“Offline digital library” means two different things to the people who search for it. Some want digital content, such as Wikipedia, e-books and lessons, available where there’s no internet. Others want software that runs a library of printed books without needing a connection. Both exist, both are free, and they’re easy to mix up.
This guide covers the first: the main free tools for an offline digital library, what each one is for, and what hardware it needs. At the end is how it fits with software for the books on your shelves.
What an offline digital library does
An offline digital library stores content on a device inside the library, school or community centre. Readers open it on that device, or connect their phones and tablets to it over a local Wi-Fi network that doesn’t lead to the internet. You need the internet once, to download the content; after that, a power supply is enough.
It suits places where the connection is missing, slow, expensive per megabyte, or unreliable enough that lessons can’t depend on it.
The main free tools
| Tool | Made by | Best for | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiwix | Kiwix, a non-profit | Reference: Wikipedia, dictionaries, e-books | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Kolibri | Learning Equality | Structured lessons and courses for schools | A computer as a server; Android app |
| Internet-in-a-Box | Volunteer project | A Wi-Fi hotspot serving many readers at once | Raspberry Pi and other small computers |
| RACHEL | World Possible | A ready-made offline learning server | World Possible’s own devices |
Kiwix: Wikipedia and reference content
Kiwix packages websites such as Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg’s e-books into compressed files and gives you a free, open-source reader to open them offline. Its reader runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and can serve the content to other devices on the same network.
Choose it when you want reference material: an encyclopedia, a dictionary, medical or practical guides, out-of-copyright books. It’s the quickest way to get started: install the reader, download a file, open it.
Kolibri: lessons and courses
Kolibri is Learning Equality’s “offline-first learning platform”. It’s built for teaching rather than browsing: teachers assign lessons and quizzes, and students’ progress is tracked. Once content is downloaded it can be shared “completely offline via peer-to-peer or on an external storage device, such as an USB drive”. It installs on a computer that acts as a server, and there’s an Android app for Android 6 or newer.
Choose it when a school wants structured lessons and quizzes, not just things to read.
Internet-in-a-Box: a hotspot for the whole room
Internet-in-a-Box turns a small computer, most often a Raspberry Pi, into a Wi-Fi hotspot that serves offline content to every phone, tablet and laptop nearby. It can install content packs from Kiwix and the Internet Archive, and optional apps such as Moodle and WordPress. It’s free and open source.
Choose it when many people need the content at once, and you have someone comfortable setting up a Raspberry Pi.
RACHEL: a ready-made server
RACHEL, from World Possible, is an offline learning server that comes preloaded with educational content, including Wikipedia and Moodle, and serves it over local Wi-Fi. Unlike the others, it’s a device you buy rather than free software you install.
Choose it when you’d rather pay for a device that works out of the box than set one up.
Which one to start with
- One computer, reference content: install Kiwix and download Wikipedia in your language.
- A school with lessons to teach: Kolibri.
- A room full of phones and tablets: Internet-in-a-Box, with Kiwix content on it.
- No one to set it up: consider a ready-made RACHEL device.
Check storage before you download. Full Wikipedia with images is large; Kiwix offers smaller versions, such as text only or a selection of top articles, that fit on a modest drive or a phone.
E-books you already own
If what you have is a folder of PDF and EPUB files, calibre is a free, open-source e-book manager that catalogues, converts and reads them, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It’s for a personal or staff collection rather than serving a room, but it’s often the first step in organising a digital collection.
And the printed books?
None of these tools keeps track of printed books: who borrowed which copy, when it’s due, and what the library owns. That’s the job of library management software, and most of it needs the internet or a server.
Khulla is a free, open-source library system that runs entirely offline. The catalogue, check-out and returns, members, fines, barcode labels and reports all live in one file on the library’s own computer, on Windows, Linux or Android, with no server. Its limits: one catalogue per computer, no online catalogue for members to search from home, and books are typed in rather than imported.
Many libraries run one of each: Kiwix or Kolibri for digital content, and a library system for the shelves. Our guide to digital libraries vs library software explains the difference in more detail.
Summary
- An offline digital library serves content from a device on a local network, with no internet.
- Kiwix for reference content, Kolibri for lessons, Internet-in-a-Box for a whole room, RACHEL for a ready-made device.
- The internet is needed only to download content; plan storage before you do.
- Printed books need library management software; an offline one keeps the whole library independent of the connection.
Questions
Can you have a digital library without internet?
Yes. Tools such as Kiwix, Kolibri, Internet-in-a-Box and RACHEL store the content on a computer, phone or small server, and readers use it over a local Wi-Fi network or on the device itself. The internet is only needed to download the content in the first place.
Can I put Wikipedia on a computer to use offline?
Yes. Kiwix packages Wikipedia and other reference sites as downloadable files that its free reader opens with no connection, on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Is an offline digital library the same as library management software?
No. A digital library serves digital content: articles, videos, e-books. Library management software keeps track of printed books: the catalogue, who has borrowed what, and fines. Many libraries use one of each.
What hardware do I need for an offline digital library?
For one reader, an ordinary computer or phone is enough. To serve a room of phones or tablets, Internet-in-a-Box runs on a Raspberry Pi, and Kiwix and Kolibri can run on a laptop acting as a local server.
Try Khulla in two minutes
Open the demo in a browser: nothing to install, no account to create. When it fits, download Khulla for Windows, Linux or Android.
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