The Internet Archive has closed its National Emergency Library early following a lawsuit from several publishers.
In effort to make it easier for educators and students to access books during the pandemic, the Internet Archive launched its National Emergency Library back in March of this year with 1.3m books available for checkout, free of charge.
In a blog post, the Internet Archive provided more details on how its National Emergency Library system works, saying:
“Users will be able to borrow books from the National Emergency Library without joining a waitlist, ensuring that students will have access to assigned readings and library materials that the Internet Archive has digitized for the remainder of the US academic calendar, and that people who cannot physically access their local libraries because of closure or self-quarantine can continue to read and thrive during this time of crisis, keeping themselves and others safe.
