Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In 2004, Stanford University became
one of the first institutions to allow Google to digitize chunks
of its library collection as part of the Google Books Library
Project. In 2004, Stanford University became one of the first
institutions to allow Google to digitize chunks of its library
collection as part of the Google Books Library Project. Justin
Sullivan/Getty Images The periodical shelves at Stanford
University’s Engineering Library are nearly bare. Library chief
Helen Josephine says that in the past five years, most
engineering periodicals have been moved online, making their
print versions pretty obsolete — and books aren't doing much
better. According to Josephine, students can now browse those
periodicals from their laptops or mobile devices. For years,
students have had to search through volume after volume of books
before finding the right formula — but no more. Josephine says
that "with books being digitized and available through full text
search capabilities, they can