As Baidu snaps at its heels...

Google and its top rival in China, Baidu.com, are racing to build out their online library services as they battle for a slice of the world's second-largest internet market.

Baidu has already secured a strategic partnership with Peking University Library in Beijing, one of Asia's largest academic libraries, in preparation for the launch of its online book service, according to publishing and internet sources familiar with the situation.

Read more: silicon.com