Google is about to sign a deal with the French national library to grant patrons access to Google’s archive of scanned books, according to a report.

France’s La Tribune reported Tuesday (spotted by The Times Online) that the Bibliotheque Nationale de France has all but given up on its own attempt to create a digital library in partnership with other European countries, paving the way for Google Book Search to get a foothold on the continent. Google declined to comment on whether a deal had been reached, providing this statement: "Like we’ve always said,… Read the rest