From the Editor: portal: Libraries and the Academy 2007 Johns Hopkins Press Award for Best Article

The portal: Libraries and the Academy Board of Editors Awards Committee is pleased to announce that "Fair Use or Exploitation? The Google Book Search Controversy," featured in the October 2006, Volume 6, Number 4 issue has been awarded the 2007 Johns Hopkins University Press Award for the best article featured in portal in the 2006 volume, (http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pla/v006/supp_open/6.4baksik.html). The winning article, authored by Corinna Baksik, analyzed how the Google Book Search Library Project, in which millions of books from libraries will be scanned and made searchable on the Web, has led to controversy and legal action. Publishers are suing Google for copyright infringement, while Google claims that its use falls under the fair use privilege of the Copyright Act. An overview of the library project is followed by an examination of the controversy and a look at the beta program in practice. The importance of this topic cannot be underestimated for two important reasons. The Google project is plowing new ground for information retrieval from the monographic literature that has enormous potential for uncovering what is inside the covers of books. In addition, the ultimate legal settlement may well have a profound impact on the interpretation of the meaning of "fair use" in U.S. copyright law.

The criteria used in the selection process for this award included the quality of research methodology, the extent to which the article places library issues in a broader academic or higher education context, the extent to which the article makes a significant contribution to the literature or the advancement of knowledge, its timeliness, and the overall quality of writing. After an independent review of articles nominated by board members, "Fair Use or Exploitation: The Google Book Search Controversy" was selected as the third annual recipient. In addition to the Johns Hopkins University Press Award, the author will receive a five hundred dollar cash prize.