Google Acquires OCLC, World Domination Near Total
Posted On Apr 1 2007What do you get when the 800-pound gorilla mates with the elephant in the room? Well, it looks as though you might just get the OCLC division of Google, Inc. The Mountain View, California, search giant has announced that it will acquire 100% of OCLC, the library cooperative based in Dublin, Ohio. The news was reported today on the ALA TechSource blog. Screenshot provided by ALA TechsourceThe news should come as a shock to the library community, which has waffled for several years between loathing their supposed competition and acquiescing to Google’s leading position in the search market. On the other …
Books More Digital
Posted On Mar 28 2007I’ve always had a hard time explaining my position on e-books. Some of my esteemed colleagues are quick to point out the minor dent that e-books have made in overall book sales in this country and others. But when I started evangelizing about e-books back in the late 1990s, we were still talking about what I call the “curl-up factor.” I grew so tired of hearing people complain about not wanting to curl up with an e-book, or the inability to take an e-book to the beach, that as soon as I read either phrase in e-book commentary, I simply …
Google Toilet
Posted On Mar 20 2007After all this serious talk about the future of automation systems, I thought I would lighten the load with a little humor. This was another take-away from my trip to Google that I did not mention in my more formal report. It’s a picture from the restroom stall at Google. Now, I work at a state institution where we consider a toilet paper holder still attached to the wall quite a luxury. But this blows away (ahem) all the talk of free food, ping-pong, and jeans at work. Like most Google user interfaces, the options are simple and intuitive, even …