library besides physical books.

3. Digital Library of Illinois: With this service, you can access audiobooks, ebooks, and videos. It is similar to Hoopla, and you need a library card to register, but you can access a wide variety of books online. It also allows you to view the book in the browser or download it to a device. You can borrow up to 10 items at once for up to 2 weeks at a time (there are no overdue fees).

4. University of Illinois Library: Of course, if you don't want to use any of these websites, you could always stick to using the UIUC library. You can't check out the physical books, but they have other eBooks and audiobooks you can use online. Obviously, you can access it using your Illinois NetID and password, and it doesn't require a library card.

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