The document summarizes the Google Books Library Project, which scans books from library collections to make their contents searchable online. It describes the different types of previews users can see, including full views for public domain works and snippets for copyrighted books. It then discusses various perspectives on the project, including criticisms that it amounts to theft of copyrighted works, praise for increasing access, and concerns about its implications. The document concludes by examining issues for libraries in deciding whether to partner with Google.

1. The Google Books Library Project Personal Experiences, Public Perspectives, and Issues Relevant to Libraries Elisabeth Jones LIS 520, Winter 2010

2. Outline The 50¢ tour of Google Book My experiences with the project A Spectrum of Perspectives What’s in it for libraries? What’s not? The Proposed Settlement

4. Publisher project

5. Library project More at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

7. Contracts with publishers to host in-copyright, mostly in-print content

8. Scanned either by publishers or by Google

9. No controversy, many publisher partnersMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

11. Scanning both in-copyright and public domain books from library collections

12. Trying for comprehensiveness: every book ever published

13. Very controversialMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

15. Full View

16. Limited View

17. Snippet View

18. No Preview AvailableMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

20. Entire book available to view online or download in PDF form

21. Typically scanned from a library; source listed on “About this book” pageMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

23. Less than the whole book, more than fair use would allow

24. Nothing to do with the library projectMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

26. Like a card catalog entry, except it shows small bits of text surrounding your search terms

27. The main source of controversyMore at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

29. No snippets or anything; just the basic information like a catalog record

30. New from settlement negotiations (I believe)More at: http://books.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about.html

31. Story time…

32. Back in 2004… I’m at Northwestern University Library, Department of Collection Management Applying to Library Schools Google Book Search (then Google Print) announced 5 library partners: Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, NYPL, and U. of Michigan

33. Go Blue! Fall 2005: Michigan Working at the Graduate Library reference desk One of my first classes: Intellectual Property and Information Law …and then, the lawsuits

34. In the Fleming Building UM Media Relations and Public Affairs “Google Library Partnership Research Intern” My domain: Non-legal challenges to the project New media (both directions) Major piece early on: Mary Sue Coleman’s speech to the Association of American Publishers

35. Four Perspectives In Simplified – or Even Simplistic – Form

36. Perspective 1: “Google books is theft!” Who has it: Association of American Publishers Author’s Guild (Also miscellaneous others, but those are the ones that sued) What it is: By scanning millions of books that are still under copyright, without asking the permission of the copyright holders, Google is violating those copyrights and essentially stealing money out of the pocket of honest, hardworking authors. Pat Schroeder, former head of the AAP. Her view: “Not only is Google trying to rewrite copyright law, it is also crushing creativity.”

37. Perspective 2: “Google Books will Save* the World**!”*or at least change**or authorship, publishing, education, equal access… Who has it: Some of Google’s library partners Enthusiastic fans, in academia and elsewhere Google itself (most of the time) What it is: As a searchable, globally-available, free-to-the user digital collection of the world’s books, Google Book has the potential to carry the information they contain to underserved populations, to aid in decentralized preservation of that information, and to generate uses for books and their contents never before considered. Cory Doctorow, author and blogger: GBS “promises to save writers' and publishers' asses by putting their books into the index of works that are visible to searchers who get all their information from the Internet.”

38. Perspective 3: “Google Books is an American/Anglophone Imperialist plot!” Who has it: Mainly Europeans interested in cultural heritage – and among those, mostly the French Has fallen out of style somewhat as Google has taken on more international partners What it is: Because it is the project of an American corporation, whose library partners are predominantly American and British, Google Book Search will serve to entrench Anglo-American cultural hegemony worldwide. Jean-Noël Jeanneney, French historian and politician:

39. Perspective 4: “Google Books is actually a pretty cool idea, but it endangers _______.*”*(a) information freedom, (b) privacy, (c) public institutions, (d) legal procedure, (e) all of the above, (f) other Who has it: Many authors, academics, librarians, and legal scholars – including me What it is: Fundamentally, scanning all the world’s books is a good – even amazing and world-changing – idea. However, proceeding with such a radical project without due consideration to its potential ethical, social, and political implications risks creating a brave new world in which none of us want to live. It should be noted that many who might fall into this category still vehemently disagree about the project and its implications. Siva Vaidhyanathan, Media & Communication Scholar: “We have focused on quantity and convenience at the expense of the richness and serendipity of the full library experience. We are making a tremendous mistake.”

40. So you’ve got a library… …would you share it with Google?

41. So what’s in it for the libraries? Fundamental Library Mission Connect users with information Money Digitization is expensive, Google will do it for free Time Have the whole collection scanned in years rather than decades Input Take part in the ongoing dialogue between Google and partner libraries about project direction, image and metadata quality, etc. LOCKSS Redundant digital storage of the library’s information (though not its artifacts) Publicity/Prestige Two ways: Through involvement itself Library name appears on the book-viewing page when a scan is from your library

42. Why libraries might say“thanks, but no thanks”(an incomplete list) Insufficient Reward (contracts vary greatly) Objection to certain aspects of the project or settlement, especially: The fact that the initiative is private, not public The level of control over digitized materials that Google would have relative to library partners Concept of users interfacing with the “library of the future” through Google Image quality and/or metadata problems Failure to adequately protect user privacy

43. The Proposed Settlement Allows Google to show more of in-copyright books than just snippets Allows for sale of digital books to individuals, and subscriptions to institutions Creates a rights clearinghouse called the Book Rights Registry for dealing with payments from these sales Allows for public access terminals to be placed in public libraries Heinously complex! Resources: The Public Index: http://thepublicindex.org/ ARL’s Guides for the Perplexed (&other resources): http://www.arl.org/pp/ppcopyright/google/index.shtml Official Settlement website: http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/ Pamela Samuelson (on the legal issues): http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~pam/

44. Thanks!