As you’ll read this is not a new project but rather one where the pilot phase is about to end and they’re preparing for the next phase. The content that’s been digitized will be accessible via Google Book Search with copies to the HathiTrust Digital Repository.

The project began in 2007 with CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) and Google partnering to digitize up to 10 million volumes. You can learn more here, read the agreement, and checkout the detailed FAQ.

From the Most Recent Update Announcement:

The libraries of the CIC universities are partnering with Google to digitize a comprehensive collection of U.S. Federal Documents. It is believed this collection will comprise between 1 and 1.5 million volumes. The workflow and scanning process for the initiative was tested by the University of Minnesota, which has sent Google approximately 85,000 duplicate holdings from its St. Paul campus. As the pilot phase of this initiative draws to completion, Pennsylvania State University is preparing to move the project forward by readying a portion of its collection for scanning. Digital facsimiles of successfully scanned Federal Documents from Minnesota and other CIC institutions — will be accessible through Google Book Search, with copies also being returned to the HathiTrust Digital Repository, where public domain material can be universally accessed.

This project is part of an overarching CIC Library Director-led initiative to assess the opportunities HathiTrust might provide for more cost-effective management of less frequently used print resources.

Access the Complete October, 2009 Announcement

Source: Committee on Institutional Cooperation
Hat Tips: @miss_eli and @caminick

This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 and is filed under Digital Repositories, Digitization Projects, Government Documents and Political Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.