What is Project Gutenberg?
Project Gutenberg is a free archive of text based works that are in the public domain in the United States. Put another way, these are materials whose copyright has lapsed and no person may claim ownership of the original work, although "derivative" works that substantially alter the original like parodies, retellings, and new translations may be subject to copyright.
Safety
Project Gutenberg is an independent entity not owned or managed by SCF. In the experience of SCF librarians it is a very reliable and safe website but it may still be subject to common internet problems like unplanned outages or, in rare instances, other entities impersonating Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg will never ask for payment information, for you to make an account to access materials, or to disclose personal or financial information for other reasons. If you experience any of these issues, you may be on the wrong website and should verify you have used the correct link.
Tips for Using Project Gutenberg Materials
Readings that use Project Gutenberg should have direct links to the readings in the appropriate section of this guide. Short stories that are part of anthologies may not be directly linked, if not you will need to locate the table of contents and use that to help you locate the story within the larger work.
Project Gutenberg provides numerous options for accessing and downloading its materials. Selecting the best format for your preferred device will make life much easier.
.Doc; .HTML; PDF
These formats are the easiest to use on a laptop or chromebook. DOC and PDF will not reflow the text to better fit the available space on your screen, but HTML typically will adjust automatically to different screen sizes and aspect ratios.
DOC will generally open in Microsoft Word.
PDF will open in your browser or Adobe Acrobat.
HTML will open in your browser.
For anthologies, if the table of contents does not have hyperlinks, you can use the “Find in Page” command in your browser or Word to navigate to the specific story.
EPUB
EPUB is great for reading on a phone, tablet, or eReader device (Kindle, Kobo etc.) Windows cannot normally open this file format without installing a specialized app: Adobe Digital Editions is free and safe but may require creating an account with Adobe in some instances.
If you own a Kindle, you can email EPUBs to your device’s library. For more information on how to do this, see Amazon customer service.
If you own another eReader device such as a Kobo, you can “side load” EPUBs by connecting your device to your computer and moving the file from your computer to your eReader.
The SCF librarians who helped source materials for this course have provided direct links to any physical books available from the library where possible.
These books can be held for you by filling out the Request form.
Requesting Books
To Request a book, click on the link in Canvas or the Library Guide.
This should take you to the item record for that book.
Find the Request link.
If you do not see it, find where it says “Log in to see request options”, click there, and follow your normal log in process for MySCF.
On the Request form, select which campus you would like to pick the book up at.
Set the “no longer needed” date to no later than several days before your assignment is due. This will let staff know that if you don’t pick the book up before that date, they can return it or lend it to another student.
You will receive an email to your student email account when the book is ready for pick up.
Physical items must be moved in the real world: do not wait until the last minute.
Be aware that while there is typically one courier run between campuses on weekdays (Monday through Friday) your book could be delayed in being shipped between campuses due to unforeseen circumstances. Requests made on a Friday are unlikely to be ready for pickup until Monday if the book needs to be shipped between campuses.
SCF Library eBooks
SCF Library eBooks are linked in Canvas or the Library Guide for the appropriate weeks.
These books use either the EBSCO or Proquest platforms.
You will need to be logged into your MySCF account to access the books.
Many books will have a hyperlinked table of contents you can use to navigate to specific chapters or stories.
Some may not. In this instance, you will need to locate the table of contents within the book and then manually navigate to the appropriate page.
Downloading SCF eBooks
Many SCF eBooks allow students to download parts of or all of an eBook.
Check the item record (the first page you see when you click the link in Canvas) for specifics about downloading permissions.
If you are practically able to download and read a book offline, this is preferable to reading the book through the database. Some books have limits on how many simultaneous users can have a book open.
Instructions on how to download an eBook from the databases may vary depending on the title and platform. If there are special instructions, we have tried to include them in the readings list for that week.
Printing eBooks
Most of the eBooks accessed via Proquest or EBSCO should permit at least limited printing if you prefer to read on paper.
If you print on campus, you can take advantage of your $5 printing credit which would account for as much as your first 50 pages of printing.
Please be sure that you are using the print command from the eBook interface not your browser, otherwise the prints may not be formatted correctly.
Library staff can help you if you run into difficulties printing.
Always check the print preview screen before hitting "print" for the final time.
Websites
In addition to Project Gutenberg, this course will occasionally make use of other external websites not managed by SCF. To the extent possible these websites have been vetted for safety and accuracy. Under no circumstances should you need to put in your SCF credentials to access content, create a separate login, or otherwise give away any personal information other than that which would normally be disclosed via accepting cookies.
If you do not see the story or poem assigned, there may be some technical issue occurring. Avoid interacting with a suspicious looking website, never install anything if prompted, and report it to your instructor.
Tips for reading from Websites
Most browsers have a "reading mode" feature that will clear out some distracting elements and emphasize the text. This may be helpful for longer passages.
If you benefit from having text read aloud, the Narrator app in Windows or Voice Over for Mac may be of assistance.
When the library doesn't have a print copy.
While the SCF library has made efforts to secure print copies of as many of these works as is feasible, it is often challenging to find reprints of works in the public domain that meet our standards for quality.
Where we do not have a physical copy of a work, students who have a strong preference for this format are encouraged to look in their local public library.
DeSoto County (Heartland Library Collective)
Worldcat: Convenient search tool that may help you locate opportunities for Interlibrary Loans. Don't wait until the story is assigned.
If you cannot satisfy your needs through a library, you may find what you need in a reputable used bookstore. We encourage you to look in local used bookstores where practical, but if for any reason this is not feasible we suggest the following:
Bookshop.org Web portal through which orders are satisfied by independent bookstores. Has options for both used and new books.
Better World Books Online book retailer that frequently sells retired library books.
Thriftbooks One more independent option for used and new books.
None of these websites are associated with or managed by SCF, the SCF bookstore, or SCF library. Know what you're buying and the terms of sale. Remember you are purchasing a physical item that has to move through the physical world to arrive on your doorstep, don't wait until the story has been assigned. You are not required to buy anything for this class, these are optional suggestions provided for students who prefer physical books.