Google's Book Scan program a sign of the times

I write for a variety of different publications, so occassionally I'll cover something that's a little off the beaten path.  Today, that something was the library automation software market.  Libraries have been noticably behind the technology curve for longer than the curve has existed, I think.  So each time I write about libraries and the way they manage digital content, I'm amazed at how far they've come.

Until recently most libraries have managed information using the good old Dewey Decimal System.  But digital data and the demand for it has created a need for managing digital information, and so libraries have mostly gone to Integrated Library Systems (ILSes) as a way to automate content management.

Still, the digital data keeps coming.  And now there's additional pressure from companies and programs like Google's Book Scan project.  Even as objections are being fought out in court, Google continues to expand the program, which provides a needed service for many college and academic libraries. 

Even if it's a needed service, the Google program brings with it problems that won't be solved anytime soon.  But it is a sign of the times.  Digital information has become a lifestyle, and while libraries are usually behind the technology curve, as they struggle to catch up, addressing digital content will be an essential part of success.  Programs like Google's Book Scan are just the first wave of applications and services that are going to change the way a library is organized and run.  And they'll change how digital content is managed in other businesses.  It won't happen over night, but you can bet the changes are coming, and there's nothing now that can stop them.  All that remains working out the details.