Wow! I just discovered Google Books. Yes, as Library staff I probably should've used it before, but t'was not the case. I'm a fan of paper, browsing stacks, skimming books, and the like, and hey, I work at the Library. I tend to borrow a lot of real live books. It hadn't really occured to me to seek out those books online instead.
Certainly I spend a fair amount of time on the web anyway, particularly doing non-fiction research (and of course, socializing). While computers don't offer the same tactile satisfaction as print materials, they do offer equal chance for synchronistic discovery. And while I'm a fan of paper, I am also a fan of trees. Fewer books in print could be a good thing, no?
Out of a quick search of three books I'd recently returned to Calgary Public Library, two were available to view as Google Books. Unfortunately, Neurolinguistic Programming for Dummies was not available, but an overview was provided. Yes, it's a must-read for me, if for no other reason than that my financial advisor recommended it, and I need to know what he knows about programming people neurolinguistically. I trust you, M, but I do my research ;).
How wonderful that I can access many of those same books from the comfort of my own home! How ethically dubious as well, in terms of intellectual property. But then, how different is a public library from a public collection of online books? In short, public libraries pay more for the privilege of sharing information, and we have an ethical obligation to keep as complete a collection as possible, regardless of political winds, cries for censorship, and the like.
It was my hope that Google had paid LARGE to be able to offer those books to view, to pay out authors and publishers for the use of the books around which Google will of course sell ad space. Unlike Library books, these digital versions will never deteriorate or need replacement - so the initial investment is it. Well, so much for wishful thinking. I used Google News to access several articles on the subject, and I'm pretty sure Google is coming out of this deal waaaaay ahead. Here's a link to a finely balanced article on the subject of the Google Books Settlement.
Happy reading!
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