The Online Books Page

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

The Online Books Page provides a searchable catalog of over 3 million free books on the Web, with curated and extended shelves, enabling readers to find and read free books online.

Target Customer

General readers and researchers seeking free online books.

Key Differentiator

A large, centralized index of free books (3+ million works) combined with a curated collection (over 80,000 entries) and an 'extended shelves' program from partner organizations, plus a Read Banned Books exhibit.

Implementation Timeline

Not specified in the content

Pain Points

1Difficulty locating free online books across disparate sources
2Need for a single interface to search by author, title, or subject
3Desire for stable links to detailed book descriptions and easy access to reading online

Key Features

1Searchable listings by author, title, subject, and serials
2New Listings and Browsing by Authors, Titles, Subjects, and Serials
3Two shelf systems: a curated collection and extended shelves from partner organizations
4Read online access to listed books
5Archives and indexes for specialized catalogs, including non-English languages
6Banned Books exhibit (Read Banned Books)

Target Customer Industries

Decision Makers

1N/A

Client Results

1Access to a vast catalog of free online books for reading and study
2Ability to read books online via listings
3Stable links to detailed book descriptions and cross-referenced items

Competitive Advantages

1Free for personal, noncommercial use
2Large, centralized index (3+ million works) with a curated core and extended shelves
3Multiple navigation options (author, title, subject, serials) and browsing features
4Stable links to book descriptions and integrated reading experience
5Specialized exhibits (e.g., Read Banned Books) and language-oriented indexes

Key Benefits

1Extensive collection of free online books

2Curated core and extended-shelves approach for broad coverage

3Easy search by author, title, or subject

4Direct reading access from listings

5Stable links to detailed descriptions and cross-references

6Banned Books exhibit adds educational context

Additional Product Information

Product Description

A digital library resource offering a searchable catalog of free online books, with a curated core collection, extensive extended shelves from partner organizations, and features to read books online and explore archives and banned books exhibits.

Target Market

Readers, researchers, educators, and librarians seeking free access to online books and bibliographic information.

Unique Value Proposition

Largest freely accessible, curated bibliographic hub for online books with an integrated extended-shelves approach and reading-access features, plus special exhibits like Read Banned Books.

Technical Requirements

No specific technical requirements listed; designed to work with standard web browsers. Old browsers that do not support forms can use non-form search options for author/title.

Pricing Model

Free for personal, noncommercial use

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