Michigan Digitization Project

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Michigan Digitization Project is a project in partnership with Google books to digitize the entire print collection of the University of Michigan Library. The digitized collection, called MBooks, is searchable in the University of Michigan library catalog, Mirlyn, as well as in Google Book Search. Full-text of works that are out of copyright or in the public domain are available. [1] [2], [3]

According to the University of Michigan University Library, they embarked on this partnership for a number of reasons:

  • The project will create new ways for users to search and access Library content, opening up our library collections to our own users and to users throughout the world
  • Although we have engaged in large-scale (preservation-based) conversion of parts of the Library's collection for several years, we know that only through partnerships of this sort can something of this scale be achieved
  • We believe that, beyond providing basic access to Library collections, this activity is critically transformative, enabling the University Library to build on and reconceive vital Library services for the new millennium.[4]

Various aspects of this project has been widely discussed in the academic world. [5], [6], [7], [8] [9] [10]. It has also been widely noticed in the general press. [11], [12], [13], [14], [15] In February 2008, the University of Michigan announced that over 1 million books from the University Library have been digitized.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Carlson Scott and Jeffrey R. Young. "Google Will Digitize and Search Millions of Books From 5 Leading Research Libraries," The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 14, 2004.
  2. ^ Carnevale, Dan. "U. of Michigan Unveils Its Book-Scanning Contract With Google," The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 20, 2005
  3. ^ Foster, Andrea L. "U. of Michigan President Defends Library's Role in Controversial Google Scanning Project," The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 7, 2006.
  4. ^ MBooks - Michigan Digitization Project About page
  5. ^ Young, Jeffrey R. "U. of Michigan Adds Books Digitized by Google to Online Catalog, but Limits Use of Some," The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 31, 2006. The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 31, 2006.
  6. ^ Vaidhyanathan, Siva (2 December 2006). "A Risky Gamble with Google". The Chronicle of Higher Education.. 
  7. ^ Vaidhyanathan, Siva (Sep/Oct 2006). "Copyright Jungle". Columbia Journalism Review. 45 (5): 42. 
  8. ^ Tennant, Roy. "Mass Digitization."Library Journal, October 15, 2006
  9. ^ Courant, Paul. "On being in bed with Google," http://paulcourant.net/2007/11/04/on-being-in-bed-with-google/
  10. ^ Wong, Wylie. "Digital Libraries: Turning to the Same Page." EdTech: Focus on Higher Education, Nov/Dec 2007
  11. ^ Vaidhyanathan, Siva. "Steal This Book." Interview on On the Media, NPR, September 30, 2005. http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2005/09/30/05 NPR]
  12. ^ Walker, Leslie. "Google's Goal: A Worldwide Web of Books" Washington Post, May 18, 2006; Page D01. Washington Post, May 18, 2006
  13. ^ Toobin, Jeffrey. "Google's Moon Shot: The quest for the universal library." . The New Yorker, February 5, 2007
  14. ^ "Google to scan famous libraries," BBC News, December 14, 2004.
  15. ^ Said, Carolyn. "Revolutionary chapter: Google's ambitious book-scanning plan seen as key shift in paper-based culture", San Francisco Chronicle, December 20, 2004.

[edit] External links