Mega search engine Google is attempting to digitize the entire world of print in order to make books accessible to you, to me, to anyone with an Internet connection. Libraries that have already signed on include Stanford, Oxford, and New York Public Library (list not inclusive). This is quite a feat logistically not to mention expensive. Google Books has already scanned millions of titles that are available through their beta site. Google argues that this is an opportunity for authors and publishers to advertise their products through Google Books. They say more people will want to buy the book after reading a preview. There is the issue of copyright law. Already the American Association of Publishers and The Author's Guild have sued, claiming copyright infringement. Google argues that by offering "snippets" of the book, they are by no means infringing on the copyrighted works.
So what does this mean for the publishing industry? How does this affect libraries? Does Google have the right, without permission from author of publisher, to scan and post said works online? Does this cause us to re-evaluate copyright law? What about "orphan works?" Orphan works is when a book has not the author or publisher to ask permission for use of this work.
In a recent Salon.com article, "Throwing Google at the Book," author Farhad Manjoo comments that Google's undertaking "is poised to create a tool that could truly change the way we understand, and learn about, the world around us." He also asks a provocotive question, "Can we really afford to let content owners stand in the way of Google's revolutionary idea?"
The books scanned and available in full text on Google Books website are published before 1923 and no longer protected by copyright law. This means they can be scanned and made available online with fear of litigation from the author or publishing house. Other full view books include works published after 1923 that received author or publisher permission. Although, the books are not available full-text, it can be searched using keyword terms.
So the question is whether Google Books hurts the printing industry by digitizing books from libraries all over the world or can this only increase the sales and make information that might not otherwise be found available.
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The issue of copyright is a major one and cannot be ignored. Why should an author bother to write a book if anyone can copy it and distribute it at no charge? Why put your ideas out in the public arena if anyone can take them, change them, and use them however they wish? Serious consideration needs to be given to how Google's project impacts copyright and the publication industry. I'm not saying Google's project is a bad one; I'm just saying we need to be careful.
But the point I started out to make is whether Google's actions harm book sales. I highly doubt it. A person who is interested in a single sentence or paragraph from a book is not likely to purchase the entire book to obtain it. Google is only making snippets of books available to users -- not entire books. Negative impact on sales has also been used as an argument against libraries and against interlibrary loan (ILL) programs. I'm a huge user of ILL, but the end result is that I purchase many more books than I otherwise would have. I'm not likely to spend money on a book I haven't seen. Frequently I borrow a book from a library, discover how very useful it is, and end up purchasing it.
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