What about the universal library?

Big news in the literary world this week is the rejection of the settlement between Google and the Authors Guild over the development of the universal library. Even though he rejected the arrangement, the judge emphasized the value of having someone develop a facility where most of the world's English language literature could be found online. The New York Times today published an op ed piece by Robert Darnton advocating a public institution to collect and make available access to these books. Children's librarians may feel far removed from this argument, because most of the books being scanned are meant for adults. It won't be long though until someone realizes that we have a wealth of important classic children's books that should be preserved in digital format and made available to adults and children alike. With more and more children finding their favorite reading on their iphones or iPads, digital books for children and young adult are a growing format. Librarians should keep a careful watch on what is happening to the Google settlement and what arrangements are being made to protect the heritage that belongs to all of us.