[Web4lib] Re: [lita-l] Google and Libraries

[Chris Bourg]

Maurice-
Thanks for asking the question I was thinking.
Also, for those who are interested, Google does have Google Book Search 
Blog. <http://booksearch.blogspot.com/>
Although it is mainly PR posts about how people use GBS, they have also 
posted about:

U.S. copyright renewal records available for download 
<http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-copyright-renewal-records-available.html> 



Inside Google Book Search: Preview books anywhere with the new *...* 
<http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2008/03/preview-books-anywhere-with-new-google.html>

I'm not clear on what exactly Google (or the Library Partners) owe to 
the broader library community, or how the Google Librarian Central blog 
satisfied that need?

--Chris

Maurice York wrote:
> Bill,
>
> Allow me to play something of the devil's advocate here, since this
> thread of wondering what happened to Google seems to be popping up all
> over the place in the last week. Like you and many others, I've noted
> Google's recent lower level of activity with their library
> communication channels, going back several months, though it seems
> that with ALA over the interest is suddenly heightened. I suppose I am
> as curious as anyone else as to the reason behind it, but I wonder why
> the Google partners would have an "obligation" to the "rest of us",
> and what exactly that obligation would be? To explain the
> communication strategy of a company that they have partnered with? Did
> anyone demand for DRA or their library partners to explain themselves
> when they inexplicably killed TAOS after "suckering" all those
> trusting pilot libraries with their promise of a brave new world for
> the library ILS? What ever happened to Corinthian? How about any other
> number of vendors who were full of promises on some product or another
> and all at once decided to call it a day? Microsoft for its part
> summarily executed Live Book Search with barely a whimper.
>
> As far as I can see all of the services that Google offers and has
> offered to libraries are still up and fully functional, including the
> release in the last couple of months of an API into Google Book Search
> that could not possibly have been meant for too anyone else but
> libraries, and sponsorship of a number of open source projects
> directly or indirectly related to libraries under the umbrella of
> Google Summer of Code. And for what they have produced for libraries,
> Google has never received a cent of library money. So I wonder at the
> purpose of demanding anything, much less a formal explanation, from
> our good colleagues?
>
> -Maurice
>
>
>
> ************************************
> Maurice York
> Interim Head, Information Technology
> NCSU Libraries
> North Carolina State University
> Raleigh, NC 27695
>
> maurice_york at ncsu.edu
> Phone: 919-515-3518
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 11:37 AM, Bill Drew <dreww at tc3.edu> wrote:
>   
>> I posted this on my blog this morning as part of a series of postings I am
>> writing about Google Librarian Central and its lack of updates since June
>> 2007.  You can the find the posts at http://tinyurl.com/6hyj6h .  I have
>> written two so far.  I was a strong supporter and a frequent user of Google
>> Librarian Central and was actually going to submit an article to the
>> newsletter.  I am very disappointed in what has happened or not happened.
>>
>> I am asking and challenging the Google Book Search Library Partners to ask
>> their contacts at Google about the status of Google Librarian Central. It
>> appears to be next to impossible to get Google to respond on this topic by
>> going through normal channels such as using the Google response forms. I am
>> going to compile a list of contacts for the Google Book Search Library
>> Partners and send them all and e-mail requesting their assistance in this
>> matter. Google and its partner libraries have a clear obligation to the rest
>> of us.
>> Bill Drew
>>
>>
>> -----------------------------------------
>> Wilfred (Bill) Drew, M.S., B.S., A.S.
>> Assistant Professor
>> Librarian, Systems and Tech Services
>> Tompkins Cortland Community College  (TC3) Library:
>> http://www.tc3.edu/library/
>> Dryden, N.Y. 13053-0139
>> E-mail: dreww at tc3.edu
>> Phone: 607-844-8222 ext.4406
>> AOL Instant Messenger:BillDrew4
>> Online Identity: http://claimID.com/billdrew
>> StrengthsQuest: Ideation, Input, Learner, Activator, Communication
>> http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill_Drew/
>>
>>     
>
>
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>   

-- 
Chris Bourg
Head, Information Center
Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources
http://infocenter.stanford.edu