This column focuses on a wide range of issues affecting post-secondary students. Students are encouraged to submit suggestions and educational topics they are concerned about, or personal experiences with courses or university situations they feel other students should know about. If suggest a topic or a course alert for taking notes, contact voice@ausu.org, attn: Debbie Jabbour
GOOGLE ENABLES RESEARCH
University students will soon have another welcome tool in their online research capabilities. Google and Amazon.com have announced that they are developing systems that will allow consumers to purchase online access to any page, section or chapter of a book. Portions of the book can be downloaded for use, at a suggested cost of about 5 cents a page. The development may clear up some lingering online copyright issues. Some publisher/author groups have charged that Google’a book-related search engine is violating copyrights by making digital copies of books available for use. A per-page download charge would allow consumer access to books while compensating publishers and authors.
For many students, Google is the search tool of choice. The Google Print feature already offers free online access to full content of books no longer under copyright, and Google scholar enables quick online journal searches. Expanding these features to offer digital copies of newer copyrighted publications adds to the unlimited potential of online research.
References
Google Print (Book Search): http://www.google.ca/help/features.html#book
Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/
Wyatt, E. (2005). Don’t want the whole book? No problem: Google, Amazon.com are developing systems to sell you words by the chapter and verse. New York Times News Service. The Edmonton Journal, November 5, F12.