Tag: Internet Text Archives

The Texts section of the Internet Archive is a great resource for primary sources as they provide free access to books in the public domain that would not be in most library collections. This non-profit organization has partnered with a number of institutions, including Duke University Libraries, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, and the University of California Libraries, to scan books in their collections. While some tips are listed below, you can find more information on their FAQ page.

Using the Internet Archive

	Browse/Search by Collection – Try browsing or searching by collection to   get an idea as to what is available on this site. “American Libraries” and “Children’s Library” highlight some of the best books on their collections front page.
	Search Options – Select the relevant collection or sub-collection from the drop down menu
	Sort Results By – Several options are available; try sorting by “Download count” or “Average rating” to get the best or highest quality digital version
	Book Contributor – This site can have multiple versions of some books, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin. If a particular version has a problem (i.e. poor image quality), look for another copy uploaded by different contributor.
	View the Book – While several viewing options are available, “Read Online” and “Full Text” are the easiest to use since extra programs or browser plugins are not required.
	Short, Stable URL – Use the URL from a book’s detail page.

Recommended Sources

Have you found any sources that have been particularly helpful or interesting? Let us know!

Google Books is a great resource for primary sources as they provide free access to books in the public domain that would not be in most library collections. Google has partnered with a number of university libraries, including Columbia, Harvard, and Oxford, to scan books in their collections. While some tips are listed below, you can find more comprehensive overview at the Google Books Help page.

Using Google Books

	Not all of the books are online in full – Google organizes their collection into four categories: Full View, Limited Preview, Snippet View, and No Preview Available. You can learn more about each category here.
	Clip Tool – Generates plain text and a screenshot from a specific part of the book that you select. For example, this image is a screenshot from a section of page 82 in this book.
	Link Tool – Provides a stable URL to a specific page in a book. Note that this link will include settings such as the search results – click here for an example.
	Short, Stable URL – If you want a short, stable URL to a specific book, remove everything after the first & symbol in a URL. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Searching Google Books

	Google Books provides a number of different ways to sort search results, including sort by relevance/date, document type, and time period. Select “Full View” to limit search results to those sources that are in the public domain.
	Need information about a specific person? Try searching by entering “Last Name, First Name” and a key term such as “Encyclopedia” “Cyclopedia” “Biographical” or “Library” (quotations included). If any encyclopedias have an entry on that person, they will be among the first search results. For example, take a look at this search on John McClintock

Recommended Sources

Have you found any sources on Google Books that have been particularly helpful or interesting? Let us know!