Books and Libraries in Google

In keeping with a sudden frenzy of new initiatives, Google is now starting to include records and extracts from published books along with a few connections into library holdings information. These two initiatives are currently separate from each other, and since they are both experimental, they may change or stop appearing at any time. Neither one tends to show up in search results very often, but here are a few links to see what they look like.

First, the Google Print inside the book content, which is not as useful as the Amazon Search Inside the Book since it only includes extracts. Note that the text actually resides on Google's servers. See the Google Print FAQ for more information.

Second, Google has some links to OCLC's Open WorldCat pilot project. It took awhile to find a search that would retrieve one, but Maureen Whitebrook toads seems to work. After finding such a record, the user will need to enter a ZIP code to have it identify local libraries holding the particular book.

While at first glance, both of these book-related efforts seem like good ideas, they may well just confuse the sense of what Google is indexing. Most library patrons are still better served by checking directly with their library's own catalog. And book buyers are likely better served at Amazon or another book retailer.