google the library Posted on June 5th, 2005 by

It’s now possible to “google” library catalogs straight from your browser. You can either download a Yahoo or Google toolbar that will run a search of the Open WorldCat database (each works somewhat differently) or add WorldCat to your search options on the FireFox browser. This will give you a toolbar to search a database of libraries around the world, and you can narrow it down to your library. It’s pretty amazing.

Meanwhile, one scholarly society is not too pleased with the National Institutes of Health plan to make more federally-funded research google-able for free. In particular they are not happy about PubChem, which the American Chemical Society thinks could erode the market for their database. Personally, given how much that sucker costs, I’m not too heartbroken … but we aren’t likely at any point to pull the plug on the pricey ACS version. It’s expensive, no doubt, but it’s better than anything else for the field.

Barbara

 

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