Finally, Google can put millions of books online

On October 28 2008, Google announced a huge development in the course of its work with books. It is potentially the biggest single development in the book industry since the founding of Amazon. As a result of a settlement agreement in a class action suit involving authors, publishers and libraries, which has been hanging over the Google Books programme for three years, millions of books will soon be available to read online. Many will be accessible for free, and many for a fee that will compensate publishers and authors for their work.

According to Google’s own blog:

‘This agreement is truly groundbreaking in three ways. First, it will give readers digital access to millions of in-copyright books; second, it will create a new market for authors and publishers to sell their works; and third, it will further the efforts of our library partners to preserve and maintain their collections while making books more accessible to students, readers and academic researchers.’

To you and I, this means we will have access to a range of books that no library in South Africa, and few libraries in the world, could ever have. Of course, Google Books has been making this possible for years already (mainly as a free and easy service to publishers who wanted their books to be searchable online), but much of its database of books it has scanned from public libraries has been hidden from us while the class action suit has run its course. Google can now properly offer to the book world the same kind of search power it’s given us for web pages.

What’s especially special is that they’ve done it in a way that compensates publishers. Until now, many publishers have despaired at the thought of Google Books taking the money out of their business model: content so good that people will pay for it. Establishing a business model for content creators is exactly what was required to ensure that books remain sources, if you happen to believe this is the case, of truly authoritative information.

There is still a way to go. There are a few legal hurdles to clear regarding the class action suit, and payment and compensation channels to build. And those who fear Google’s power as much as others love its ubiquity will have lots to say as Google takes charge of distributing most of the world’s recorded knowledge.