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Terms

Last updated 2026-08-29.

Agreement

By using audioshelf.org you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the site.

United States service

audioshelf.org is offered to visitors in the United States. Access from other countries may be blocked at the network edge. Public-domain labels and corpus policy reflect United States law only and are not legal advice for other jurisdictions.

What we provide

audioshelf.org helps you find open recordings and related text sources. It is a finding aid. We do not host audio files.

Depending on the recording, you may listen through features on this site or follow links to third-party providers (such as Internet Archive, LibriVox, or Project Gutenberg). When playback or downloads are available, they are served by those providers under their own terms—not by audioshelf.

Some library services may appear in search results; borrowing or checkout on those services happens on the provider’s site. Catalog entries and links may change over time; “Last validated” dates indicate when we last checked, not a guarantee of availability.

Non-affiliation

AudioShelf is not affiliated with LibriVox, the Internet Archive, Project Gutenberg, Open Library, or Audiobookshelf.

Names, logos, and trademarks of third-party providers belong to their respective owners. Listing or linking to a provider does not imply sponsorship, partnership, or endorsement.

Public-domain and third-party content

Catalog facts and cover art may come from Open Library and other open sources. Recordings remain on Internet Archive, LibriVox, Project Gutenberg, and similar providers under their licenses and terms. We do not claim ownership of those recordings.

We do not claim exclusive copyright in underlying public-domain literary works. Value on audioshelf comes from curation, organization, presentation, and any future original production we add—not from owning classic texts that are already free elsewhere.

Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Abuse the site or its upstream APIs (for example excessive automated scraping that harms service, attempts to bypass access controls, or injecting malware)
• Use the site to infringe others’ intellectual property or other rights
• Impersonate audioshelf or misrepresent your relationship with us
• Attempt to access the site from jurisdictions where we block access

Termination

We may suspend or block access to the site, in whole or in part, for conduct that violates these terms, creates risk for us or third parties, or is otherwise harmful. Because core browsing does not require an account, “termination” may mean network-level blocking rather than closing a user profile.

Disclaimer of warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT UNINTERRUPTED ACCESS, ERROR-FREE OPERATION, COMPLETE CATALOGS, ACCURATE RIGHTS LABELS, OR THAT ANY LINKED RECORDING WILL PLAY ON YOUR DEVICE.

Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, AUDIOSHELF.ORG AND ITS OPERATORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR ANY LINKED THIRD-PARTY SERVICE.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) US $100 OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR THE SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS; IN THOSE CASES, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless audioshelf.org and its operators from claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your misuse of the site, your violation of these terms, or your infringement of others’ rights.

Dispute resolution

Informal resolution. Before filing a claim, contactlegal@audioshelf.org with a short description of the dispute and the relief you seek. We will try to resolve the matter within 30 days.

Forum. If informal resolution fails, any dispute arising from these terms or your use of the site will be brought in the state or federal courts located in the United States, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there, unless applicable law requires a different forum.

Class actions. To the fullest extent permitted by law, disputes will be resolved only on an individual basis and not as a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. When a state-specific rule is required, the laws of the state where audioshelf’s operator is organized will apply, once that entity is named on this page.

AudioShelf-created recordings

Some future audioshelf productions may include narration, editing, or packaging we create or commission. Those recordings are separate from third-party LibriVox, Internet Archive, or Project Gutenberg files linked elsewhere on the site.

Voice policy. AudioShelf-created narration must not imitate a real, living, or identifiable person without that person’s written permission. Celebrity voices, private individuals, and other recognizable voice identities are prohibited. We use original or appropriately licensed synthetic voices only.

Your rights in AudioShelf-created recordings. When you buy or subscribe to access AudioShelf-created recordings, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to stream and download those recordings for your private, non-commercial listening through audioshelf while your access remains active and these terms allow. You may not redistribute, publicly perform, sublicense, or resell the files, remove embedded rights notices, or use the recordings to train models or create derivative voice clones. We retain all rights not expressly granted. If a recording is withdrawn for rights reasons, your license ends for that title and we will follow our Refund policywhen applicable.

AI-assisted narration will be labeled on the relevant title page. SeePublic domain explained for how we treat source texts.

Accounts, payments, and subscriptions

Core browsing does not require an account today. When accounts, subscriptions, or purchases launch:

• Account holders who purchase paid features must be at least 18years old (or the age of majority in their state, if higher).
• Prices, billing frequency, taxes, trial length, and auto-renewal terms will be shown at checkout before you pay.
• Recurring subscriptions require your affirmative consent to automatic renewal at the disclosed price until you cancel.
• You may cancel renewal through the billing portal or instructions in your confirmation email. Cancellation stops future charges; seeRefunds for refund eligibility.
• We may change subscription prices or features with notice as required by law, including reminders before annual renewals and material price increases.
• Payment processing is handled by a third-party provider (for example Stripe). audioshelf does not store full payment card numbers on its own servers.

Parents, educators, and catalog suitability

audioshelf markets its service to parents, teachers, and adult listeners—not to children under 13. The site is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly offer accounts to children under 13.

Public-domain classics include mature themes, archaic language, violence, and other material that may not be appropriate for every child. The complete catalog is not child-safe. Parents, guardians, and educators are responsible for previewing titles and supervising minors who browse or listen.

Changes

We may update these terms. The “Last updated” date above will change when we do. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised terms.

Contact

Questions about these terms:legal@audioshelf.org. Copyright notices: Copyright & takedown. Refunds: Refund policy. See also Privacy.