Read this book: Google and the Myth of Universal Knowledge

I've just, this afternoon, finished Google and the Myth of Universal Knowledge by Jean-Noël Jeanneney (president of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France). It's one of the most compelling and engaging books I've read in quite some time. For anyone interested in digital archives, access to information, the rise of ventures like Google Books, globalization, the preservation of all kinds of cultural artifacts, social justice or democracy, this is a must read. Did I miss anyone? I don't think so. Writes Jeanneney, "The plan I call for in these pages, ambitious as it may be, must be placed at the center of a wider duty: that of reducing the growing gap between the privileged and the underprivileged, the users and the unconnected, the rich and the poor of the Web. . . In the long term, our project should ensure a more harmonious balance, to the benefit of the entire planet. We are not merely striving for a better digital library. . . We are dealing, ultimately, with a universal challenge. May we have the courage to respond" (88-89).