Ari, As someone else said the Optic book 3600 maybe the way to go as the glass reaches to the edge of the scanner and can therefore better get at the binding of the book.
Personally I use an epson A3 scanner wich I have been using for 8 or 9 years now and it still works as well as it ever did. Yes you have to put a certain amount of pressure on books but I have never had a binding break on me yet. I use the scanner in conjunction with K1000. I've never used openbook and since I've scanned hundreds and hundreds of books with K1000 successfullly wouldn't change to anything else.
I don't know if the Kurzweil reading machine or the reading edge are still made, they are stand alone scanner and reading units but I don't know if you can easily get the text that you have scanned off them.
Finally, I had the same problem as you with a number of library books when I was at Manchester. I found that if I had the time, getting the books from my local library helped because they tended not to have comments written in the books.
If you want to know anything else don't hesitate to ask. I did Middle Eastern history and had the same problem getting a hold of accessible books.
Yusuf----- Original Message ----- From: "ari" <aridamoulakis@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 5:14 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Reading Machines
Hi Ray,Compared to other reading machines like Sara, the really expensive KNFB reader, and even expensive software like Open Book, which doesn't even have hardware, the price isn't that bad. Yesterday I emailed the company, and they told me they would ship it to me and that it costs, I think $1900. OK it is expensive, but my problem is that it's impossible here for me to get Politics and International Relations books electronically, for example, I need to do a thing on Africa's international relations and the cold war, there's really no way I can get much in any accessible form, especially because they're so academic and that sort of thing. my best bet is to lend them from the library and read them by scanning or something, and even that's really difficult because you get students marking in the books and some even write in the book with pen, and that messes up the original writing anyway. If I save up for a bit, I could probably get this after a while, but I want to know if there are any other options and how good the Eye Pal is. The KNFB reader for the mobile is around R15000, which is also around $2000, and I definitely don't want to do that because I'd also have to buy a phone, and I also just don't think I need or want something like that. Open Book is already about $900, and then you always would have to upgrade it, and you'd still have the whole scanner issue. This also comes with one-year maintanence, and, best of all, a two-year waranty on the hardware, plus they've agreed to let me try it for thirty days money-back thing, so I could at least try it as well, so it wouldn't be a risk that I'd be buying something which I might not like which I couldn't give back.Ari ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
