Cornell is the 27th institution to join the Google Book Search Library Project, which digitizes books or parts of books from major libraries and makes it possible for Internet users to search their collections online. Over the next six years, Cornell will provide Google with public domain and copyrighted holdings from its collections. If a work has no copyright restrictions, the full text will be available for online viewing. For books protect by copyright, users will just get the basic background (such as the book's title and the author's name), at most a few lines of text related to their search and information about where they can buy or borrow a book.According to an announcement released today, materials from Mann Library, one of 20 member libraries that comprise Cornell University Library, will be digitized as part of the agreement. Among Mann's collections are biological sciences, natural resources, plant, animal and environmental sciences, applied economics, management and public policy, human development, textiles and apparel, nutrition and food science.
Cornell had previously signed a pact with Microsoft's Live Books program, but now Mann Library is also willing to partner with Google. Why the change? And will Cornell's other libraries follow?