Europe vs. Google

Europe vs. Google
by HILMAR SCHMUNDT
Salon, publication date: 25 August 2005
"The work in the University of Göttingen library's digitization center is moving along at a steady clip. The project's nine full-time employees have already digitized more than 4 million pages from periodicals and thousands of volumes of books and transferred the data to the center's server, from which it can be downloaded in a matter of seconds through any computer connected to the system.

But while it may at first sound like a lot, library director Elmar Mittler is far from satisfied. 'It's enough to drive you to despair,' he says, speaking so quietly that one has to lean forward to understand him. But then he slaps his hand against the table and adds: 'It's hard to believe how Germany has wasted its opportunities with digitization. Others are moving ahead, while we write reports.'"