Re: Question about Google Print

[<pdwatson@uiuc.edu>]

I recently attended a talk, "Refections on the Gooogle Deal" by Paul
Courant, the Provost of University of Michigan, at the Getty Institute in
Los Angeles.

Courant believes that Michigan's agreement with Google will change the
world in important ways:

• Making the results of scholarship more accessible will help make
American universities' contribution to economic development more visible
and increase the perceived value of academe to society

• Though UMich has no intention of breaking the law, an anticipated
positive benefit of the "Google deal" will be the "perturbation" of the
present copyright regime.

Courant spoke initially as though Google would give UMich a copy of the
full text of the 8 million print volumes being scanned and OCRd. Actually,
under questioning, it became clear that it would be Michigan's
responsibility to house and maintain this database.

UMich intends, if possible, to make the full text database of its holdings
freely available to Michigan users. Whether this is legal or not remains
to be seen.

To accomplish the far-reaching changes Courant envisions will require
large scale cooperation among multiple entities with various quid pro quos
coming into play. The path for this is as yet uncharted.

When asked what Google was getting out of this, Courant said he really
didn't know, but putting together information and people who need
information may often result in the making of money.

Since Courant was speaking right after Peter Givler sent his letter of
protest re: copyright issues on behalf of the Amer. Assoc. of Univ.
Presses, he had to make some comment about objections coming from this
quarter.  Basically, he said the future of University presses had nothing
to do with Google but was dependent on difficulties with their current
business model.

Apologies in advance to Dr. Courant if I have misrepresented 
his remarks in any way.
*************************************************************

Paula D. Watson, Emerita
University of Illinois Library		      
1408 W. Gregory Dr. MC-522                    
Urbana, Illinois 61801			      
pdwatson@uiuc.edu