In an agreement with five major libraries, Google has begun an ambitious project to scan and index millions of books and periodicals. The information will be integrated into Google's Web search over the next several years.

Launched in October, Google Print already offers glimpses of new books, but focuses primarily on publishers rather than libraries.

But for now, having a digital copy of books online doesn't mean an end to the library card. Like its current book searches, users will only be able to view bibliographies and excerpts from copyrighted books. Google will, however, provide complete access to books whose copyrights have expired.