Kirtas Technologies and Microsoft Corporation have signed a deal for Microsoft to scan books using Kirtas Technologies’ high-speed scanners.  The project will be called the Windows Live Book Search.

Cornell University has also stepped on board to provide Microsoft with books from their library.  This step taken by Microsoft counters the Google Book Search project to make library materials available online and allows the public to search for text within these books using Microsoft search engine technology. Earlier, Google had sent a subpoena to Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo! to provide documents that enables Google to defend itself from copyright infringement.

It not yet known what other universities or organizations Microsoft is planning on collaborating with for the Windows Live Book Search.