You can download the ones that are out of copyright, but the most of them you cannot. You will recall that when Google first started Google books the publishers had a fit over it. Then an agreement was finally worked out in which Google could distribute their books to certain libraries for lending with some pretty stringent restrictions the details of which I don't recall. As I understand the copyright exception that Bookshare operates under, though, it should be just fine if Google turned over all those files to be used at Bookshare just like any other book is used at Bookshare and that would mean a fantastic growth of the Bookshare collection in a very short time. Right now, though, the best you can do in accessing Google books is to read snippets of text here and there like we have been discussing insofar as we search for a small bit of text in order to decipher an unclear word.
On 2/20/2012 1:30 AM, Barbara B wrote:
Can an individual get the google books and download them to the computers?
Barbara
--- On *Sun, 2/19/12, Roger Loran Bailey /<rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx>/* wrote:
From: Roger Loran Bailey <rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Speaking of Google Books, and Alissa
please read this.
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sunday, February 19, 2012, 6:00 PM
Speaking of Google books, I am reminded of something. A long time
ago, in the context of publisher donated books, I asked if there
was any possibility of getting Google to donate the electronic
texts of their millions of books to Bookshare. My understanding of
the copyright law should make this possible. Just think.
Bookshare's collection could grow by about six million books all
at once. Pavi said that Bookshare was in talks with Google about
just that. Well, since I am recalling back at least two volunteer
coordinators and it was well before she left then that was
certainly a long time ago. The discussion of the matter ended on
that note. I think enough time has passed to ask about it again.
What is the status of those talks with Google? Will we ever get
those millions of books into the collection?
To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<http://us.mc1224.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get
a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the
subject line.
