Last week, there was a ground-breaking settlement between Google and American publishers that will allow Google to index in-copyright books for Book Search. Previously it has only been for books out of copyright. 

This will only be for users in the US but it marks the continuation of the change of modern publishing. You will be able to find out of print books, and using print-on-demand publishing, order a copy even if it has been out of print for years. This is great for the reader and seeker of knowledge, and potentially great for authors as Google will track revenue for “orphan” books and people can claim if they have the rights. 

I am a huge fan on print-on-demand publishing, and this demonstrates another use for it. No longer will books languish in libraries unseen but will reappear online for you and I to learn from. Brilliant! 

Now, if Google will please sort out the rest of the world so we can all benefit!