Google’s plan to scan the collections of some of the world’s most prestigious libraries just doubled in size.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based firm announced Wednesday that its Library Project has teamed up with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a national consortium of 12 research libraries, to digitize collections in its libraries. This is in addition to the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison–two CIC-member universities Google (nasdaq: GOOG – news – people) already works with on the project. Google also works with Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University and The New York Public Library, among others.
Under the agreement Google will fund the digitization of almost 10 million volumes and will provide the libraries with a copy of the materials digitized for the project. Libraries estimate the cost of digitization to be $60 a book.
Readers will be able to search the texts of books already in the public domain. For copyrighted texts users will get basic information such as the title and author’s name, a few lines of text, and information about where they can borrow or buy the book, such as links to Amazon (nasdaq: AMZN – news – people ), Barnes & Noble (nyse: BKS – news – people ), and Froogle, Google’s own shopping site.
Extract taken from;
Google’s Library Project Booked Up
Forbes, Ruthie Ackerman, 06.06.2007