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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find information about The New York Public Library's partnership with Google?
Go to the following site: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/library.html
You may also read the 2004 press release: http://www.nypl.org/press/2004/google.cfm
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Where may I find general information about Google Book Search?
Go to the Google site at: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/about.html
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Which NYPL resources are being digitized by Google?
Books and periodicals selected for the project are in the public domain (published before 1923) and in good enough physical condition to withstand the scanning process. All come from the general collections. There are no plans to select material from NYPL special collections.
So far we have selected books and periodicals from our Science, Industry and Business Library and our Humanities and Social Sciences Library.
In the future we will select appropriate material from our Library for the Performing Arts and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
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How can I find NYPL books digitized by Google?
Go to CATNYP, the catalog of The New York Public Library Research Libraries and search for a desired book. If the book is available on the web, a graphic to the right of title you're interested in will show that the title is on the web. See the example below:
After you click on the title link, you'll see that the record includes a note that says "Full text available via Google". This indicates that the book was scanned by Google. See the example below.
In addition to books that are scanned as part of the Google partnership, CATNYP records include links to other digitized books that the NYPL Research Libraries make available to library users.
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How can I find all Google Books in CATNYP?
To browse a large sampling of the many titles available, try a Basic keyword search for: Google Books Library Project.
To search for something specific, try an Advanced search. Include as one of the search terms: Note: Google Books Library Project
Example:
New NYPL books digitized by Google are being added to CATNYP periodically.
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Can I search within the full-text of a digitized resource?
No, not when searching CATNYP.
You can search the full text of a book when you link to the Google Book Search site. See the example below:
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Why am I shown only a portions of a single page, instead of the full view of a digitized resource?
NYPL selects for scanning only resources believed to be in the public domain (published before 1923). Whether a book is in the public domain can be a complex legal determination. Google is conservative in their reading of both copyright law and the known facts surrounding a particular book.
If Google is unsure whether a book is in the public domain, you'll see at most bibliographic information about the book and a few short "snippets" -- sentences of your search term in context. However, Google is working to confirm the copyright status of all books in the program and it is possible that once this confirmation has occurred that a book will move to full view.
For more information, go to the Google web site: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/library.html
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When will NYPL periodicals and multi-volume sets digitized by Google be accessible via CATNYP?
We hope to make these accessible via CATNYP records in Winter 2008. In the meantime, periodicals and multi-volume sets are already available as part of the Google Book Search site.
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How can I access the full range of books digitized by Google--not just those owned by NYPL?
Go to Google Book Search at: http://books.google.com/books
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Can I download an entire book?
Google allows you to download a PDF file of a complete volume from Google Book Search. This option is only available for materials that have full view access, not snippets. For more information see the Google web site: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/library.html
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How can I request to see a copy of the NYPL printed resource that was digitized by Google?
If you live in the New York City metropolitan area or are planning to visit the New York Public Library, you may come to the Research Libraries and request to use a particular item.
The Research Libraries collections do not circulate and may not be taken out of the buildings to be used.
For more information about the Research Libraries and services, go to: http://www.nypl.org/research/services/using.html
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