We'd really like to use the cover images from Google in various catalog
tools, but have noticed in the past that the only cover image info provided
in the Google Books API is for the small thumbnails. It would be nice to
also provide links to the other image sizes available, if there are any.

We're also very interested in the embedded viewer functionality for the
virtual book browse tool we're building for our collection, but haven't
gotten around to playing with that yet. But we think it's going to be very
helpful...patrons are really looking for opportunities to 'look inside the
book' virtually, and we know they like the google preview content.

One other comment overall is that the response is quite verbose. A possible
interesting enhancement would be to be able to request the kind of metadata
you want in the response as part of the request. But I don't have a specific
use case for this at the moment.

-emily lynema
NCSU Libraries

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 5:01 PM, Will Brockman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> As a first-time Code4Lib attendee, let me say thanks for a fun
> conference - a very interesting and creative group of people!
>
> A question I posed to some of you in person, and would love to hear
> more answers to: What are you doing with Google Books?  Do you have a
> new way of using that resource?  Are there things you'd like to do
> with it that aren't possible yet?
>
> Also, a couple of people asked if Google is hiring.  Not only are we
> hiring large numbers of software engineers, but we're now seeking a
> librarian / software developer (below).  I'm happy to take questions
> about either.
>
> All the best,
> Will
> brockman@google
>
>
> Metadata Analyst
>
> Google Books is looking for a hybrid librarian/software developer to
> help us organize all the world's books.  This person would work
> closely with software engineers and librarians on a variety of tasks,
> ranging from algorithm evaluation to designing and implementing
> improvements to Google Books.
>
> Candidates should have:
> * An MLS or MLIS degree, ideally with cataloguing experience
> * Programming experience in Python, C++, or Java
> * Project management experience a plus, but not required
>
> This position is full-time and based in Cambridge, MA.
>