[Web4lib] Christian Science Monitor editorial about Google Books project

[B.G. Sloan]

"Is Google playing by the book? The search giant is on its way to becoming the world's digital library, but a private monopoly raises questions." Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board, August 7, 2009.

An excerpt:

"The ability of a student in Alabama or Albania to have access to the contents of the world's libraries online at their fingertips, for example, is a powerful concept and just one of the ways a free and open Web can lift humanity. But history shows that when a company – even one with talent and good intentions – acts like a monopoly, it is subject to abuses. Despite the potentially monumental effects of this settlement, it has had little public scrutiny. Yet it needs a rigorous examination."

Full text at:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0807/p08s01-comv.html

Bernie Sloan