Reading in Cyberspace - Journal 4
1) This library-based digitization of a book catalog can have a negative effect on Google's relationships with publishers because they may think that Google is trying to steal their business since by putting these digitization's of books on the web, available for everyone with a computer, libraries will be less popular and less people will need to buy books for information since they can find the book on Google. Google, being a search engine has already drained a lot of business from libraries and bookstores so this may really anger them if Google starts showing their books page for page! However, Google has rights to post up their information on the web and since many websites with material from several books, this is just more of an organized way for to find specific things.
2) http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6141162.html - Microsofts book search
http://blogs.business2.com/business2blog/2005/10/yahoo_print.html - Yahoo Print
These two links are links to huge competition between Google Print, Yahoo Print and Microsoft Book Search. The ideas of these three are all the same but the way they are being imputed into the internet and programs is much different. Microsoft Book Search as in the article says, "Microsoft has restricted the beta release of Live Search Books to only include non copyright books scanned from the collections of the British Library, the University of California and the University of Toronto." So, this will reduce law firms and anger from others because they only take books from one library and which are non copyright. Microsoft will also be adding copyright material to their book search but with permission from the publishers. These companies all have to be careful in what material they allow the world to see! Yahoo takes a different view at this problem as well. Instead of doing what Google does which is adding snippets to hide the fact of using copyright work, Yahoo is putting the full text in from the books except they won't have as big of an archive to search through.
3) The impact that this could have on the access to information would be that people would never have to leave their computer to get information because if they need some more reliable information from a book they can just search on one of the book search functions. This could turn into a pretty hot debate for teachers and students one day! Teachers want students to understand their topics more better instead of just copying and pasting off the internet and using it as their own information. The only way to get information from books used to be to write things down which get students to think. Now, Google Print and its competitors are making it so you can cut and paste from books as well! So, I don't think this is a good idea because people should still read books to understand the information better. I myself feel that I understand the information better if I read directly from a book.
4) Yes, I think for sure librarians will be affected by this new development because if people can find book material right from their computer, i'm sure they would rather just do that. Less people would go to the library but never will no one go unless they get really ambitious and put even magazines and everything in these book searches! Libraries are also a quite place to read and you can't find certain non-informational and daily issues of books in the Google print sources which many people go to the library for.
5) I'm sure that if you did an advanced enough search on Google, you could find very similar information as you would fin in Google Print books except it may be harder to look for. A while ago when search engines came out they took alot of business from book stores and libraries so Google book search is going even further with this. I think it is a good tool and another example of how technology is changing our world and soon how we will be able to do everything at our house.
posted by Ryan @ 8:14 AM
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