Research Guides: Ebooks: using our ebook collection: Other ebook sources

Ebook databases

Only our downloadable ebooks from EBSCOhost and ProQuest will be found using the ebook catalogue filter.

Some of our other databases also include ebooks. You can find these ebooks by visiting the database, or by searching the catalogue using the articles filter.

For a complete list visit A-Z databases.

Berg Fashion Library
Read 130+ ebooks covering important classic and modern writings on fashion. Also includes reference works and the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion.
Gale eBooks
Research this extensive collection of reference works covering arts, biography, business, environment, fashion, history, IQ tests, literature, religion, science, sport and more.
Gale eBooks: Medicine
Access a wide selection of encyclopaedias and reference works relating to health and medicine.

Free ebook sites

There are a number of other sources of free ebooks to read or download. Access will vary for each site.

Project Gutenberg Australia
Download free ebooks in the public domain in Australia. Includes classics, fiction and nonfiction on a variety of subjects, including Australian history.
Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
Download free academic, peer-reviewed ebooks on a wide variety of subjects.

DPLA Open Bookshelf
Open Bookshelf is a digital library collection of popular books, formatted and free to download, handpicked by a Curation Corps of librarians from across the US. Requires SimplyE app download.
METPublications
500+ art ebooks available online from the Met Museum.
Open Culture - free ebooks
Scroll to the bottom for useful list of ebook collections available elsewhere.
Open Library
Open Library is an initiative of the Internet Archive with the goal of making published works available to everyone in the world. Many ebooks can borrowed by creating a free account.
Standard Ebooks
A volunteer-driven collection of high quality, carefully formatted, accessible, open source, and free public domain ebooks. Available in four file formats.
University of Adelaide ebooks
A collection of public domain ebooks in an HTML format designed to be as readable as a printed book. Note: site closed Jan 2020, archived via Wayback Machine.

Digitised Library Collections

We began digitising our collections in 1993. Since then, we have digitised more than 770,000 Library items including images and books.

Explore our popular digitised collections.

View all digitised books in our catalogue.

Get catalogue help with viewing digitised collections.

The Australian Slang Dictionary, Cornelius Crowe 1895

National Edeposit (NED)

The National edeposit service (NED) was launched in August 2019 in a world-first collaboration between Australia’s national, state and territory libraries.

Australian publications in electronic form are to be captured and made available through NED. Book-lovers, researchers and curious minds can find Australian literary works alongside newsletters, fanzines, community and government publications.

Depending on the publication's level of access, Victorian Digital Legal Deposit titles read through our catalogue onsite and from home.

State Library Victoria

LIBRARY CLOSURE

In line with the stage 3 restrictions announced by the Premier, State Library Victoria closed on Thursday 9 July.

We will advise when there is any update to this situation.

Our Ask A Librarian reference service is still available to assist with your research inquiries.