Google was a big subject at the AAUP meeting in Philadelphia. I asked a couple of questions in one session about territory rights and the Google Print program. However the main action was in the very well-attended session addressed by Tom Turvey, a Google Senior VP entitled "Online Opportunities". UP publishers in general seem very keen on Google Print, but the doubts creep in when it comes to Google's Library digitization project. To this newcomer to the American university press scene, it looked like the strong reaction from publishers reflected as much about university presses' deep but difficult relationship with their libraries as it did their relationship to Google. At base, presses believe that libraries shouldn't be in the business of digitizing of in-copyright material, no matter what the safeguards put around the resulting files.

I also heard one publisher saying that the growth of Google and Google Scholar would mean the end of libraries. "Who needs them if everything is online and open access, and you search Google to find it".