Libraries criticized for role in Google Book Search

["B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>]

Last week I ran across some intriguing comments by Siva 
Vaidhyanathan. In his initial analysis of the Google settlement 
with publishers and authors, Vaidhyanathan briefly discusses the 
role of the library partners in Google Book Search. The following 
excerpt offers an interesting perspective from a non-librarian:

"My major criticisms of Google Book Seach (sic) have always 
concerned the actions of the university libraries that have 
participated in this program rather than Google 
itself...Libraries at public universities all over this 
country...have spent many billions of dollars collecting these 
books. Now they are just giving away access to one company that 
is cornering the market on on-line access. They did this without 
concern for user confidentiality, preservation, image quality, 
search prowess, metadata standards, or long-term sustainability. 
They chose the expedient way rather than the best way to build 
and extend their collections...I am sympathetic to the claim that 
something is better than nothing and sooner is better than later. 
But sympathy remains mere sympathy...we must reflect on how 
complicit some universities have been in centralizing and 
commercializing knowledge under a single corporate umbrella."

Just wondering what librarians might think about Vaidhyanathan's 
concerns?

The full discussion (with reader comments) is at: 
http://tinyurl.com/678e5l

Bernie Sloan
Sora Associates
Bloomington, IN