Google gets personal with libraries

Internet search provider, Google, has added a new feature to its Google Books Search. Called ‘My Library’, the tool allows users to build their own personal library which they can organise, annotate and search through as required.

The feature is also said to enable users to create a list of links to books and articles, rate and review them, and share them with others.

'We see this as a new and powerful tool to help users organise and navigate their books,' said a Google spokesperson. 'For example, a student could build a collection out of his sources for a report, and then use Google Book Search to quickly find which book and page contains a needed reference.'

The move is part of the search engine provider's ambitious plan to put all books in a digital format. It is in the process of partnering with libraries, worldwide, to digitise their collections.

So far a total of twenty seven libraries have signed up including the University of Texas at Austin library and the Princeton University library, US.