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DRM free resources

Find DRM-free ebooks

What are DRM-free resources?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) regulates how online resources can be accessed, downloaded, copied and printed by end-users. Resources with DRM restrictions have limits on how much of a resource can be copied and downloaded (for example, one chapter per day). Some resources with DRM restrictions also limit the number of simultaneous borrowers, only allowing a limited number of people access at any one time.

DRM-free resources are online resources purchased by the Library with copyright restrictions that offer far greater accessibility and flexibility for individual use. DRM-free resources can be copied and downloaded in their entirety and accessed by an unlimited number of users at the same time.

Why use DRM-free resources?

DRM-free resources:

  • allow an unlimited number of users to simultaneously download, copy and print the entirety of a resource
  • are available to be accessed from any location, at any time and at no cost to the end user
  • can be searched when reading online
  • allow citations to be copied or exported to reference management tools such as EndNote
  • cannot be modified and cannot be shared publicly (can only be shared with subscribed end users, e.g., UniSA staff and students)

Begin your search with these DRM-free platforms

Click here to view more
  • Brill 
    Search from over 19,000 ebooks from a wide variety of disciplines
  • Emerald 
    Emerald has over 2,500 innovative eBook titles across a wide range of disciplines
  • Oxford Medicine Online
    Search over 1,000 of Oxford University Press’ renowned medical ebooks

Check out our eBook guide for more information on each of these platforms and help using ebooks.

The student perspective

Watch the video below (4 min 32 sec) to hear student thoughts on textbooks.

Further information

For information on how to find content which is DRM free and allows unlimited user access refer to our quick guide on how to find flexibly licensed textbooks:

How open is it? Licences explained

Licence type  Licence conditions 
Public domain Free from any copyright restrictions. Can be modified and reused by anyone for free without permission, including for commercial purposes
Openly license Free to access and free to share. License terms vary, check to see whether adaptation or commercial use are restricted
DRM free resources Library purchased ebooks and journals which can be used flexibly within the university. Unlimited number of simultaneous viewers. Downloading and printing is not restricted. Cannot be adapted and cannot be shared outside of UniSA
Unlimited user license Library purchased ebooks with no limits on the number of simultaneous viewers. Download and print limits apply. Cannot be adapted and cannot be shared outside of UniSA 
Multi-user license Library purchased ebooks with no limits on the number of simultaneous viewers but with a yearly quota of total accesses. Download and print limits apply. Cannot be adapted and cannot be shared outside of UniSA
Limited license Library purchased ebooks with limits on the number of simultaneous viewers (often 1-3). Download and print limits apply. Cannot be adapted and cannot be shared outside of UniSA

Need more flexible resources?

Please see the Find page for resources which are licensed for free use and can be used and shared more flexibly. 

For more information on Open Access resources, please see our Open Access Guide.