Z-Library is one of the largest shadow libraries on the Internet, hosting millions of books and academic articles that can be downloaded for free.
The site defied all odds over the past two years. It continued to operate despite a full-fledged criminal prosecution by the United States, which resulted in the arrest of two alleged operators in Argentina.
These two Russian defendants are wanted by the United States and earlier this year a judge approved their extradition. However, according to the most recent information we have, the defendants escaped house arrest and vanished into thin air.
The roles of the two Russians remain unclear, but they were not vital to the site’s survival. Z-Library continued to expand its reach despite their legal troubles.
Z-Library Motivations Research
Z-Library users don’t seem to be hindered by the criminal prosecution either, as they continue to support and use the site. For many, Z-Library is simply a convenient portal to download free books. For others, however, it’s a vital resource to further an academic career.
A recent study published in the Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice sheds light on the latter. It looks at the ‘piracy’ motivations of Redditors and students in higher education, specifically when it comes to Z-Library.
The paper, published by Dr. Michael Day of the University of Greenwich, labels the use of Z-Library as ‘Academic Cybercrime’. The findings, however, suggest that students are more likely to draw comparisons with “Robin Hood”.
The research looks at the motivations of two groups; Reddit users and Chinese postgraduate students. Despite the vast differences between these groups, their views on Z-Library are quite similar.
Redditors’ Responses
The 134 Reddit responses were sampled from the Zlibrary subreddit, which is obviously biased in favor of the site. However, the reasoning goes well beyond a simple “I want free stuff” arguments.
Many commenters highlighted that they were drawn to the site out of poverty, for example, or they highlighted that Z-Library was an essential tool to fulfill their academic goals.
“Living in a 3rd world country, 1 book would cost like 50%- 80% already of my daily wage,” one Redditor wrote.
The idea that Z-Library is a ‘necessary evil’ was also highlighted by other commenters. This includes a student who can barely make ends meet, and a homeless person, who has neither the money nor the space for physical books.
The lack of free access to all study materials, including academic journal subscriptions at university libraries, was also a key motivator. Paired with the notion that journal publishers make billions of dollars, without compensating authors, justification is found for ‘pirate’ alternatives.
“They make massive profits. So stealing from them doesn’t hurt the authors nor reviewers, just the rich greedy publishers who make millions just to design a cover and click ‘publish’,” one Redditor wrote.
Chinese Students
The second part of the study is conducted in a more structured format among 103 postgraduate students in China. This group joined a seminar where Z-Library and the crackdown were discussed. In addition, the students participated in follow-up focus group discussions, while also completing a survey.
Despite not all being users of the shadow library, 41% of the students agreed that the site’s (temporary) shutdown affected their ability to study and find resources for degree learning.
In general, the students have a favorable view toward Z-Library and similar sites, and 71% admit that they have used a shadow library in the past. In line with China’s socialist values, the overwhelming majority of the students agreed that access to knowledge should be free for everyone.
While the students are aware of copyright law, they believe that the need to access knowledge outweighs rightsholders’ concerns. This is also reflected in the following responses, among others.
– Z-Library, or a similar website, is helpful to students living in poverty (82% agree).
– Academic textbooks are too expensive, so I can’t afford to buy them as a student (67% agree).
– I have limited access to English medium academic books in my country (63% agree)
– I prefer to download books without restrictions, like [paywalls etc.], as it is difficult (77% agree).
All in all, Z-Library and other shadow libraries are seen as a viable option for expensive or inaccessible books, despite potential copyright concerns.
Robin Hood Mentality
This research sheds an intriguing light on key motivations to use shadow libraries. However, the small sample sizes, selection bias, and specific characteristics of the groups, means that these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Dr. Michael Day, nonetheless, notes that the responses show clear signs of a Robin Hood mentality. Z-Library users evade the publishers’ ‘tax’ on knowledge by downloading works for free.
Overall, the paper suggests that universities and publishers may want to reconsider the status quo and consider making more content freely accessible, taking a page from Z-Library.
“There is need for universities to re-consider the digital divides faced by socioeconomically and digitally disadvantaged students, alongside publishers, who must rethink their approach by making open access research more commonplace and thus pro-human,” the author concludes.
The paper provides a good example, as it is published under a Creative Commons license and is freely accessible to all.
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Day, M.J. (2024). Digital Piracy in Higher Education: Exploring Social Media Users and Chinese Postgraduate Students Motivations for Supporting ‘Academic Cybercrime’ by Shelving ebooks from Z-Library. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.
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