My reaction to the google/libraries announcement pretty much mirrors Dorothea’s posts. Sometimes I wish I subscribed to fewer listservs, because the browbeating and rending of garments that goes on in reaction to a potentially cool announcement gets to be a bit much sometimes. It seems like the libraries involved are getting a pretty good deal, they wouldn’t have the money to do this sort of large scale digitization on their own. I guess I don’t understand why people aren’t seeing this as more of a marketing opportunity to point out the value of works that are in the public domain, and the value that gets taken away with each copyright extension. This would also be a great opportunity to highlight the digitization efforts that are already underway at many libraries. It must be an interesting time to be a web guru/cataloger/programmer at the University of Michigan Libraries, and I’m curious to see what will happen there once the bulk of their collection is digitized.
We certainly should be thinking of privacy issues, but I guess I don’t see how this will be the Death of Libraries.
TangognaT
Agent Of L.I.B.R.A.R.Y.
December 21st, 2004 at 4:50 pm
librarian, there’s a book in my google
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Currently Reading
5:23 pm on December 21st, 2004 1
Okay, that is the Best. Post. Title. Evar.
And you’re right about the privacy stuff, too; that’s the only halfway cogent objection I’ve so far seen. I’m encouraged that the direction seems to be “nudge Google about privacy” rather than “OMG the Google is Evil!”
6:54 pm on December 21st, 2004 2
I’m with Dorothea on the post title.
And with your final comment. You don’t see how this will be the Death of Libraries because it won’t. If anything (and if it actually all works out, and all that), it’s likely to increase demand for library-held materials. In my semi-humble opinion, at least.
7:49 pm on December 21st, 2004 3
The ACLU, Freedom of Information geeks, internationalists, and anyone who wants to raise the general educational level of humanity, should be rejoicing at Google’s move. Anyone at a big so-far-not-in-the-game library (LOC can’t play, but what about LA Public, San Francisco Public, Yale, Illiniois, Berzerkeley, and Toronto?) should be running to Microsoft/MSN and Yahoo with proposals in hand.
8:15 pm on December 21st, 2004 4
I do wonder if yahoo is going to do something in response, and I hope that the combination of more books online and open worldcat will send more traffic to brick and mortar libraries.