Z-Library was one of the largest illicit digital book sharing platforms on the internet before it was taken down earlier this month.
The site had been operating since 2009 and at its peak hosted more than 10 million e-books and 86 million articles for free download.
Z-Library was hardly a rare case. Illegal file sharing has always been present on the internet, and there continue to be plenty of choices for free downloading of digital books.
Some of these libraries focus on works of fiction, or textbooks, or scientific journal articles.
Before its removal, Z-Library had been one of the staple resources for students looking to gain free access to academic textbooks.
This is especially true for students in developing nations, where punishing currency exchange rates and limited institutional funding can make textbook expenses prohibitive.
The site was taken down on November 4, with the US Department of Justice taking responsibility. The Department of Justice also reported that two people involved with Z-Library had been arrested in Argentina.
While illicit digital libraries are far from new, the recent moves seem to be in response to a growing trend on TikTok of users promoting Z-Library.
The “zlibrary” hashtag had garnered more than 19 million views on the platform which prompted a complaint by the writers advocacy group Authors Guild.
Fortunately there remain alternatives to Z-Library.
Genuine, copyright-respecting online libraries like Open Library and OverDrive allow you to legally borrow digital copies of books.
596Project Gutenberg is another site which hosts a large collection of older books whose copyright period has expired.
However, illicit alternatives for all types of digital books remain, such as Library Genesis. There is also the non-profit and ad-free platform Sci-Hub, which makes scientific research and academic journal articles freely available.
IOL Tech