Microsoft Corp. today announced two key advances in Windows Live™ Book Search, a service that will enable Web searchers to find answers from authoritative, trusted book content. The addition of two new participants, the University of California and the University of Toronto libraries, will result in an addition of digitized material, primarily out-of-copyright books, from these two institutions to the Windows Live Book Search service. Also, the recently debuted Windows Live Books Publisher Program enables publishers to submit in-copyright material to become part of Windows Live Book Search.

“Our alliance with the libraries of these two extraordinary institutions of higher education underscores the importance and value of Windows Live Book Search to providing free access to out-of-copyright content to everyone with access to the Internet,” said Danielle Tiedt, general manager, Windows Live Premium Search at Microsoft. “Participation by the University of California and the University of Toronto libraries in Windows Live Book Search will help us to achieve our goal of better answering customers’ questions with trusted content from the best sources.”

With collections totaling more than 34 million volumes in the more than 100 libraries on its 10 campuses, the University of California library is the largest research and academic library in the world. In addition, the University of Toronto’s library network, the largest in Canada, has more than 15 million holdings and is one of the top-four research libraries in North America. These important collections will greatly expand the depth and breadth of content available through Windows Live Book Search.