I'm sure you've all heard about Google Book, but do you use it?I love it. I can look up so many things without leaving my office. It's a massive library right at my finger tips!
A while ago I was trying to find some information on a lecture I attended during college. I couldn't remember the name of the professor, but I knew where he taught. He'd come as guest lecturer and was only at my school for a day or two. I did a search on Google Book for keywords related to the subject of his lecture. And a huge list came up - the most relevant results of my search at the top. I looked at some of the books and checked citations. It didn't take long before I found a name that looked somewhat familiar. I googled him to see where he taught, and, sure enough, he was the right person.
So then I was able to include him in my Google Book search. I found books and journals that referred to him and that he had published articles in. I wasn't able to read everything I needed online, but I got quite a bit. Enough to let me know what I wanted go after next. In this particular instance, I requested some materials via inter-library loan.
Once I was just looking for a quote by an author. I wanted to know in what context the quote was stated. I found it all on Google Book. It was really fast too. I was able to read several pages before and after the actual quote, which had been stated during the course of an interview. The book I found included a transcript of the interview, the better part of which I as able to read online. I had everything I needed right there, even though Google wasn't able to show the entire book.
Other times I've gone ahead and bought the book. One I chose to buy was on murder investigations. It was a bit more like a text book - especially by the price - but I wanted a copy to look at without a deadline and to have on hand for easy reference.
Google Book Search is a great place to go when you're researching different topics for your writing. I'm in there all the time. Okay, maybe not, but I do go there a lot.
Next time you need a little info, take a look. You might be surprised at how much you find. I put a Google Book search box on my sidebar, so why not try it out now?
