A new interface to traditional monographs, introducing structure, summaries, and personalized indexes, is being built. This enables students to search and use digital libraries more effectively. The interface should be useful in the context of the Million Book Project which will provide one million out of copyright books in digital form, the equivalent of a major research library. Key ingredients in this interface are selection of relevant phrases, automatic summarization, and the ability to search and summarize in the context of a particular information need.
The impact of this work includes access to the enormous contents of our older libraries, improving our ability to use monographic material in online teaching, and greater understanding of how students learn by reading. In addition, we will employ the technology for teaching in our university, helping educate our students in communication and library studies.
