Science, technology, engineering and mathematics publishers are making more and more of their publications freely available online. I recently received emails from IOP and AIP informing me about some of their publications changing to an Open Access model. But the most exciting news is from the National Academies Press!
They’ve made most of their books available for free PDF download. This means that a wealth of information is now available to anyone interested in books from the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.
You need to create an account and agree to their rights statement to download a book. That rights statement means that you can’t send the PDF to your colleagues and friends. You should direct others to the NAP site so they can download the PDF themselves. Their FAQ describes social networking tools you can use to share information about their titles with your colleagues.
If you own an e-reader, you’re in luck! Most e-readers can display basic PDF files. Please see our new E-Book guide for more information about e-books and e-readers.