Google brings libraries into cyber-age

The old library card catalogue took a step further into cyberspace Tuesday, with Google and the libraries of four universities and the city of New York announcing a partnership with the potential to make millions of books available and searchable online.

The University of Michigan and Stanford -- alma mater of the search engine giant's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin -- are the only libraries to agree to have all of their contents scanned and uploaded to Google's vast cyber-library, but more are all but certain to follow.

Harvard and Oxford University in England are the other libraries participating in the initial partnership.