[Web4lib] Google Allows Downloads of out-of-copyright Books

[Crocker, Daniel]

 As per usual, Google makes the in-depth searching and access to
information more complex than it needs to be, but provides a lot for
users just looking to goof around. Who checked out this 1911 book in
1973, for example?

http://books.google.com/books?id=usrqi6EAsHgC&pg=PT11

Thus far Google's "search inside this book" feature doesn't include
marginalia, but the marginalia I've seen while browsing has been
intriguing. Presuming the free full text doesn't disappear, we are
placing links to Google's scans in the record of our more rare and
fragile physical holdings. This download option makes this option far
more appealing.

>From Karen Coyle:
>At a minimum they need to be able to bookmark their place in the book,
and navigate to 
>chapters and pages. In addition people want to be able to make notes in
the margins, 
>"dog-ear" pages to return to, copy passages to the clipboard, search
within the text, 
>and see visually how far into the book they are (scroll bar or
whatever). These books 
>have none of that.

We are linking to the ToC to provide access to specific sections of
texts. From the web version, it is fairly easy to bookmark a particular
page or to click the About this book link for a page count. A few of our
titles have the Search within this book box, and I hope to see more of
these with time. I agree, there are many improvements that should occur
before this project moves out of beta, but I'm exceedingly grateful to
be able to provide unimpeded access to some of our more fragile texts
without lecturing and/or close supervision of use. 

Dan Crocker