What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser when you visit a website. They help the site remember your actions and preferences over time, making subsequent visits more efficient and personalised.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for several purposes, as described below. Some cookies are essential for the operation of the site; others help us improve your experience and understand how the site is used. Where certain features are not enabled, corresponding cookies are not set.

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the site to function correctly. They enable core features such as secure login, session management, and remembering your cookie consent choices. Without these cookies, some parts of the site may not work as intended. For example, essential cookies ensure that your reading preferences are maintained as you navigate through our catalogue of works like Prosper Mérimée's Short Stories or The Backwoodsmen.

Preference Cookies

Where enabled, preference cookies allow the site to remember choices you make (such as your preferred text size, reading mode, or language) and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies may also store your progress through a longer text, so you can resume reading where you left off.

Analytics Cookies

If analytics are enabled, we use first-party analytics cookies to collect anonymous information about how visitors use the site. This helps us understand which pages are most popular, how users navigate, and improve the catalogue. For instance, we may learn which author guides—such as those for Modern Swedish Masterpieces or International Short Stories: English—are most frequently consulted. We do not share this data with third parties for their own purposes.

Advertising Cookies

Where advertisements are displayed on the site, we may use cookies from Google and other advertising partners to serve relevant ads, measure ad performance, and prevent the same ad from appearing too often. These cookies may collect information about your browsing habits across different websites. You can learn more about Google’s advertising practices at Google’s Privacy & Terms site. If advertising is not enabled on a particular page, no advertising cookies are set.

First-Party and Third-Party Cookies

First-party cookies are set by the Public Domain Literature Library. Third-party cookies are set by services we use, such as analytics providers or advertising networks. We do not control how third parties use their cookies, and their use is governed by their own privacy policies. Where possible, we select providers that commit to using data responsibly.

Session and Persistent Cookies

Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. We may use both types, but we do not specify fixed durations in this policy as they may vary depending on the cookie’s purpose. For example, a persistent cookie might store your language preference for future visits.

Local Storage

In addition to cookies, we may use local storage (such as HTML5 localStorage) to store data on your device for similar purposes, such as remembering your reading progress or preferences. You can manage local storage through your browser settings. Unlike cookies, local storage is not automatically sent to the server with each request.

Your Choices

Consent and Withdrawal

When you first visit the site, you may be asked to consent to non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time through the cookie consent tool available on the site. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. The consent tool allows you to accept or reject each category of non-essential cookies individually.

Browser Controls

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can block or delete cookies, but doing so may affect the functionality of the site. For example, disabling essential cookies may prevent you from logging in or using certain features. You can also set your browser to notify you when a cookie is set. For more information, consult your browser’s help documentation.

Opt-Out of Advertising Cookies

If you wish to opt out of interest-based advertising from Google, you can visit Google’s Ad Settings page. Additionally, you can opt out of many third-party advertising networks through the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page. Please note that opting out does not mean you will no longer see ads—only that the ads will be less relevant to your interests.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Any changes will be posted here, and if we make material changes, we may notify you through the cookie consent tool or other means.

Contact

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact our editor at editor@iitok.com. We welcome your feedback on how we can improve the transparency of our practices.