The Seahawk

Originally posted by

Robby

What about google buying up all of University Library texts. Google already has the entire libraries of Harvard and other Ivy League schools and many Universities. They are looking to have the largest library ever - every book in the Universities of America and the World. Check it out..

Robbie, you are completely mistaken, as in dead wrong. Google is not buying any library. They are providing a service which librarians have been praying for, for years. Google is underwriting the cost of digitalizing every book in the collection of participating libraries in order to make them available to everyone. By performing this service, ancient and rare books, which can be damaged by handling, can now be read by researchers from every part of globe. No longer will a researcher have to spend thousands of their grant money to travel to the original source matter; it will exist in digital format, thanks to Google.

When the founders of Google first imagined what their company would do, they simultaneously developed a motto "Don't Be Evil." This was a reaction to the profit driven business models of many of the "dot coms" of the 1990s, one in particular. One of the first efforts they wished to provide to the public with their new search tool, was a complete data base of all books in print, which had expired copyrights. Librarians were thrilled. They had dreamed of this for years but "knew" it would never happen, due to the enormous cost and manpower required to complete. Google has volunteered its staff and technical resources and profits not one cent from this effort.

They have asked for nothing, but given your misrepresentation of their actions, you might want to consider contacting them and offering your thanks. After spending a few hundred million dollars to make something they are giving away, they might appreciate the thought from someone who now knows better than to denigrate them for their charity.