The Family that Digitizes Together, Stays Together

Having a close relationship with both of his parents meant that Eli Zimmerman always talked to them about their work. But now, the University of Minnesota graduate student has a whole different perspective about what his mother does and -- how she does it.

That's because Eli Zimmerman's mother is Irene Zimmerman -- the Google Project Manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Eli Zimmerman, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, works for Minnesota's library as part of its Google Project team. When Eli has a quick Google-related question, he knows exactly who to call.

"Of course, Eli had been hearing bits and pieces from me over the past three years when Wisconsin became a library partner in (Google Book Search)," said Irene Zimmerman. "But, once he began working on Minnesota's project he more easily understood the concepts I was bringing up; they are now concrete rather than abstract. He has pointed out how much fun it is to be able to compare notes and to have something in common with me regarding the workplace."

Eli Zimmerman, who is studying for his master's in art education, is on the front lines of the Google project at the University of Minnesota. Pulling books off the shelf for digitization has changed his perception of the library.

"By far, the most interesting thing about working for the Google project is running into so many odd books that just never see the day of light such as a children's book called If You Were an Eel, How Would You Feel? and most recently The Jilted Aardvark: and Other Improbable Tales from the Wall Street Journal," he said. "They really make your day when you run into a book like these, they make you smile and laugh and remember what books can do...often when you think of libraries you think of old stuffy places filled with dusty books about psychology."