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Google searches for open content
Not too many people are aware that Google’s Advanced Search page has a filter to allow you to search for openly licensed content that’s been tagged with the Creative Commons license code. The feature, called “Usage Rights,” is the second to last option in the first box on the Advance Search page. Here’s how Google describes the service on the related More Info page:
Our “Usage Rights” feature helps you find published content — including music, photos, movies, books, and educational materials — that you can share or modify above and beyond fair use.
If you set the search filter to “free to use or share,” you’ll get results that you can copy or redistribute. If you set the filter to “free to modify,” you’ll get results that you can use, share, or modify. (Please be sure to select “even commercially” if you want to use a work commercially.) If you leave the filter at “not filtered by license,” you’ll simply get standard, unfiltered Google results.
Please note:
The “Usage Rights” feature identifies websites whose owners have indicated that they carry a Creative Commons ( http://creativecommons.org/ ) license. By returning these search results, Google isn’t making any representation that the linked content is actually or lawfully offered under a Creative Commons license. It’s up to you to verify the terms under which the content is made available and to make your own assessment as to whether these terms are lawfully applied to the content.
This can be a really handy tool to know about, as comprehensive portals to open educational content are still developing.
