Google's Library

"Google Book-Scanning Pact to Give Libraries Input on Price"

By MIGUEL HELFT
Published: May 20, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO — In a move that could blunt some of the criticism of Google for its settlement of a lawsuit over its book-scanning project, the company signed an agreement with the University of Michigan that would give some libraries a degree of oversight over the prices Google could charge for its vast digital library.

Google has faced an onslaught of opposition over the far-reaching settlement with authors and publishers. Complaints include the exclusive rights the agreement gives Google to publish online and to profit from millions of so-called orphan books, out-of-print books that are protected by copyright but whose rights holders cannot be found.

The Justice Department has also begun an inquiry into whether the settlement, which is subject to approval by a court, would violate antitrust laws.

Google used the opportunity of the University of Michigan agreement to rebut some criticism.

“I think that it’s pretty short- sighted and contradictory,” said Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder and its president of technology. Mr. Brin said the settlement would allow Google to offer widespread access to millions of books that are largely hidden in the stacks of university libraries.

“We are increasing choices,” Mr. Brin said. “There was no option prior to this to get these sorts of books online.”

Under Google’s plan for the collection, public libraries will get free access to the full texts for their patrons at one computer, and universities will be able to buy subscriptions to make the service generally available, with rates based on their student enrollment.

The new agreement, which Google hopes other libraries will endorse, lets the University of Michigan object if it thinks the prices Google charges libraries for access to its digital collection are too high, a major concern of some librarians. Any pricing dispute would be resolved through arbitration.

Only the institutions that lend books to Google for scanning — now 21 libraries in the United States — would be allowed to object to pricing.

The new agreement also gives the university, and any library that signs a similar agreement, a discount on its subscription proportional to the number of books it contributes to Google’s mass digitization project. Since Michigan is lending a large number of books, it will receive Google’s service free for 25 years.

“This agreement gives us a number of things in the context of the settlement that are valuable to us and we think are valuable to other libraries,” said Paul Courant, dean of libraries at the University of Michigan.

The American Library Association, which has asked the court to oversee aspects of the settlement, said the new agreement is a step in the right direction but is insufficient to ensure that Google does not set artificially high prices for its digital collection.

“Any library must have the ability to request that the judge review the pricing should a dispute arise,” said Corey Williams, associate director at the association’s Washington office.

Since libraries that contribute books will receive discounts, they may have fewer incentives to complain about prices.

The new agreement does not address other criticism, including the complaints over orphan works and worries that the agreement does not protect the privacy of readers of Google’s digital library.

Matt Marshall

Sun City Public Library

News for all, the Sun City library is doing construction tight now and the new building is going to be three times bigger that the last. It's going to have a section for young adults and a children's section. This is great news! For those of you who know Sun City's library only had a little, tiny corner for children and never had a designated young adult section. I'm very excited for one to see the final result. If building goes according to plan it should be finish the end of this November 2009. Mark your calenders!

Adults and students aren't the only ones being provided with computer access at the library. Many libraries are offering Early Literacy Stations for those children learning to read. Early literacy stations have a colorful keyboard to help enhance learning letter placement, and a colorful mouse to help differentiate which button to click. They come pre-loaded with educational games that teach phonics, word sounds, letter and number recognition, addition and subtraction, shapes, patterns, and other early learning concepts. These computers are not hooked up to the Internet so that little ones are not exposed to inappropriate content, and time limits can be set. These computers can be hooked up to a printer so that pictures or images from the games can be printed.


It is not news to anyone that reading skills are extremely important for young children to learn. Nor, can anyone deny how necessary having computer skills is becoming in today's society. These Early Literacy Stations are helping provide young children with good basic skills they will build on for the rest of their lives. I hope every library will soon have these available in their children's departments.

Blogging about.....Blogging!

Blogs are big, anyone who has been online lately can't help but have stumbled over a few hundred of them. They are everywhere and are no longer the domain of just one age group. Kids, teens, adults, senior citizens, hobbyists, and business are all blogging, and now, so are libraries. In another effort to show teens that the library has a place for them, many libraries are adding blogging capabilities to their teen web pages to generate interest and a sense of community in their local teen users. The Escondido Public Library has Escoteens, a blog that offers a place just for Escondido Teens to virtually chat, meet, and hang out. The pages are moderated by the young adult librarians giving them a safe space to discuss music, books, movies, comic books, video games, volunteer opportunities, or just their normal teen angst without danger of words or attitudes going to far. I think this is a great way to involve teens with the library and reading. They are much more likely to listen to what their peers say is a must read, must see, must play, or must listen too, than any adult, and a teen library blog gives them just the place to do it!

Here is the link from below!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article4783690.ece

Alternative Libraries

Many people are intimidated by libraries because of their reputation of being stuffy, quiet, and only a place where studious "nerds" go. Because of this stereotype, many Alternative libraries have formed, trying to attract patrons who may not have entered a library. I think this idea is genius! I know that every person has different learning preferences and classic libraries may not serve certain people. Even allowing drinks in the library (Temecula Public allows it), is new and unlibrarish. Check out (no pun intended) the link below for an article from the UK regarding this issue.

I changed our blog background today to a cool "retro" green.

Playaways

Wow! What a cool concept!! I am kinda an old fashioned gal, but even I can appreciate this technology. The days of traveling, playing the ABC game may be over...now there are many more options, at affordable prices.

Playaways- the New Frontier of Audio-books

Libraries everywhere are starting to invest in a new audio-book called playaways. Playaways use MP3 digital technology so the entire audio content of a book is stored in a device no bigger than the palm of your hand. The front of each playaway is imprinted with the cover of the book it contains, so there is no confusion if you check out several. They are easy to use and have built-in features such as fast-forward and rewind, along with volume control. They will start up automatically from the place you left off, and can be carried anywhere you go. They run on AA batteries and can be used with any standard set of earphones or earbuds.


So, yes, they're a cool new toy...but why are they a big deal? The reason is simple...COST! Playaways are not only equally priced or CHEAPER to buy initially than a regular audio CD or cassette, but also have no maintenance other than changing the batteries associated with them. They cannot be scratched like CD's nor can they be worn out or damaged like cassettes, because they are completely self-contained. The patron benefits because, as mentioned above, they are completely mobile, along with the fact that the patron needs to purchase no additional equipment to be able to use them. It is a rare situation where everyone wins.


Vacation time is almost upon us everyone, head down to your library and check out your favorite authors for that long car/bus/train/plane ride you have ahead of you this summer. And pssst...hey....you...yeah the parents....kids can't agree on an audio book for the car, and if you hear one more Hank the Cowdog story you think you'll go insane? Well, smile and relax! Your kids can listen to Magic Tree House and Harry Potter respectively...and you, you can catch up on the new Evanovich book....yeah.....everyone wins.


Heather Wulf