How to Find Out of Print and Regional Colorado Books
If you found a book or an author in our library and want a copy, or want to know who wrote it and when, this guide is for you. Regional books are often printed in small runs, so the trail can be short. These steps work, and every outside link below was opened and checked in October 2026.
- Free tools only
- Colorado and general sources
- Built for readers, not collectors
Start with the catalog record, not the title
Titles repeat. Several unrelated books can share a name, and a reprint can look like a different book. A catalog record fixes that, because it ties a title to an author, a publisher, a year, a page count and, usually, an ISBN.
Before you search anywhere else, write down what you already know: the exact title, the author's name as printed, the publisher, the year and any ISBN. An ISBN is the most useful of these. Our ISBN checker tells you whether the number you copied is valid, which catches most typos before they send you to the wrong book. Books printed before ISBNs became common won't have one, so keep the publisher and year handy instead.
When you open a record, look at four things: the full title and any subtitle, the publisher and place, the date, and the edition statement. If two records differ on those, you're looking at two editions, and the one you want may be the other.
When you open a record, look at four things: the full title and any subtitle, the publisher and place, the date, and the edition statement.
Where to look, and what each source does well
WorldCat
WorldCat describes itself as the world's largest library catalog. Search it for your title, then use the feature that shows which libraries hold a copy. For an out of print book, that list is often the fastest answer to "does a copy exist anywhere near me?"
Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Run by the Colorado State Library, the collection holds more than 8 million digitized pages from more than 1000 Colorado newspaper titles, 1859 to 2025, and it's free to search. Reviews, obituaries and announcements of local books show up here. Start from its page on Colorado Virtual Library.
Colorado State Library
The Colorado State Library lists a Find a Public Library page, a State Publications Library and Colorado Virtual Library. It's a good place to find a librarian in the right county.
Denver Public Library, Western History
The library's Western History pages cover the region, and its finding aids describe manuscripts and archives held by its Special Collections and Archives Department. Use the finding aids to learn whether an author's papers exist.
History Colorado
The Stephen H. Hart Research Center is free and open by appointment. You can search its online collection first, then request an appointment at least 3 business days ahead. Its contact form is the preferred way to ask for help, and replies can take several days.
Local historical societies
A county or town society often holds the one copy of a small local book. The list of historical societies in Colorado is a starting point, but it may be incomplete, so confirm each group's current contact details on its own website.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress Catalog holds over 20 million records covering books, serials, manuscripts, maps and music. It's useful for confirming a title, author and date, even when the book isn't something you can borrow.
Internet Archive and HathiTrust
The Internet Archive offers free and borrowable texts. HathiTrust, another large digital library of scanned books, didn't load for us from our automated checks, so we haven't linked it. Search for it by name. Older books turn up in both places more often than recent ones.
Four searches, step by step
- Search WorldCat with the title and author. Add the ISBN if you have one.
- Read the records and confirm the edition and year match your book.
- Note the libraries that hold a copy, starting with the nearest.
- Ask your own library about borrowing it through interlibrary loan.
- If no library holds it, check the Internet Archive, then used book sellers.
- Still stuck? Write to the publisher or the author's local historical society.
- Search the Library of Congress Catalog and WorldCat by author name to see every book under it.
- Check name variations: initials, middle names and married names.
- Search the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection for the name plus the town where they lived.
- Look in Denver Public Library's finding aids for papers or collections.
- Contact the historical society for the author's county and ask what it holds.
- Treat unsourced biographies, including any you read online, as leads to verify and not as answers.
- Open the book and read the title page and the copyright page. These give the publication year and any printing details.
- Compare them with the Library of Congress record and a WorldCat record.
- If the records disagree, trust the book in your hands and note the difference.
- For a reprint, look for words such as "reprint" or "second edition" on the copyright page.
- For copyright status of older books, see the Copyright Office FAQ on duration, which says terms for works first published before 1978 depend on several factors.
- Get the exact edition first, from a catalog record.
- Ask the seller for the ISBN, publisher, year and printing.
- Ask for photos of the cover, title page and copyright page.
- Check that the condition notes mention marks, missing pages and loose bindings.
- Read the return policy before you pay.
- Compare two or three prices. Rare regional books can be priced very differently from seller to seller.
How to read a catalog record
Catalog records follow a pattern. The top lines give title and author. Next come the publisher, place and date. The physical description gives pages and sometimes size. Notes may mention a bibliography, an index or a series. Subject headings tell you where the book sits in the library's scheme, and they're a handy way to find similar books. If you see more than one record for the same title, compare the dates and page counts to tell the editions apart.
Subject headings tell you where the book sits in the library's scheme, and they're a handy way to find similar books.
Interlibrary loan in plain terms
Interlibrary loan, or ILL, is how a library asks another library to lend a book it doesn't own. You usually request it through your own library, not the lending one. Whether a library offers it, what it costs and how long it takes depends on the library, so ask your librarian before you assume anything. The Colorado State Library's resource sharing page describes how libraries across the state work together. Rare or fragile books are often not lent at all, but a library may let you read them on site.
Interlibrary loan, or ILL, is how a library asks another library to lend a book it doesn't own.
How to ask a historical society, publisher or author
Keep your message short and specific. Give the title, author, year and anything you've already tried. Say what you want: a copy, a date, a photograph or a pointer. Local societies are often run by volunteers, so be patient and say thanks. If the publisher is still in business, contact it directly and ask whether any copies remain. Authors can usually be reached through their publisher, a society or a family member.
Give the title, author, year and anything you've already tried.
What we can and can't do for readers
We're an independent publisher in Lake City, Colorado, publishing since 1996. Our library lists the books we've published, and our authors pages list the people behind them. We can tell you what our own records show about a book or an author on our site. We can't promise a copy is available, and we're not a library or a used book dealer. Some author pages are bare because we have no confirmed facts to share, and we won't guess. If you know something about an author or a book, tell us through our contact page.
We're an independent publisher in Lake City, Colorado, publishing since 1996.
Questions we get asked
What's the quickest way to see if a library has an out of print book?
Search WorldCat with the title and author, then look at the libraries it lists. Check the edition on each record before you request anything.
Does an ISBN help with older books?
Yes, for books that have one. Our ISBN checker tests the number for typos. Books printed before ISBNs became common won't have one, so search by title, author, publisher and year.
What is interlibrary loan?
It's a service where your library asks another library to lend you a book. Availability, fees and timing vary, so ask your library.
Can I read an old Colorado book online for free?
Sometimes. The Internet Archive offers free and borrowable texts, and older books turn up there more often than recent ones. Check the rights information on each item.
How do I find out when a book was really published?
Read the title page and copyright page of the book itself, then compare them with a Library of Congress or WorldCat record.
Who can I ask about a local author?
Start with the historical society for the county where the author lived. History Colorado's research center also takes questions through its contact form.
Does Western Reflections have copies of every book on its site?
We can't promise that. Our library page for a book shows what our records say. For availability, ask us through the contact page and we'll tell you what we know.
Why do some author pages say you have no details?
Some names are in our directory with no confirmed biography or book on record. We don't invent facts, and we update a page when we can confirm something.