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

[Jim Campbell]

Actually they do sometimes OCR information outside the text of the book.
Try
http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22borrower+must+return+this+item%22+dat
e%3A1780-1923&btnG=Search+Books&as_brr=0
and you'll see a lot of Harvard books with that text on their date slips.
 
- Jim Campbell
 
Digital Access Coordinator and Librarian for German
E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu | Voice: 434-924-4985
 
Digital Access Services, University of Virginia Library
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/digital/das/
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org 
> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Crocker, Daniel
> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 1:55 PM
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: RE: [Web4lib] Google Allows Downloads of 
> out-of-copyright Books
> 
>  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
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