Keywords

Google, library, Google Print Library

Abstract

Already a strong presence on the web, Google has been of particular interest to those in the library industry, raising concerns over future roles that libraries and librarians would play in a Google-dominated, information-seeking world. Noted not only for its search capability, Google had previously demonstrated its desire to expand its role as an information provider with such tools as Google Earth (a remarkable 3-dimensional viewing tool of the planet), Google Scholar (a search tool designed to return only peer reviewed scholarly content) and Google News and Images (capable of searching thousands of news stories and retrieving a myriad of images). Now the "Google Print Library Program" was striking, at least seemingly, at the core of a library's offerings, its book collection.