Google Allows Downloads of out-of-copyright Books

All,

>Google is adding a feature to its Google Book Search
service today 
>to allow PDF downloads of out-of-copyright books.

http://www.techcrunch.com
/2006/08/30/google-allows-downloads-of-out-of-copyright-book
s/

It's definitely not consistently available yet, but here's
an example:


http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp
-vG-YC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=abbott+flatland

Sometimes it's full view only, sometimes it's download
only, and 
sometimes there are both options.  The service is launching
today, so 
I don't know if this is a bug or a feature ...

Leslie

------------
Leslie Johnston
Head, Digital Access Services
University of Virginia Library
http://lib.virginia.
edu/digital/
http://lib.virgi
nia.edu/digital/das/
johnstonvirginia.edu 


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Leslie Johnston wrote:

> It's definitely not consistently available yet, but
here's an example:
> 
> 
http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp
-vG-YC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=abbott+flatland 

It's also only available within the United States.  While
Flatland is most 
definitely in the public domain worldwide, we Canadians only
get to see 
excepts, as if it was still a restricted text.

- David

-- 
David J. Fiander              | +1 519 661 2111 ext 86369
Digital Services Librarian    | http://www.lib.uwo.ca/t
aylor/
Allyn & Betty Taylor Library  | MSN chat: dfianderuwo.ca
University of Western Ontario |
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On 8/30/06 8:16 AM, "David J. Fiander"
<dfianderuwo.ca> wrote:

> Leslie Johnston wrote:
> 
>> It's definitely not consistently available yet,
but here's an example:
>> 
>> http://books.google.com
/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp-vG-YC&pg=PA9&l
pg=PA9
>> &dq=abbott+flatland
> 
> It's also only available within the United States. 
While Flatland is most
> definitely in the public domain worldwide, we Canadians
only get to see
> excepts, as if it was still a restricted text.

This is one of my gripes about Google Books. Although the
work itself may be
clearly in the public domain, if a publisher has republished
it and is
currently selling it, it is locked down on Google Books. Add
to this the
fact that Google Books apparently knows nothing about the
freely available
out of copyright works on the Internet and you have a
ridiculous situation.
Sometimes you are actually much better off searching Google
proper for a
book than you are Google Books, since Google *does* know
about openly
available out of copyright works.
Roy

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Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Leslie Johnston wrote:

> It's definitely not consistently available yet, but
here's an example:
> 
> 
http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp
-vG-YC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=abbott+flatland 

It's also only available within the United States.  While
Flatland is most 
definitely in the public domain worldwide, we Canadians only
get to see 
excepts, as if it was still a restricted text.

- David

-- 
David J. Fiander              | +1 519 661 2111 ext 86369
Digital Services Librarian    | http://www.lib.uwo.ca/t
aylor/
Allyn & Betty Taylor Library  | MSN chat: dfianderuwo.ca
University of Western Ontario |
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

On 8/30/06 8:16 AM, "David J. Fiander"
<dfianderuwo.ca> wrote:

> Leslie Johnston wrote:
> 
>> It's definitely not consistently available yet,
but here's an example:
>> 
>> http://books.google.com
/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp-vG-YC&pg=PA9&l
pg=PA9
>> &dq=abbott+flatland
> 
> It's also only available within the United States. 
While Flatland is most
> definitely in the public domain worldwide, we Canadians
only get to see
> excepts, as if it was still a restricted text.

This is one of my gripes about Google Books. Although the
work itself may be
clearly in the public domain, if a publisher has republished
it and is
currently selling it, it is locked down on Google Books. Add
to this the
fact that Google Books apparently knows nothing about the
freely available
out of copyright works on the Internet and you have a
ridiculous situation.
Sometimes you are actually much better off searching Google
proper for a
book than you are Google Books, since Google *does* know
about openly
available out of copyright works.
Roy

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

On 8/30/06, Leslie Johnston <johnstonvirginia.edu> wrote:
> It's definitely not consistently available yet, but
here's an example:
>
> 
http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp
-vG-YC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=abbott+flatland
>
> Sometimes it's full view only, sometimes it's
download only, and
> sometimes there are both options.  The service is
launching today, so
> I don't know if this is a bug or a feature ...

How to find books you can download:
http://book
s.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=44664&query=fu
ll%20view&topic=&type=
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On 8/30/06, Leslie Johnston <johnstonvirginia.edu> wrote:
> It's definitely not consistently available yet, but
here's an example:
>
> 
http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp
-vG-YC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=abbott+flatland
>
> Sometimes it's full view only, sometimes it's
download only, and
> sometimes there are both options.  The service is
launching today, so
> I don't know if this is a bug or a feature ...

How to find books you can download:
http://book
s.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=44664&query=fu
ll%20view&topic=&type=
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

On 8/30/06 8:46 AM, "Jeremy Dunck"
<jdunckgmail.com> wrote:

> On 8/30/06, Leslie Johnston <johnstonvirginia.edu> wrote:
>> It's definitely not consistently available yet,
but here's an example:
>> 
>> http://books.google.com
/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp-vG-YC&pg=PA9&l
pg=PA9
>> &dq=abbott+flatland
>> 
>> Sometimes it's full view only, sometimes it's
download only, and
>> sometimes there are both options.  The service is
launching today, so
>> I don't know if this is a bug or a feature ...
> 
> How to find books you can download:
> http://books.google.com/su
pport/bin/answer.py?answer=44664&query=full%20view&t

> opic=&type=

But like many things Google says, both in person and in
print, the
information provided there is not accurate -- or at minimum
what they say is
not the full story. Despite what they lead you to believe,
not all "full
view" books have a PDF available for downloading. All
you have to do is try
it out and see.
Roy

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Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

On 8/30/06 8:46 AM, "Jeremy Dunck"
<jdunckgmail.com> wrote:

> On 8/30/06, Leslie Johnston <johnstonvirginia.edu> wrote:
>> It's definitely not consistently available yet,
but here's an example:
>> 
>> http://books.google.com
/books?vid=OCLC18938030&id=HKackp-vG-YC&pg=PA9&l
pg=PA9
>> &dq=abbott+flatland
>> 
>> Sometimes it's full view only, sometimes it's
download only, and
>> sometimes there are both options.  The service is
launching today, so
>> I don't know if this is a bug or a feature ...
> 
> How to find books you can download:
> http://books.google.com/su
pport/bin/answer.py?answer=44664&query=full%20view&t

> opic=&type=

But like many things Google says, both in person and in
print, the
information provided there is not accurate -- or at minimum
what they say is
not the full story. Despite what they lead you to believe,
not all "full
view" books have a PDF available for downloading. All
you have to do is try
it out and see.
Roy

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Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/