Overall, I think that the Digital Public Library of America is a good idea. It will be a good way for people to have access to texts that they may not have been able to access normally. Of course, that only applies to epople that have the means/technology to use it.
To hear that Google did not defend itself effectively in its court case against the Author's Guild and the AAP does not truly surprise me. Google, at the end of day, is a corporation. It may be a business powered by unlimited access to information, but it is a corporation nonetheless. I hope that Google manages to rework the settlement it has with the Author's Guild and the AAP, but like Darnton said, technologically, the nation is capable of creating it's own digital library without depending on Google.
Personally, I kind of have to agree with the author's who choose to enforce the copyright laws. They did produce the work, and I think that in and of itself, should give them the power to decide what happens to it. Of course, it would be wonderful if authors were more inclined to let their work become public domain, but then how would they make a living?
I truly hope that a compromise can be reached on this issue. Both sides have compelling arguments.
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