📚 Free & Open Media Access Guide
Access millions of books, academic papers, comics, and audiobooks through open-source and public domain repositories.
The Usenet Media Stack provides professional integration with legitimate free media sources, making it easy to build a comprehensive library of open-access content.
🎯 What You Get Access To
📖 Books & Academic Papers
- Anna's Archive - Professional tier access to millions of academic papers, textbooks, and public domain works
- Internet Archive - Vast collection of digitized books and historical documents
- Project Gutenberg - Over 60,000 free eBooks in multiple formats
- Open Library - Lending library with millions of books
- arXiv.org - Open-access repository of scientific papers
🎨 Comics & Manga
- YACReader Integration - Professional comic reading and library management
- Comic Book Plus - Golden Age comics in public domain
- Digital Comic Museum - Historical comics and graphic novels
- Manga repositories - Open-access manga and webcomics
🎧 Audiobooks & Podcasts
- LibriVox - Public domain audiobooks read by volunteers
- Internet Archive Audio - Historical recordings and spoken word
- Podcast archives - Educational and cultural content
- University lectures - MIT OpenCourseWare, Stanford, etc.
🚀 Quick Setup Guide
Step 1: Deploy the Stack
bash
git clone https://github.com/Aristoddle/usenet-media-stack.git
cd usenet-media-stack
./usenet deploy --autoStep 2: Request Professional Access
Step 3: Configure Your Services
YACReader (Comics/Manga)
- Access at
http://your-server:8082 - Supports CBR, CBZ, PDF formats
- Advanced library management and reading features
- Mobile app available for iOS/Android
Readarr (Books/Audiobooks)
- Access at
http://your-server:8787 - Automated book and audiobook management
- Integration with Calibre for format conversion
- Metadata enrichment and organization
Jellyfin (Media Streaming)
- Access at
http://your-server:8096 - Stream all your content anywhere
- Hardware-accelerated transcoding
- Mobile apps and browser access
🔗 Free Media Sources
Legal & Open Access
| Source | Content Type | Integration |
|---|---|---|
| Anna's Archive | Academic papers, textbooks | Professional API access |
| Internet Archive | Books, audio, video | Direct download/streaming |
| Project Gutenberg | Classic literature | Automated ingestion |
| arXiv.org | Scientific papers | API integration |
| LibriVox | Audiobooks | RSS/podcast feeds |
| Comic Book Plus | Golden Age comics | Web scraping tools |
Academic Resources
- MIT OpenCourseWare - Free course materials
- Stanford Encyclopedia - Philosophy and academic content
- JSTOR Open - Academic papers and research
- Directory of Open Access Journals - Peer-reviewed articles
- Sci-Hub Mirror Lists - Academic paper access
📱 Mobile-First Experience
Optimized for Mobile Users
- Responsive design - All interfaces work perfectly on phones
- PWA support - Install as app on your phone
- Offline reading - Download content for offline access
- Touch-friendly - Optimized for mobile browsing
Mobile Apps Available
- Jellyfin Mobile - iOS/Android streaming
- YACReader Mobile - Comic reading on the go
- Calibre Companion - eBook management
- Web interfaces - Work great in mobile browsers
🎓 Educational Use Cases
Students & Researchers
- Access academic papers and textbooks
- Build personal research libraries
- Organize course materials
- Share resources with study groups
Educators
- Create course material repositories
- Share open educational resources
- Build multimedia lesson plans
- Provide students with free textbook alternatives
Hobbyists & Readers
- Build personal digital libraries
- Discover new authors and genres
- Access rare and out-of-print works
- Enjoy classic literature and comics
⚖️ Legal & Ethical Guidelines
What's Included
- ✅ Public domain works - No copyright restrictions
- ✅ Creative Commons content - Explicitly open for sharing
- ✅ Academic preprints - Author-submitted open access
- ✅ Government publications - Public domain by law
- ✅ Open educational resources - Designed for sharing
Best Practices
- 🔒 Respect copyrights - Only access legally available content
- 📚 Support authors - Buy books you love when possible
- 🎓 Educational use - Focus on learning and research
- 🌍 Share knowledge - Contribute to open access initiatives
🛠️ Advanced Configuration
Custom Sources
Add your own free media sources:
yaml
# config/custom-sources.yml
sources:
- name: "University Library"
type: "academic"
api_endpoint: "https://library.edu/api"
auth_required: false
- name: "Local Archive"
type: "books"
path: "/media/archives/books"
format: ["pdf", "epub", "mobi"]Automated Downloads
Set up automated ingestion:
bash
# Download new academic papers daily
./usenet --services configure readarr --source arxiv --categories "cs.AI,cs.LG"
# Monitor public domain releases
./usenet --services configure sonarr --source gutenberg --auto-download📞 Get Help & Support
Need Assistance?
Community Resources
- GitHub Issues - Technical support and bug reports
- Documentation - Comprehensive guides and examples
- Video Tutorials - Step-by-step setup walkthroughs
This guide focuses exclusively on legal, open-access, and public domain content. We support creators and encourage purchasing content when possible.