Open Library
openlibrary.org
Internet Archive project cataloging every book ever published with borrowable digital copies of millions.
Why it is useful
The digital borrowing system lets you read books that are still under copyright but out of print — a legal middle ground between piracy and paying for an out-of-print paperback. The catalog is the most comprehensive book database freely available.
More in Archives
Other archives you might not have heard of.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsBrowse and search the Library of Congress's digitized collections, spanning maps, photographs, manuscripts, films, sound recordings, and printed works.
- Flickr CommonsA collaborative project where public institutions share photographs from their collections on Flickr, making millions of historical images freely accessible.
- Getty Open ContentThe Getty's collection of artworks made freely available under an open content program, with high-resolution downloads and no usage restrictions.
- Met Museum Open AccessThe Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of 490,000+ artworks released under open access, free to download and use for any purpose.
- National Library of IsraelDigital archive of historical Jewish and Israeli newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs spanning the 19th and 20th centuries.
- FamilySearchA free genealogy archive with billions of historical records — census data, birth and death records, immigration documents — searchable by name.