News - Google to archive British Library content online

[HEXUS]

250,000 books to be made freely available.

Read more.

[scaryjim]

... French and Dutch works, in attrition to English ...

Historically accurate, no doubt, but I don't *think* that's the word you were looking for

[hugo]

They're aggressive books, all right?.

[crossy]

... and an account of a stuffed Hippopotamus owned by the Prince of Orange (1775)

Nice to see that the celebrity "unauthorised biography" was alive and well in the 1770's!

I'm assuming that the illustration given is some CG-enhanced depiction of how the British Library will look after some rebuilding work?

[oolon]

I'm assuming that the illustration given is some CG-enhanced depiction of how the British Library will look after some rebuilding work?

Nope that is what it looks like!

On the story of the books. I can't believe though we have given them all to google. They be out of copyright but the are valuable. Google is trying to own the worlds information.

[aidanjt]

It's unlikely that they're *giving* them away, as in a transfer of priceless public property. Just a copy of said works. As long as this new digital library is freely available for the public, I can't see this as anything but a good thing.

[oolon]

I did realise that they were not giving the physical objects. However they are however giving them permission to scan the books, when they have been scanned it is doubtful anyone will ever do it again, and google owns those scans, Google will index them, and Google's name will be associated with them. For me that is "giving" them to google. The British library should be the gatekeeper to the books.

[aidanjt]

It's still public domain, so anyone will have the right to make copies of the scans. Although I agree that the British library should do it. As custodians of the books it's their job to maintain the books and their relevance to the public. But I also recognise the problems for them, i.e. lack of funding and expertiese in digitisation and IT in general.

[Lee H]

Well its a start I suppose.

Next they could always try to gain access to the vaticans huge library (Vatican Secret Archives) of important historical documentation that they do not give hardly anybody access to.

[aidanjt]

Hell would freeze over before that happens. I can't even imagine how many 'heretical' texts they're sitting on.

[Lee H]

Hell would freeze over before that happens. I can't even imagine how many 'heretical' texts they're sitting on.

I can only imagine.

I recall seeing a documentary once that was 'briefly' let in to see the magna carta and was shocked on how many important literacy pieces are locked away so hardly anyone can see them. The place is like the warehouse in Indiana Jones - apart from air-conditioned and full of books.