There have been more than a few instances in my academic career when a book I need for a class is either way to expensive for what I intend to use it for and not available at the local library, so just like every other problem in my life, I turn to Google.  Many times it is very easy for anyone to go to a library and read the entirety of a book, but Google wanted to take that convenience one step further by creating a digital catalog of over eighteen million books.  They were quickly sued for copyright infringement and eventually settled out of court in which stipulations were created to dictate what Google could and could not do.  Without getting into too much detail, Google ended up only being able to provide one fifth of each book, for the majority of the books it digitized. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig uses a great example to convey the potential impact of this cut in content due to copyright laws; he presents the situation of a child going to a library to do research for a project, “…You do not want them to have access to just 20 percent of each book they read…You want them to browse: to explore, to wonder, to ask questions.” Both my mind and my wallet sure would appreciate it if Google could produce the entirety of those eighteen million books.  In today's day and age or free online content, it is hard to believe this dream is too farfetched.  


-Adubs