The Library of France will she entrust the care of Google digitize some of its collections? The hypothesis is proposed within the public institution. Five years after the announcement of Google Books to digitize major libraries in the world, the American search engine itself as the sole operator of this new knowledge sharing. A monopoly worries. Review of issues.
Where is the site to digitize books?

Launched in December 2004 with five major libraries partners, then all Anglo-Saxon, the virtual library Google is so far and by far the most advanced in the world. It represents an overall index by about 10 million books digitized 1.5 million books have fallen into the public domain and from 29 major libraries worldwide, 1.8 million works "subject" voluntarily by 25 000 publishers especially professionals or academics and about 7 million documents mainly from U.S. libraries. Protected by copyright and scanned without permission from their rightful claimants, they see their limited consultation with their index and short extracts. That should change soon if the American justice valid in the fall, the agreement negotiated by Google in 2008 with U.S. publishers. Estimated between 150 and 200 million dollars (100 to 140 million euros) over a period of about ten years ($ 10, or 7 euros per pound) investment from Google aims to digitize "rapidly" between 15 and 20 million structures on the tens of millions already published worldwide. Faced with Google, the main alternative project is called Europeana. A prototype of the future European digital library whose real launch was announced in 2010. It already contains 4 million documents in 26 languages and includes fifty partners, not only from Europe. Books but also paintings, scores, audio and audiovisual tapes of which over half were provided by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) and the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel.
Why be afraid of Google?

We offer a home but the road access is not yours. The promoter promises you hand on heart that there never will install toll, just considering it to put some billboards. Do you accept the market? It's a little question that must now meet the biggest libraries in the world. They are to retrieve all the documents scanned by Google and they have the right to use them at will. In exchange, the engine gets the exclusive content indexing. However, if the digitization of the writing world for conservation and storage is a major issue, access to knowledge in this new format is the same. In the mood movement against Google, and found the problem with the media hegemony of Google News in the research sector on the news. In this case, Google pays on the paths. The fact that Google earns revenue from its search system is not scandalous in itself. This drift monopoly worries. When everything is potentially accessible online, how to access information is at least as important as the information itself. And when that power is concentrated in the hands of one company, is necessarily a problem. Even if it has the slogan "Do not be evil" ( "Do not be evil").
Why Google invests it all on the subject?

The greatest fear of Google today, losing its place as the undisputed leader, a competitor or a newcomer. It seems inconceivable, but it must be remembered that before Google existed big search engines like Altavista. And in the coming few months took the ascendancy over his elders, with the simplicity of its interface, speed and relevance of its results. Although it's hard to imagine, Google is not untouchable. And he knows it. All is not resting on its laurels. Google now control the management of information available in digital format (although it is continually evolving its indexing process), but it is all that humanity has produced for centuries. Google's concern is not so much the profitability of the process (even if in the long term, it should find it), but the fact remain the focal point of research. So do not leave a whole section of the indexable content to another man. Assuming the cost of scanning books, Google ensures that its small way will the necessary path for the majority of Internet for five or ten years. And that, it simply has no price.
What are the alternatives to Google?

There is none. On this day in eight years, the BNF has managed to scan "only" 800 000 documents, 300 of which 000 only in text mode on the 13 million books that are collections. Hence the announcement by Denis Bruckmann, director of collections for the BNF in mid-August in the Tribune in negotiations with Google to accelerate its pace and overcome the extremely high cost of digitization. According to Denis Bruckmann, should be between "50 and 80 million euros (between 0.12 and 0.74 euro per page) to scan only the funds of the Third Republic when the State does not grant that the Gallica 8 million euros per year through the National Book Center - 3 of which are not used!

A financial argument considered laughable by the former President of the BNF Jean-Noel Jeanneney, fierce opponent of universal ambitions of Google. "Even though the amount needed would be tens of millions of euros over several years, writes Jean-Noel Jeanneney, compared to other expenses, it deserves the nation agrees."

For the voice of Commissioner Information Society, Viviane Reding, the European Commission recommends instead the establishment of partnerships with the private sector - and thus with Google - in order to multiply by 15 the number of scanned documents in the Union. The new Minister of Culture, Frederic Mitterrand, for his part has "hastened to inform that he kept his hands free" and stressed, August 19, that "no option can not be favored in state current thinking in progress. " This, he said, "to include the digitization of cultural heritage of the state in a global strategy." The question is whether Google will be compatible or not.