Books

Example Questions That Can Be Answered Using This FARQ

• How can I find the latest John Grishsam novel on the Internet?
• If you’re the Internet Public Library, where are your books?
• How can I find a book that is new or a book that is out-of-print?

People look for books in libraries. Because we’re the Internet Public Library, people ask us about books, too: how to find them using the Internet, whether we can help them locate a particular one, and what books we have available in our collection. The last question is the easiest to answer: visit some of the sites listed in our Online Texts Collection. On this page, you will see many sites that publish online texts, and you can visit each site to search or browse for a particular text. For the other questions, we’ve prepared a short outline that highlights the best sources we know for finding information about books using the Internet.

Most books published after the mid-1920’s are not available for free over the Internet, if they are even available in digital form, due to copyright restrictions. The books in the IPL’s Online Texts Collection are out of copyright and are, thus, freely available.

If your library has an online catalog that’s accessible from the Internet, you can search it from wherever you are. See "Lists of Libraries" below. If you search through and can’t find your library, try visiting or calling the reference desk there to ask about the book you’re interested in.

If your library doesn’t own the book, they may still be able to get it for you. Most libraries can obtain materials for library users via a procedure called Interlibrary Loan or ILL. Your library will contact a library that owns the book you want, and ask if you may borrow it. This procedure may take some time, and it may involve a fee. Ask at your library’s reference desk. You can help your librarian by including as much information as you can find about the book you’re interested in.

You may be able to buy the book, either in person or by ordering it via the Internet. If your book is in print, ask your local bookseller if it is in stock or can be special-ordered for you. There are many online bookstores that will help you via the Internet, see "Bookstores" below.

If your book is out of print, you can either borrow it from a library, or if you are interested in purchasing the book, contact a used book dealer, someone who specializes in tracking down copies of hard-to-find material. See "Out-of-Print and Rare" below.

Places to Search

1. GENERAL BOOKS
   1. Libraries
      1. Union Catalogs: Search Multiple Library Catalogs Simultaneously
         1. National
            1. World Cat
               http://www.worldcat.org/
         2. International
            1. IFLA Directory of National Union Catalogues
               http://www.ifla.org/VI/2/duc/index.htm
            2. ILLWeb (ILL stand for interlibrary loan)
               http://www.law.northwestern.edu/lawlibrary/illweb/gateways.htm
            3. INFO CONNECT: International Union Catalogs
               http://www.lwrw.com/union_catalogs.htm
      2. Large University Libraries
         1. Harvard University
            http://lib.harvard.edu/
         2. The University of California
            http://melvyl.cdlib.org
         3. The University of Michigan
            http://www.lib.umich.edu/
      3. National Libraries
         1. Library of Congress
            http://catalog.loc.gov/
      4. Large Public Libraries
         1. New York Public Library
            http://www.nypl.org/books/
         2. Free Library of Philadelphia
            http://know.library.phila.gov/
         3. San Francisco Public Library
            http://sfpl.org/sfplonline/index.htm
      5. Lists of Libraries: Search Your Library’s Catalog Online
         1. Libweb
            http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/
         2. LibrarySpot.com
            http://www.libraryspot.com/libraries/
   2. Bookstores are helpful for getting information about new books that libraries don’t have yet. Note that we do not endorse any of these bookstores!
      1. Yahoo’s List of Bookstores
         http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Books/Bookstores
      2. Amazon.com
         http://www.amazon.com
      3. Barnes & Noble
         http://barnesandnoble.com
      4. Borders
         http://www.borders.com
      5. Powell’s Books
         http://www.powells.com
2. OLD BOOKS, USED AND RARE
   1. Old book dealers
      1. Yahoo’s Listing of Used Book Dealers
         http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Books/Bookstores/Antique__Rare__and_Used/
      2. Advanced Book Exchange
         http://www.abebooks.com/
      3. BookFinder.com
         http://www.bookfinder.com/