Browsable Fiction

Another new site has popped up around here. We now have a site for our popular reading collection – a collection that’s been a huge hit so far! The site let’s you browse by cover, write reviews, share comments and recommend new purchases. Very cool – I’m busy spreading the word to students. Check this site out for more info.

Microsoft Live Search Books

Microsoft’s competition to Google Book Search, Live Search Books, is scheduled to release tomorrow (Dec. 7). The British Library, University of California, and University of Toronto have offered out of copyright books and more contributors will be added in Jan. 2007.  Guess what I’m playing with tomorrow?

Open Access

Just thought I would pass along word of two specialized agency databases that are providing developing countries with much needed scientific literature. One database, the Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture, is from FAO, while WHO offers the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative program. Find more information at the UN Pulse blog. Open access is essential to developing countries and it’s good to see this being recognized.

Google’s Done It Again!

Google is now offering a new service: news archives. You can now get newspaper archives, some going back to the 1700s, although not all will be free. You will have the ability to target dates or browse. Take a look at this CNN report on Google’s project for more info.

Update: Also, in case you haven’t heard the news (and you likely have), Google is also providing access to public domain books, making them nice and ready  for printing. Check it out here.