Keywords
Citation
McDowell, N. (2007), "Libraries and Google", Collection Building, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 138-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950710831997
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Before even opening this book I knew from the title that it would be an extremely interesting and incredibly relevant work, and was not disappointed. Google's search engine is the predominant way for many library users and members of the public to search the internet. But for a potential library user looking for accurate information is Google really a comprehensive, effective alternative to the library, or does it just complement library services? Libraries and Google is a fascinating look at the opportunities provided by Google as well as its limitations.
The essays are written in a very accessible style and include overviews and background information, case studies and critical evaluation of Google's products, and express a range of opinions from optimistic and enthusiastic to the more apprehensive and cautious. Libraries and Google is both enlightening and thought‐provoking and discusses ways librarians can use Google's products to benefit libraries and their users by enhancing access to their carefully selected and paid‐for resources, as well as highlighting potential concerns and drawbacks with Google, such as privacy issues and the limited availability of full‐text in Google Scholar.
While focusing in particular on the Google Print and Google Scholar products, the book also covers the Google search engine and the Google search appliance for federated searching. The book does not limit its discussion to Google though and provides a useful amount of context in terms of the broader online environment and comparisons with other digital products that are available and widely used. For example, Google Print is compared with other e‐book collections such as NetLibrary; Google Scholar is compared with other full text article databases, such as EBSCO's Academic Search Premier; and Google's search engine is compared with tools to search the invisible web.
Libraries and Google is a must‐read for any librarian with an interest in reference work, e‐journals, collection management, systems or the future development of libraries. I also highly recommend it as a key read for library science students, who need to be aware of the important issues it covers.