Google Books
As one of the most accessible databases to the public, Google Books has set an ambitious goal: to digitize the world’s books, making them searchable and, in some cases, readable online. This is no easy feat, considering the many different ramifications. The sheer volume, restrictions, and access issues are all significant potential issues with this idea. Despite this, Google Books has become a powerful research tool, offering users instant access to snippets, previews, and even full texts of books from centuries past to the present day.
Google Books is used by people worldwide and inspires many different databases and search tools. It even affects culture as society shifts to a more digital era (Gran et al., 2019). This has been nothing short of revolutionary for students, researchers, and the casually curious learners. Need to find a rare out-of-print text? A keyword in an old scholarly book? Google offers this service with ease of use. They advertise it as just like a regular Google search, which we are all familiar with. “Try a search on Google Books or on Google.com. When we find a book with content that contains a match for your search terms, we'll link to it in your search results” (Google Books).
In the grand scheme, Google Books is a powerful tool that has changed how we search for and interact with texts. But as we continue to rely on it, we must remain aware of its limitations and the broader implications of private companies shaping access to our collective knowledge. Libraries, by contrast, have long operated under values of openness, intellectual freedom, and public service. They lend books, protect patron privacy, and fight censorship. Many librarians support digitization efforts, but help those prioritizing preservation, public access, and nonprofit values.
As a tool, Google Books remains integral and strong in its position in the digital world for libraries, educational institutions, research facilities, etc. It will continue to evolve and take on new forms as time passes.
Gran, A.-B., Røssaak, E., & Kristensen, L.-B. K. (2019). Digital Infrastructure for Diversity—On Digital Bookshelf and Google Books. Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society, 49(3), 171–187. https://doi-org.palomar.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10632921.2019.1581114
Google Books. (n.d.). About Google Books. Google. https://www.google.com/intl/en/googlebooks/about/index.html
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