UGA libraries partner with Google Books

The extraordinary treasure that is the University of Georgia libraries has a new digital access partnership with Google Books to digitize about 120,000 of the Libraries’ 4.5 million volumes:

Through a new partnership with Google, about 120,000 of the Libraries’ 4.5 million volumes will be digitized, allowing further access to literary, historic, scientific and reference books and journals through UGA’s library catalog as well as one of the largest digital book collections in the world.

“The University of Georgia Libraries’ collection of 4.5 million volumes is a vast resource for students and scholars at our campuses, and the Google Books partnership extends those benefits to people across the globe,” University Librarian and Associate Provost Toby Graham said. “The ability to search through the full text of these digitized materials will make it even easier for researchers to gain access to the knowledge that helps them to better understand our world.”

UGA Libraries’ contribution to the Google Books database includes items that are not widely available online. The volumes span centuries and cross genres, from the arts to economic forecasts, peanut and cotton research reports and U.S. and United Nations government reports.

In addition to more modern materials that will be available for preview online, other examples of volumes available in full text include shipping registers from as far back as 1764 and Atlanta city directories dating back to 1870. The project also advances a longstanding effort to provide digital access to state and federal government publications, and free digital access will be available to works by Balzac, Sir Francis Bacon, Robert Louis Stevenson, Thomas Hardy and other historically significant authors, thanks to UGA Libraries.

One might typically have to reside in or visit a major city to have access to such an inventory of knowledge as sits on North Campus, and with the Science Library, the Special Collections and the MLC, UGA has built an intellectual armada of resources that is second to none. It is indeed a great storehouse of our most valued cultural possessions, free and open to all. Great news that Google will work to expand the reach of the collection.

In the spirit of Homecoming this weekend, welcome back to the many alumni and friends returning to campus. Enjoy the festivities and as coach says, Go Dogs!