Yes, it would be terrific for those doing academic research, especially, to have access to many "lost" books. (Although a good many books are "lost" for good reason. They're dated, or just not useful.)
One serious problem with the Google settlement proposal, however, is that there's nothing in it that specifies how hard they have to search to find "missing" rights-holders, what steps must be taken, or any public oversight over the quality of the effort or the determination that a book is orphaned.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, it would be terrific for those doing academic research, especially, to have access to many "lost" books. (Although a good many books are "lost" for good reason. They're dated, or just not useful.) One serious problem with the Google settlement proposal, however, is that there's nothing in it that specifies how hard they have to search to find "missing" rights-holders, what steps must be taken, or any public oversight over the quality of the effort or the determination that a book is orphaned.