Student Newspaper Chronicles Digitization of Books at IU

Student Newspaper Chronicles Digitization of Books at IU

Student Newspaper Chronicles Digitization of Books at IU

Apr 25, 2009, 21:04 PM

In its April 23 edition, the Indiana Daily Student reported on the current and future digitization of Indiana University library volumes by Google. IU's folklore collection, the largest in the world, is the first CIC "collection of distinction" to be...

In its April 23 edition, the Indiana Daily Student reported on the current and future digitization of Indiana University library volumes by Google.

IU's folklore collection, the largest in the world, is the first CIC "collection of distinction" to be digitized as part of the CIC's partnership with the Google Book Search project. Digitizing the folklore collection will begin in mid-May and with a goal to be finished by the end of the summer, according to the article.

The article quotes Patricia Steele, Ruth Lilly dean of University Libraries, as saying, “I think some people believe we are devaluing the book by digitizing them,” Steele said. “But by digitizing them we are providing a new discovery mechanism that the book never had before. For many people, if something isn’t online, it doesn’t exist.”