The Necessity of Google Books

In today’s New York Times Op-Ed section, Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, defends his company’s initiative to digitize all books. As in: every single book ever published.

Google Books, as the company arm is called, has been met with profound outcry from publishers and authors alike, who claim that digitizing the world’s books robs rights-holders. In the five years since Google Books began its incredible project, they have had to go through several legal battles in order to continue their work.

This initial negative reaction to the digitization of books is quick and easy. But as Brin points out, his project is not an act of reformation or revolution (I’m looking at you, Kindle). Instead, it is an act of preservation, safeguarding a culture and knowledge base that is profoundly vulnerable when housed only on paper. And by digitizing (which is, in my mind, a synonym for democratizing) knowlege, we allow it to be accessed and experienced in ways that are impossible when culture is contained in orphan, out-of-print books in far-flung libraries. What’s worthier of our protection and attention than the full sum of our culture?

-Elise