In its effort to digitize absolutely everything, the internet behemoth Google has found an unlikely opponent: the National Library of Wales. Library director Andrew Green has stated his mission to provide open web access to the "printed heritage of Wales" (some of which dates back to the 16th century), as well as his refusal to hand the rights over to Google.
Green explained that cultural institutions such as the National Library of Wales have enduring missions dedicated specifically to stewardship and the preservation of our cultural history (whether in material or digital format), while commercial companies such as Google are dedicated to profit margins and can come and go from generation to generation. There are compelling reasons to think hard before we turn over stewardship our cultural heritage to a corporate entity.
It would be an understatement to say that Google has changed the way we access information and provided a great service to modern society. But are there services that a small-scale institution can provide that a corporate giant cannot? What do you think?
Read the full post at Motherboard.
Photo courtesy of Cornell via Motherboard.
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