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The easiest way to find books to borrow is with the eBook Lending Library which shows books that have editions available through the Internet Archive.

You can also use the search page and check the box "Show only eBooks" though this will also return results in DAISY format. You may also want to browse books in the subject facet.

Follow these steps:

Sign up for an Open Library account

Find a book to borrow

If a BookReader edition is available, you can read it instantly online by clicking the "Read in Browser" link. You're done!

Please see the Internet Archive help page for information about compatible e-readers.

How does borrowing a book work through Open Library?

The Internet Archive and participating libraries have selected digitized books from their collections that are available to be borrowed by one patron at a time from anywhere in the world for free. These books are available in BookReader format and usually in PDF and ePub formats. You can choose which format you prefer.

BookReader editions may be read online immediately in your web browser. No special software is required.

Can I listen to books?

Any book that you can borrow from Open Library is also available in audio form. Click the "listen" button next to the "borrow" button.

LibriVox has books narrated by volunteers. If a book is available on LibriVox you'll see the link listed under ID Numbers.

You can borrow ten books at a time from Open Library. Loans are for one hour for browsing and/or 14 days if the book is fully borrowable. When loans expire the books will be disabled on your device.

Sometimes. If you borrowed a BookReader edition, simply return it from your Loans page.

If you used other software to access your book, you can't return it early but the item will be automatically returned at the end of the loan period.

There's a page under your Open Library Account which displays all the books you've checked out at any one time - https://openlibrary.org/account/loans

Yes! There is a waiting list feature. If you see a book that is checked out, you have an option to add yourself to a waiting list for that book. When the book is returned and available, you will get an email. You then have 24 hours to check the book out. If you do not check out the book before the 24 hours is up, it will be made available to the next person on the list.

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