The University of Michigan has signed an agreement with internet search services provider Google Inc., US, to create digital copies of millions of University of Michigan library books and journals. The amended agreement, which strengthens library preservation efforts and increases the public's access to books, is possible because of Google's pending settlement with a broad class of authors and publishers.
The agreement opens up the University of Michigan library's extensive collections of 8 million works to readers and students throughout the US with free previews, the ability to buy access to the university's collections online and through subscriptions at other institutions. Through provisions in Google's pending settlement with authors and publishers and the amended University of Michigan agreement, Google will provide a free public access terminal, allowing every public and collegiate library in the US equal access to the University of Michigan materials.
The new deal, which Google hopes other libraries will support, allows the University of Michigan to review, and through arbitration challenge, the pricing for institutional subscriptions to ensure Google fulfills its commitment to enable widespread adoption of these services. The agreement also calls for Google to contribute millions of dollars to establish up to two new research centers where scholars will be able to conduct research that would not be possible without the large number of digitized works.
The amended agreement also provides for expanded opportunities for University of Michigan and Google to provide users with print disabilities immediate access to millions of books; the creation of new opportunities for large-scale analysis of the written record; and the expansion of the collaborative effort among libraries to build a shared storehouse of digital library content called the HathiTrust through support from Google.
