It’s no secret that books and other academic resources are expensive. Using copies that are illegally obtained come with a cost too. In addition to violating copyright law, it denies income to authors that is rightfully theirs. In addition, using pirated copies supports organizations that operate in violation of the law and puts the University at risk. Ask yourself whether you want to endorse those kinds of businesses and how you would feel if someone obtained an illegal copy of something you wrote.
Three of the most widely-known websites that provide illegally obtained content include Sci-Hub, Scribd and Lib-Gen. In addition, be suspicious of websites that require you to upload content in order to download items, have URLs that frequently change or offer free content that you know others are having to pay for.
To be clear, resources that are designated Open Access (OA) conform to a specific publishing model that meets legal standards and are available for free. One well-known OA website is the Directory of Open Access Journals. Another reputable resource for finding free legally obtained journal articles is Unpaywall.
The most reliable way to find legal copies of books and articles is none other than your library. We offer a free and fast service for procuring copies of articles that aren’t otherwise available via our database subscriptions. Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to offer checkout services and have extended borrowing periods. We can also help you search for legal copies of free resources and in some cases such as for books may purchase a copy if it’s a good fit for the collection. If you have any questions, please reach out to your librarians: library@bastyr.edu
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