Editorial: Google's Big Plan for Books
Posted in: Internet Use/New Technologies at 30/07/2009 15:06
While the Internet has transformed much of the information world, books have been a laggard. Google may change that. It has already scanned millions of out-of-print books, and it has reached an agreement with writers and publishers -- which still requires judicial approval -- to make them widely available.
Google's book service raises monopoly and privacy concerns. It also holds great promise for increasing access to knowledge. Much of the information in the world's books is not widely available. When Google began scanning out-of-print books held by major libraries its goal was to create an enormous database that Internet users could access from local libraries or homes.
http://nytimes.com/2009/07/29/opinion/29wed3.html
