Google’s newest task might be the best idea they have ever had, but will they be stopped because they broke the law? Google Print Library Project was an idea that would make out-of-print, out-of-stock, hard-to-get, and current books all available in one place; it would basically be a online library for anyone to use at any time with no fee attached to it. In theory this is a great idea, but copyright laws stunted the future expansion of this project. The article quoted the lawsuit stating that “[B]y digitizing, archiving, copying, and now publishing the copyrighted works without the authorization of those works’ rights holders, the universities are engaging in one of the largest copyright infringements in history.” If Google didn’t go down in history for creating the ultimate online library, now they will be remembered for the biggest copyright violations ever committed.
The modernization of the library is something that the world has been waiting for. This easy, free collection of books would have made it easier for anyone to attain any book. Not having to leave your house and having to track down a book would make the average person’s life much easier. Also, not having to pay for it would also increase the popularity of this online library. Something that is free and easily accessible would be beyond popular in today’s society. Many people also use the Internet at their primary resource for researching rather than going to the library. If Google Library was successful, this may have changed people’s opinion on research through libraries.
Combining all these different books into one website also displays the advances that have been made in today’s technology. Even though the process couldn’t be completed, it was able to be started which is an advancement in itself. Google would need a very complex system that would organize millions of books into one place. This system also needs to keep all of these books organized and easy to find on the website. Being able to look through all the different books and generate a match that is most relevant to what was asked is too much to do manually. The technology that would help make this possible would be by a system such as Haadop. Haadop is a computing system that helps look through large quantities of data with a “simple programming model” (http://hadoop.apache.org/); it is actually an improvement of previous Google projects. With tools such as Haadop, Google would have successfully launched the first online free, public library. If it only had followed copyright rules, than libraries would be technologically advancing like the rest of the world is.
Google tried to stretch the limits of a law by disregarding the copyrights of all the books that were to be included in this ultimate library. Google’s CEO has decided to abandon the project entirely because of all the infringements they have already incurred. Also, he wants to pair down the number of ambitious projects they are involved in, this being one of them. Combining millions of books into one place that is free and easy to access requires a complex system and is not an easy task. If Google successfully launched this library, then they would have made one of the most successful advances in technology, including information systems.
The Apache Software Foundation. Welcome to Apache™ Hadoop™! Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://hadoop.apache.org/>.
Ingram, Matthew. "Google's Global Library Takes a Further Blow - Businessweek." Businessweek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/googles-global-library-takes-a-further-blow-09132011.html.
This i agree is a very ambitious project for google has been a pioneer in information searches for years. i also agree that this public library has to be a next step but i do not agree that it should be privatized. as of now the public library is not privatized and a library is not around to make profit. after you get passed the fact that privatization of a library is wrong, going about it the way google did will never work. How can google, or whoever tries to do this next, control what people do with it. People could easily save the document to there computer, print it out, or use it anyway. This would be basically the same as lime wire for books. yes the internet is the way of the future but doing this will eliminate the need for libraries and Google will take on the job of the government when it comes to book sales and public libraries will be gone. getting free books when this happens will be as easy as getting free music, making book writers hurt and as extinct as artists are becoming. No one will want to write a book that is aloud into this library where it can be abused and stolen easily.
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