Today sees the launch of Windows Live Book Search, a service we first posted about back in May along with the launch of its sister site Windows Live Publishing Portal. Designed to provide access to books indexed by Windows Live Search, the main features of Book Search include:
- Navigation through books using a special 2 pane viewer.
- Searching for terms inside a book
- Ability to freely download most books in pdf form for offline reading
Microsoft is taking a different approach to that of Google's Book Search, both in its opt-in approach for smaller publishers and libraries, and by the choice of books to index. It is mainly concentraing on out of copyright and public domain books, however in-copyright books can be submitted for free through the Publisher Portal. Of note is the major libraries that deals have been secured with over the past year, including
- Cornell University
- The American Museum of Veterinary Medicine
- The British Library
- The New York Public Library
- The University of California
- The University of Toronto
In related news, Windows Live Academic Search also has an update today.
On LiveSide: Windows Live Book Search