Re: More on Google digitization and Europe

[Joseph Esposito <espositoj@gmail.com>]

The backers of this initiative are confused.  If the newly digitized
European collections are open to Web spiders, Google will index them and
make them part of the "Google universal library," whatever that means.  
If the collections are not open to Web spiders, the collections will be
cut off, to be part of the "dark Web."  This is a recipe for cultural
isolation.  It's wonderful that these collections will be made available
online, but these libaries are doing Google a favor.  Google is a
challenge to OPACs, not to France. The strident nationalism in the press
coverage is oh--so-nineteenth century.

Joe Esposito

On 4/27/05, Sloan, Bernie <bernies@uillinois.edu> wrote:
> "Nineteen European national libraries have joined forces against a planned
> communications revolution by Internet search giant Google to create a
> global virtual library, organizers said Wednesday. The 19 libraries are
> backing instead a multi-million euro counter-offensive by European nations
> to put European literature online."
> 
> Full text at:
> 
> http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1566717,00.html
> 
> Bernie Sloan
> E-mail: bernies@uillinois.edu