To address the unprecedented global and immediate need for access to reading and research materials, the Internet Archive suspended waitlists on its 1.4 million (and growing) books in their lending library.
This National Emergency Library was available from 24th March - 16 June 2020. The waitlist suspension allowed users to immediately borrow digitised books and supported students, researchers and other readers during a very difficult period when physical access to library collections was not possible.
From the 16th June 2020, traditional controlled digital lending was reintroduced, meaning that users would need to wait for access to a digitised book in the borrowable collection, if it was on loan to another user.
You need to set up a free Internet Archive user account for access.
These borrowable books can be accessed alongside other freely accessible 'always available' digitised books via the Internet Archive book collection.
