Google Library meets Bookstore

Search engine Google has plans to introduce a new service that lets users search complete texts of books and helps publishers sell them.

Google Print will allow users to search texts the same way users do regular searches on Google or any other search engine, and then sample pieces of the text to see if they want to buy it, according to Newsfactor Network.

Using "Google Print," a user will enter search terms and the engine will produce links to books that contain related information. The user will then be able to read a limited number of pages in order to see if the content is relevant, or search for other topics within the book.

While users will not be able to print pages of the texts, they will be able to search the results page, which will provide them with links to online booksellers, or direct links to the book's publisher where they can purchase a copy.

The project plans to change the way people shop for books and allow at home buyers the freedom to browse through a book, which is normally reserved to in-house bookstore patrons.

While the kinks of the system are still being worked out, it may take a while for publishers to latch on to the idea. Penguin, Oxford University Press, Houghton Mifflin and a few other publishers have already signed up.