Originally Posted by mona_klixxx

On Google's blog yesterday, it (they, not sure what to call it!) annoucned that it will digitize, index and make accesible via the Internet all written press from the last 200 years.

And, the ball IS rolling...Two years ago Google began to digitize archives from The New York Times and The Washington Post, which appear in their original publication format in searches done through Google news. Now, Google plans to do the same with all North American newspapers, followed by European, Asian and African publications.

Google is offering to share the costs of digitalization. However, not all newspapers are welcoming the proposal with open arms for fear that the search engine would become a competitor. "The main concern is that Google could exploit the content the same way that news portals do," warned Ken Doctor, an analyst with The New York Times.

However, given Google's position amongst the World Wide Web, "if you can't beat them, join them". There are already more than 100 newspapers working with Google and other partners, such as Heritage Mircofilm and ProQuest, that are adding archives to microfilm.

-->From Klixxx