Google is improving the research game in NotebookLM with a new feature called featured notebooks. These notebooks make it easier to find high-quality sources and cover verticals like in-depth scientific explorations and practical travel guides.
Google announced in a blog post that featured notebooks have started rolling out to desktop users today. The search giant has partnered with various authors, researchers, publications, and nonprofits worldwide to bring it to fruition.
For instance, you can find a featured notebook tracking the Q1 earnings from the top 50 public companies, an advice notebook on how to build a life, predictions for 2025, or another one exploring the secrets of longevity. You can also get an overview of long-term trends in human well-being through a notebook published by the Oxford-affiliated project, Our World in Data.
Featured notebooks build on the ability to share NotebookLM notebooks publicly, which Google introduced last month. More than 140,000 notebooks have been shared publicly over the past four weeks.
For the unversed, NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and note-taking tool that started its journey as Project Tailwind. It was first made available to users in 2023 as an experiment and received a plethora of updates in later months to support new features.
Google added support for YouTube videos, the ability to search the web, more languages, and a feature called Video Overviews to add visual elements to AI summaries. NotebookLM was also released for Android and iOS devices earlier this year.
Google will keep adding more featured notebooks in the future. "With featured notebooks and public sharing, NotebookLM gives you the ability to explore and share expertise, commentary and public domain information," the company said.
Each of these collections supports all the key features available in NotebookLM. You can listen to the AI-generated Audio Overviews, create Mind Maps, refer to the source material, or explore specific topics in depth.