News
Microsoft To Launch Online Book Library
- By Becky Nagel
- October 27, 2005
Microsoft is jumping into the online book search world with a new initiative called MSN Book Search.
When launched in beta form next year, the service will feature content from
the Open Content Alliance, a non-profit organization that counts Yahoo! among
its founding supporters. Microsoft is joining the alliance and will donate enough
money to scan 150,000 books for the project, according to reports.
Unlike Google Print -- which is facing lawsuits from publishers who don't want
their works included -- the Open Content Alliance will only scan copyrighted
materials if it has permission from the owner.
"We are excited to be working with libraries worldwide to digitize and
index information from the world's printed materials, taking another step
in our efforts to better answer people's questions with trusted content
from the best sources," Christopher Payne, corporate vice president of
MSN Search at Microsoft, said in a statement.
About the Author
Becky Nagel serves as vice president of AI for 1105 Media specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She also regularly writes and reports on AI news, and is the founding editor of PureAI.com. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. She has a background in Web technology and B2B enterprise technology journalism.