Finding Books to Scan

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There are many places to find books to scan for DP projects.

Remember: before you spend time, money, and effort getting a book to scan, make sure the book you're working on is provably in the public domain and check the in progress list.

Your own library

The easiest place to find a book to scan is right on your own bookshelf. It's free, it's easy, and there's no due date.

Public and university libraries

Of course! You'll have the best luck at finding older books in long-established libraries.

Inter-Library Loan

If your library doesn't have the book you're interested in, check to see if ILL (inter-library loan) service is available.

Library Book Sales

Many libraries hold annual book sales. These usually include both library cast-offs as well as books donated by the general public. Used books are often sold for a dollar or less. Booksale finder is a good source of information about these sales.

Used bookshops

Regular brick and mortar stores, full of old books. A great place to spend a few hours and a great place to find scannable books.

Charity Shops

Goodwill in the U.S., Oxfam and others in the U.K. A few charity shops also have separate bookshops that are more likely to have older titles.

Book Sale Finder.

Lists used book sales and fairs all over the US, with approximate number of books available.

Garage sales, stoop sales, car boot sales and jumble sales

Anywhere people are getting rid of old stuff, they may be getting rid of old books and magazines. Finding hidden gems is harder now that many people check prices against ABEBooks and other online sources.

Online shops

Online bookstores, or general secondhand markets like eBay and Half.com.

Other people's houses

If you have older friends or relatives, see if they have anything that's been sitting on their shelves long enough to have entered the public domain.

Trash

You'd be surprised at what some people throw away. But be safe and hygenic if you're dumpster diving for books!

Tips for buying second hand books

• If you're shopping for old books on line, make sure you're getting and old book and not a print-on-demand printout from the Internet Archive.

• Acquiring Dutch books

• (Books in English) If you're out and about without your copy of David Price's list, and you run across some potential PGDP books, you'll likely save yourself some money if you don't buy books (that you want solely for PG) by anybody you've ever heard of -- especially fiction.