Web-based Libraries & Portals
Bookshare
Offers accessible books and periodicals for readers of all ages with print disabilities. The books are free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities. Student memberships are currently funded by an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The site has a searchable with more than 45,000 digital books, textbooks, teacher-recommended reading, periodicals and assistive technology tools. Bookshare offers affordable membership, unlimited library privileges and a community of members, volunteers, parents, publishers and authors.Librivox
LibriVox provides over 2000 free audiobooks from the public domain. Volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then release the audio files back onto the net for free. Everything is in the public domain, free to use by anyone.University of Virginia Library
The Library has has many online resources for visitors, including an extensive collection of digitized books. It has been heavily involved with Google in its efforts to make library collections available on the Internest, and boasts a number of searchable e-texts.Internet Public Library
Founded at the University of Michigan School of Information and hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology, the IPL is described as "the first public library of and for the Internet community." Begun as an educational initiative designed to provide students and professionals in the library and information science (LIS) profession a place to explore and learn about the practice of librarianship in the digital age, it has many useful resources.Read Print
Read Print is another free, online library. The website offers thousands of free books for students, teachers, and the classic enthusiast. The collection is searchable, with broad offerings of classic literature and Shakespeare.Lit2Go
Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. The files can be downloaded to an MP3 player and listened to on the go or on the computer. The text of the stories and poems can also be downloaded as text or Acrobat files or read in a Web browser.
Bibliomania
Free online literature with more than 2000 classic texts, literature book notes, author biographies, book summaries and reference books. Read classic fiction, drama, poetry, short stories, contemporary articles, and interviews. There are also study guides to the most read books and help for teachers.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg was one of the first (if not the first) concerted online effort to digitize literature. There are over 28,000 free books in the Online Book Catalog and a grand total of over 100,000 titles available at Project Gutenberg Partners, Affiliates and Resources.
Children's Digital Library
The International Children's Digital Library Foundation is devoted to exciting and inspiring the world's children to become members of the global community - children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online.
UDL Book Builder
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) recognizes that every learner is unique and processes information differently. UDL is based on CAST's research related to three primary brain networks (recognition network, strategic network, and affective network) and the roles they play in understanding these differences. UDL provides a framework to create and implement lessons with flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that support learning for all students.
UDL Editions - Book selection
Drawing from brain research and using new media, the UDL framework guides educators to provide three kinds of flexibility: to represent information in multiple formats and media, to provide multiple pathways for students' strategies and expression and to provide multiple ways to engage students' interest and motivation.
NIMAS at CAST.org
NIMAS guides the production and electronic distribution of digital versions of textbooks and other instructional materials so they can be more easily converted into accessible formats.
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