Google Is Adding Major Libraries to Its Database
A dream becomes true - if everything goes according to plan.
Google keeps innovating and apparantly, innovates and improves faster and faster. The New York Times (subscription required) writes that the company "plans to begin converting the holdings of leading research libraries into digital files that would be searchable online."
It will be a long time until the project is completed - some experts guestimate about a decade. "Although Google executives declined to comment on its technology or the cost of the undertaking, others involved estimate the figure at US$10 for each of the more than 15 million books and other documents covered in the agreements."
And Google might not be alone in this. "Because the Google agreements are not exclusive, the pacts are almost certain to touch off a race with other major Internet search providers like Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo. Like Google, they might seek the right to offer online access to library materials in return for selling advertising, while libraries would receive corporate help in digitizing their collections for their own institutional uses."
But the hopes are high: "Within two decades, most of the world's knowledge will be digitized and available, one hopes for free reading on the Internet, just as there is free reading in libraries today," said Michael A. Keller, Stanford University's head librarian."
Great!
(By Asia Business Consulting)
Google keeps innovating and apparantly, innovates and improves faster and faster. The New York Times (subscription required) writes that the company "plans to begin converting the holdings of leading research libraries into digital files that would be searchable online."
It will be a long time until the project is completed - some experts guestimate about a decade. "Although Google executives declined to comment on its technology or the cost of the undertaking, others involved estimate the figure at US$10 for each of the more than 15 million books and other documents covered in the agreements."
And Google might not be alone in this. "Because the Google agreements are not exclusive, the pacts are almost certain to touch off a race with other major Internet search providers like Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo. Like Google, they might seek the right to offer online access to library materials in return for selling advertising, while libraries would receive corporate help in digitizing their collections for their own institutional uses."
But the hopes are high: "Within two decades, most of the world's knowledge will be digitized and available, one hopes for free reading on the Internet, just as there is free reading in libraries today," said Michael A. Keller, Stanford University's head librarian."
Great!
(By Asia Business Consulting)
posted by Andreas @ 5:38 pm
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