Nytech International

Google to scan famous libraries

The libraries of five of the world's most important academic institutions are to be digitised by the online search engine company Google. Scanned pages from books in the public domain will then be made available for search and reading online.

The full libraries of Michigan and Stanford universities, as well as archives at

Harvard, Oxford and the New York Public Library are included. Online pages from scanned books will not have adverts but will have links to online store Amazon, Google said. There will also be links to public libraries so that the books can be borrowed. Google will not be paid for providing for the links.

It will take six years to digitise the full collection at Michigan, which contains seven million volumes. Users will only have access to extracts and bibliographies of copyrighted works. The New York library is allowing Google to include a small portion of books no longer covered by copyright. Oxford wants Google to scan novels, poetry, political tracts and art books originally published in the 19th Century. A total of one million books, less than 15% of the total collection held in the Bodleian Library. Harvard is limiting its participation to 40,000 books.

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