using e-print

Response to Grade 10 Journal Entry Question #5: Reading in Cyberspace ?!?

Google has introduced a new service called Google Book Search. It's basically an online library of sorts, where you can find digital copies of various titles offered by the service.

Publishers are definitely going to need to get themselves updated with recent technology. Books aren't just limited to print sources anymore. Most publishing houses would definitely find this new method of finding books more convienent to their consumers and will highly consider putting their works on the Internet. This being said, Google is pioneering such a project and will be the centre of attention for many publishers wishing to put their material online. They must build their digital library together through the works of the publishers and the sources of Google, and will work more closely together as this project evolves.

Google offers a variety of user utilities as e-mail, chat, photo storage and much more. Its large-scale competitors, such as Yahoo! and Microsoft, also provide similar services. With the introduction of Google Book Search, perhaps they too will attempt to follow suite to improve and surpass the capabilities of Google's respective digital library. They can do it in many ways, such as accquiring the rights to certain publishers' works. Maybe even mini-features can improve their chances of success, such as offering them as word-searchable PDF files. Many people would find this quite efficient towards their researches - I know I personally would, since I'd find it easier to just copy a quote straight from the source than take the time to type out five lines. Hopefully the competition doesn't get too brutal, or that their services become too similar.

Google Book Search would give more access to print source information to many people who do not have the access to a library (although the scenario happens seldomly) or would find it easier to have a one-stop source for information. It's especially important to keep in mind that the Internet is an open source, meaning anyone can come and copy or edit material. An Internet hacker could break into Google Book Search's server and corrupt their files by photoshopping images, for example. The Internet cannot always be 100% relied on (a great example is the almighty Wikipedia) and I'm sure many people would prefer to stick to print sources, knowing that the information given is taken straight from a reliable source.

Libraries should not feel threatened by services such as Google Book Search. I personally don't think that books will soon become an ancient piece of history. Not everyone has an iPod that can read text, or will be able to read on-the-go the same way as holding a book in our hands turning pages. Even now, many people don't use computers - whether by choice or because of a lack thereof. The world is not 100% digitalized, so libraries should not fear any of the upcoming digital sourcing.

Overall, I feel that online book sources are a good asset to research. They provide an easy way to access basic information. But keeping in mind that many sources on the Internet are not reliable anyways, I'm a little skeptical about how this system will work. I'll just stick to the shelves and Dewey Decimal for now.