Microsoft testing feature that scans older books

Microsoft Corp., whose Internet search service is losing users to Google Inc., began testing a feature that scans out-of-print books to compete with a similar service offered by its rival.

Live Search Books lets users look through out-of-print books scanned from libraries including those of the University of California, the University of Toronto and the British Library, the Redmond, Wash.-based company said.

Microsoft also formed agreements to scan books from the New York Public Library and the American Museum of Veterinary Medicine.