Google Scanning Millions of Books

Google, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers have reached a groundbreaking settlement that will create a far-reaching educational, cultural, and commercial platform to expand access to millions of books in the U.S.

Most of the world’s knowledge is contained in physical books. Google has joined with library partners to scan and index 10 million books, enabling a vast corpus of knowledge to be searchable. With court approval, the settlement will unlock that knowledge even further, making out-of-print books available online for anyone to preview, purchase, and read.

Google will provide institutional subscriptions that enable colleges, universities, and other organizations in the U.S. to dramatically expand their collections. The subscription will be priced for “broad access,” allowing institutions across the country to take advantage of it. In addition, Google will offer public libraries free access at one computer in each of their facilities.

The agreement will enable anyone, in the most rural or remote areas of the country, to benefit from the world of knowledge contained in our nation’s most renowned libraries. Millions of in-copyright, out-of-print books will be made available for readers in the U.S. to search, preview and buy online.