Google announced on Oct. 29, 2026, that students in the United States and India can add hundreds of textbooks from OpenStax, Open Textbook Library, and S Chand Publishing to Gemini Notebook at no charge. The books can then serve as sources for study guides, practice quizzes, flashcards, and other study materials, Google says.
Turn textbooks into study materials
Students can use catalog books as notebook sources, then make different study materials from their contents. Google lists tailored study guides, practice quizzes, and flashcards among the available formats.
The textbooks join other study-focused uses of the notebook, including the voice tutor covered in NeoTeo’s earlier article.
Add a book and follow its citations
Open a notebook, select Add sources, then choose Textbooks to browse the catalog. Google says answers based on an added textbook are grounded in its content and include inline citations and direct links to the original source. Those links give students a way to return to the book while reviewing an explanation.
What no-charge access covers
Google’s no-charge statement applies to the catalog textbooks. The company also noted that users could already add eligible ebooks purchased through Google Play Books. That is a separate route: the catalog provides its listed textbooks at no charge, while the earlier option uses an eligible purchased ebook.
