Google Books Influencing Digitization

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Google Books Influencing Digitization

    In 1996, Sergey Brin and Larry Page introduced Google Books to the world with a mission to make digital libraries viable for research. Since this time, Google Books has digitized over 40 million books that are available in over 400 languages (Google). These languages make it possible for scholars from all over the world to access works that would have only been available in the original language it was written in. Powered by Google's "web crawler" feature and page ranking algorithm, Google Books has quickly become the go-to resource for scholars. Google Books has increased the possibilities in many fields of study, such as the psychology field. A study performed and published by the International Journal of Psychology analyzed the cultural change for Chinese students by studying the use of words and lexicons through the reoccurrence of words used in Google Books (Zhang 146)." Collecting this data of reused words allows for researchers to identify patterns based on common phrases and words used in searches. “Analysing culture change through language expressed in voluminous books does not simply boost sample size but extend the analytic focus beyond individual psyches to culturally constructed products that exist in the entire world (Morling & Lamoreaux 15)." The development of Google Books has opened many doors for researchers due to the sophisticated data collection method that's inherent on Google's search engine.

    The success of Google Books has led to many implications for libraries and library staff, they have to adapt to the technological needs of end-users to make information accessible to people. Many students in academic institutions started to heavily rely on Google rather than the library at their own institutions. Academic libraries had to adapt to this shift. As a result, libraries adapted to this change in numerous ways. Academic libraries developed consortia, resulting in larger collections of resources for students (Marcum 191). Additionally, they have integrated more digital resources for patrons to use. As a result, libraries still play a critical role in making digital resources accessible to its patrons

    Depending on how you perceive it, Google Books was the catalyst for libraries to implement digital collections and services to make information accessible to its users. Though it could have been a threat to users accessing information, the inclusion of Google Books helped identify and clarify the needs for digital resources. Google Books sped up that process and as a result, libraries have also followed and adapted to the technological trends.

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Works Cited

Google. "Google Books History." Google Books. https://books.google.com/googlebooks/about/history.html

Marcum, Deanna, and Roger C. Schonfeld. Along Came Google : A History of Library Digitization. Princeton University Press, 2021. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/lib/palomar-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6554325.

Morling, B., & Lamoreux, M. (2008). Measuring culture outside the head: A meta-analysis of individualism-collectivism in cultural products. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 12, 199 - 221

Zhang, Rui, and Liping Weng. "Not All Cultural Values Are Created Equal: Cultral Change in China Reexamined through Google Books." International Journal of Psychology, vol. 54, no. 1, Feb. 2019, pp. 144-54. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org-palomar-idm-oclc-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.1002/ijop.12436

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