07 Mar, 2007
Google Book Search Signs up Big - Foreign Language
Posted by: Jeff VanDrimmelen In: General| Instructional Technology
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Yesterday Google Book Search made a fantastic announcement for all those that work with some of the common foreign languages (German, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin). They have added the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) to the Google Books Library Project.
As one of Europe’s most important and renowned international research libraries, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek will add more than a million out-of-copyright books to the program, from well-loved German classics by the Brothers Grimm and Goethe to extensive collections previously only available to those able to consult the library’s stacks. In addition to German-language works, the library’s collection includes numerous out-of-copyright works in French, Spanish, Latin, Italian and English. Some of the works of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek date back to the very first moments of book printing and bear incredible cultural meaning.
What is amazing about this is the million out-of-copyright books that will be available (FULLY) online. Not only to be read, but searched and explored with the myriad of other tools Google offers through their books search. For those who are not familiar with these features, I wrote an article about them a couple of months ago here.
As we reflect back on Google’s ‘Unbound’ Conference, we begin to see how the new unbound literature will extend internationally. I’m so excited! Can you tell? It must be my Dutch heritage coming through… or perhaps all those years I spent reading amazing German stories!
