30 Pages Posted: 12 Jun 2015 Last revised: 31 Jul 2018

Date Written: December 12, 2014

Abstract

This paper first reconstructs the growth of the biggest piratical online scientific text collection through an examination of changes in its catalogue over time, and evaluates how much of the catalogue is accessible through legal alternatives. Then, we discuss the demand for books on these sites, based on log data acquired from one of the mirrors of this shadow library. We take a look at what is being downloaded from the library and by whom. The third part connects the supply and demand discussions to reflect on the wider impact of these shadow libraries on libraries, higher education institutions, publishers and authors.