Jackson, M. (2008). Using Metadata to Discover the Buried Treasure in Google Books Search. Journal of Library Administration. (47), 1/2.
In this article, Millie Jackson discusses the relative merits of the metadata created by Google Books, compared to that provided by WorldCat and the MBooks project (now known as the Hathi Trust Digital Library) at the University of Michigan. As she points out, full-text keyword searching has advantages and disadvantages. This feature may allow the researcher to search for concepts more easily than can be done with traditional subject headings or controlled vocabulary. However, Jackson notes that the listing of frequently-used words in the text found on Google Books may fail to give the user a sense of the book's "aboutness." In WorldCat, she explains, the user can click on a subject heading and find similar works. In Google Books, it can be more difficult to find relevant materials in a similar manner.
I appreciated the author's even tone and willingness to acknowledge that Google Books will undoubtedly be improved and tweaked over time. Many of the other articles I've come across (some of which I'll discuss later) seem to primarily serve as a list of complaints about poor scanning and bad metadata (as Jackson explains, some of Google's metadata is retrieved automatically from a variety of sources, which can sometimes result in comical and/or frustrating errors). The author also argues that libraries should be looking to Google Books for new ideas, instead of simply finding fault, a perspective I agree with. (Of course, arguments about copyrights and monopolies are another thing entirely, and later on I'll write about resources that address this.)
Additionally, this article is useful because of its discussion about the ways in which libraries can consolidate Google Books with other library services. The Hathi Trust Digital Library at the University of Michigan is a good example. As Jackson explains, the Hathi Trust Digital Library offers many features, some of which are similar or identical to those found on Google Books, but in a very different interface. At the Hathi Trust Digital Library, the user can export citations to a citation manager, find print copies in a library using WorldCat, or search a material's full text. More flexible search options are also available -- searches can be narrowed by viewability, subject, author, language, place or date of publication, and original format and location. (Many of these options are also available in Google's advanced search, but aren't as immediately obvious).
Jackson's article strikes me as a good introduction to the strengths and weaknesses of the search options available in Google Books. Her points, while not discussed in great detail, will be useful in directing me toward other related resources.
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