Eoin Purcell

Robert Jordan RIP

This is remarkably clever
LibraryThing have responded to Google’s My Library effort with this:

Google Book Search Search is a bookmarklet that searches Google Book Search for the titles in your LibraryThing library. It works not unlike the famous SETI@Home project. You set it up and searches Google Book Search slowly in the background.* You can watch, do something in another window or go out for coffee.

When it’s done you can link to and search all the books in your library that Google has scanned. You’ll find a “search this book” link on work pages, and a Google Book Search field to add to the list view in your catalog.

What it does is simply co-opt Google’s ability to display text with very little effort. It also sheds some light on what Google Book Search actually has on file already. Although many of my books are non -preview ones, a few are full access and more snippet access.

In doing this it makes the two sites partners in data sharing and books on the web. It adds value to LibraryThing and to the work Google is doing. It is a great step towards breaking down the silos of information that seem tpo be building up around books on the web.

Really pleased by the LibraryThing news, saddened by the Jordan news!
Eoin