Google Books

What is the easiest way to get books? Well, that depends on who you are: for some, it is at major retailers B&N or Amazon, for some it is avoiding the trip to the store altogether with a simple push of a button--the e-book. Certainly, the Nook and the Kindle are among the most popular e-book readers available. Many, however, are now looking to Google Books, an app already installed on you Android phone when you purchase it. Google Books is quickly becoming one of the top e-book reading systems for this and other reasons.
Another reason is because of the Library Program they initiated. Oh, it has caused quite the controversy! Google maintains that they do not wish to replace books, rather they wish to promote better access to books by allowing digital pages to be scanned into the cloud. Critics say that Google is infringing on copyright, and that the Library Project needs to be stopped. Google counters, saying that it is only making some of the pages accessible at any one time without purchase, allowing customers to sample, not violate. What do you think?
Personally, I think it is a fantastic idea. So many books are going digital anyway. In a thousand years, think of all the information that we could still have access to. The people of the future would be better able to understand us. I suppose that it the historian and book nerd parts of me singing in unison, but I do not believe that the book will ever be replaced. Back-ups are always a good idea though. Think of everything we might still have if the Library of Alexandria had back-ups. I do not think the Google Books project is hurting things. Instead, it is allowing more people access to books and helping to bridge the digital divide.
For a basic history of the evolution (so far) of Google Books, I invite you to read the Wikipedia article. For a critical article, see this. For a positive article, see this. This one is about the legality of it all. Suffice to say, the legal battles and ethical battles are not nearly over. Only time will tell what effect it will have on the literary world, though.