Pirate Libraries: PDF's & ILL's

[Snow Bird-Worldism Crash]

Does anyone make extensive use of "pirate libraries"?

All around the world, shadow libraries keep growing, filled with banned materials. But no actual papers trade hands: everything is digital, and the internet-accessible content is not banned for shocking content so much as that modern crime, copyright infringement.

But for the people who run the world’s pirate libraries, their goals are no less ambitious for their work’s illicit nature.

“It’s the creation of a universal library of the best stuff,” says Joe Karaganis, who studies media piracy at Columbia University’s policy think tank, American Assembly. “That will not include the latest Danielle Steel novel.”

It does, however, include hundreds of thousands of books and millions of journal articles that otherwise are found only through expensive academic journals. Scanned or downloaded from journal sites, they are available through pirate libraries for free.

Source: The Rise of Pirate Libraries - Atlas Obscura

I don't have academic access since I graduated a few years ago but would still want to get my research on, especially when Wikipedia always needs more citations. I'm waiting to hear back from The Wikipedia Library for JSTOR access, but until then I'm curious what NS users use.

[Gages Icelandic Army]

I don't know where to go to find pirate libraries.
I mean, I obey the law you heathen.

[Valgora]

Does anyone make extensive use of "pirate libraries"?

All around the world, shadow libraries keep growing, filled with banned materials. But no actual papers trade hands: everything is digital, and the internet-accessible content is not banned for shocking content so much as that modern crime, copyright infringement.

But for the people who run the world’s pirate libraries, their goals are no less ambitious for their work’s illicit nature.

“It’s the creation of a universal library of the best stuff,” says Joe Karaganis, who studies media piracy at Columbia University’s policy think tank, American Assembly. “That will not include the latest Danielle Steel novel.”

It does, however, include hundreds of thousands of books and millions of journal articles that otherwise are found only through expensive academic journals. Scanned or downloaded from journal sites, they are available through pirate libraries for free.

Source: The Rise of Pirate Libraries - Atlas Obscura

I don't have academic access since I graduated a few years ago but would still want to get my research on, especially when Wikipedia always needs more citations. I'm waiting to hear back from The Wikipedia Library for JSTOR access, but until then I'm curious what NS users use.

So basically, they provide informative reading things that would normally cost money.
Sounds good to me.

[Gages Icelandic Army]

Where would a deplorable (not me of course) come across one of these?

[Frank Zipper]

I don't know where to go to find pirate libraries.

Well if X marks the spot they aren't using the Library of Congress Classification. Shiver my shelf marks.

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Where would a deplorable (not me of course) come across one of these?

Helpful link

[Gages Icelandic Army]

Where would a deplorable (not me of course) come across one of these?

Helpful link

I literally hate you.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Can't say that I make use of such a thing.

[San Marlindo]

I've heard most of these sites are hosted in Russia, Moldova, and one of the ex-Yugoslav republics (Montenegro?) and they mostly offer Western books for download.

I don't use their services personally because for every real pirated library there are a dozen fake ones that will cover you up in malware if you click on the link to download a book. They're just so sketchy it's obvious it will happen.

These sites thrive off the ad revenue they get from idiotic shmucks who come looking for free books.

Nothing is free.

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

This expressions exist for a reason.

[The BlAAtschApen]

Where would a deplorable (not me of course) come across one of these?

We're not going to link to any piracy website here.

The discussion about the ethics and (il)legality of pirate libraries is fine. But well, don't link them here.

Also, Gages Icelandic Army, don't think I'm singling you out here. It's just that your post made a good jumping point for my cautionary post
The Blaatschapen - NationStates Moderator

[Internationalist Bastard]

Imdon't know where to find my public library

[Community Values]

Wouldn't places like Marxist Internet Archive count as a Pirate Library?

Also, maybe if people didn't make textbooks so expensive, I wouldn't have to google search "textbook free pdf"

[Esternial]

I use one particular website which supplies a metric tonne of academic articles without the paywalls that most academic journals have.

Not sure about the legality and whether it's actually a pirate site, tho.

[Salandriagado]

Sure. There's a huge amount of illegal sharing of academic work bypassing paywalls, all over the world. It's far from secret, and generally accepted by everybody (at least in mathematics, no idea about other disciplines). In fact, on several occasions, I've been "illegally" sent copies of works by one of the actual authors themselves (the authors having previously signed away rights to them for one reason or another).

[Trotskylvania]

Nice try, FBI

[Chestaan]

I can definitely see why such a thing exists, journal articles cost an absolute bomb to access if you don't have access through college.

[Pasong Tirad]

I've been using websites that give free access to journal articles since college. Not to mention the fact that torrenting sites are, in the Philippines, technically-illegal-but-not-enforced, so if I want to, say, get a copy of a certain book or film, I don't have a problem getting it. If we're going into the ethics of it, I justify the pirating of journal articles because they're expensive as hell to get through legal means and I can't pass certain tests or requirements in classes without them - that being said, I do understand that academics barely make enough as it is and I do know that I'm stealing their work (although I don't know how they feel about it - maybe some of them might be okay with it), I honestly don't know how to reconcile the two.

[Chestaan]

I've been using websites that give free access to journal articles since college. Not to mention the fact that torrenting sites are, in the Philippines, technically-illegal-but-not-enforced, so if I want to, say, get a copy of a certain book or film, I don't have a problem getting it. If we're going into the ethics of it, I justify the pirating of journal articles because they're expensive as hell to get through legal means and I can't pass certain tests or requirements in classes without them - that being said, I do understand that academics barely make enough as it is and I do know that I'm stealing their work (although I don't know how they feel about it - maybe some of them might be okay with it), I honestly don't know how to reconcile the two.

Well if it helps, academics generally don't get paid based on how many times their article is viewed/cited. Really by pirating journal article the only people you are hurting are the journals themselves.

[Pasong Tirad]

I've been using websites that give free access to journal articles since college. Not to mention the fact that torrenting sites are, in the Philippines, technically-illegal-but-not-enforced, so if I want to, say, get a copy of a certain book or film, I don't have a problem getting it. If we're going into the ethics of it, I justify the pirating of journal articles because they're expensive as hell to get through legal means and I can't pass certain tests or requirements in classes without them - that being said, I do understand that academics barely make enough as it is and I do know that I'm stealing their work (although I don't know how they feel about it - maybe some of them might be okay with it), I honestly don't know how to reconcile the two.

Well if it helps, academics generally don't get paid based on how many times their article is viewed/cited. Really by pirating journal article the only people you are hurting are the journals themselves.

And I really don't think journals are multi-billion dollar companies that can afford a couple of pirated losses. Journals aren't like music producers and stuff.