Google Books has been coming under a lot of fire in the past few weeks not only for the fact that its metadata is, apparently, rife with errors, but also for the fact that it’s basically got a monopoly on the “search a book online” business, which hadn’t looked so hot when Google Books first launched, but certainly seems self-sustaining now.

The BBC is reporting that the latest twist in the Google Books story is that Google has agreed not to add books to its digital library solely on the strength of their being out of print in the US. Instead, if a book is out of print in the US but still available in Europe, then Google will make a digital copy available only with consent.

While it might seem like a minor victory to some, this agreement goes some way to placate those worried about Google’s agreement with copyright holders and publishers in the US, one of the terms of which apparently makes it all legal and above board for Google to publish so-called “orphan books,” books whose copyright holders can no longer be found.

Moreover, this will be welcome news to students, for whom the confluence of Google Books and Google Scholar has proved an invaluable aid in a world of crowded libraries and leaving things to the last minute. For the rest of us, it’s always good news to see the service fleshed out, as seems to be the plan with this deal, though it does mean that things are looking even worse for the competition, which includes both Microsoft and Amazon.

If you’re interested, you can read more about the details of Google’s deal on European books over at the BBC.