---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:13:58 -0400
>From: Tim Spalding <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Free covers from Google
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>>  limits. I don't think it's a strict hits-per-day, I think it's heuristic
>>  software meant to stop exactly what we'd be trying to do, server-side
>>  machine-based access.
>
>Aren't we still talking about covers? I see *no* reason to go
>server-side on that. Browser-side gets you what you want—covers from
>Google—without the risk they'll shut you down over overuse.


I could see one reason to do cover images server-side.  Say a library has a "new titles" list.  These books (and hence the images) are going to be the same for quite a while.  It might make sense to try to optimize it by downloading said images once and caching it on a local server.  Otherwise every time someone hits the new titles list they'll have to wait for Google to respond.  Not sure how much of an advantage it really would be to host it server side.

Jon Gorman