How to Access Free eBooks (by the Millions!)

Would you like to access free eBooks in your school, classroom, or home? Open Library is a must-see for reading enthusiasts everywhere.

Access free eBooks via Open Library.

No matter what type of literature you're looking for, there's something for you over at Open Library.

Open Library has put together over a million free eBook titles. It's all available online, open to anyone who'd like to take a look. There is an especially broad range of material in the Classical Literature genre, mainly because the majority of that material has an open copyright at this time. However, you'll find everything from Shakespeare to children's picture books.

The biggest flaw of the site is simply that there's SO MUCH content available. With so much available, it can be a little difficult to get started. This is why one of my favorite features of Open Library is the “Lists” section of the site.

Inside the Lists area, you'll view users' listings of materials available both on and off of Open Library. For example, this list features children's picture books about the American Revolution, a great resource for any teacher discussing this topic with younger students. Along with the list of titles, Open Library shows you how you can access each book — whether it be online via Open Library, your local library, or another source.

In addition to everything Open Library offers on its own, you can also access even more through their library lending partnership program. Thousands of libraries joined up with Open Library to take part in a lending partnership. This means you may be able to access even more titles for free, as long as your local library system participates in the exchange. Click here to see if your library is already taking part.

What are you waiting for? Check out this phenomenal resource and see all that it has to offer. Let me know what you think about it in a comment on this article.

Kimber Thompson is a Lead Moderator for SimpleK12 webinars and a Contributing Editor for SimpleK12.com. She writes frequently about education topics, and is passionate about tools and techniques that inspire young learners. You may reach her with ideas and comments at editor@simplek12.com.