U of M's libraries get Googled for all to read

[MacBytes]

Category: News and Press Releases
Link: U of M\'s libraries get Googled for all to read (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20041214094029)
Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by Mudbug

[wordmunger]

This is a big deal. It also made the front page of the New York Times. I comment pretty extensively on my blog today. Here's an excerpt from my post:

Eventually these works will make their way online, and students’ dream of writing a term paper without ever leaving their dorm rooms will be realized. What then? What will change about the way we do research? First of all, I suspect the three-page limit will have a substantial and recognizable effect on the way materials get found and used in research. Long, rambling texts may be cited less frequently than concise ones, because lazy researchers won’t be willing to put forth the effort required to obtain complete texts.

[wdlove]

That is amazing, Google staff will be able to enter 7 million books in six years. The staff at UM would have taken 1,600 years and a lot of money. This will give UM digital copies of all their works. No money will exchange hands. The benefit is that the books will be available world wide. They also hope to include Cambridge, Harvard, and Oxford. It make sense for Larry Page to begin with UM since he's an alumus.

I think that there will still be a need for libraries. Some will still want ot use the actual books.