[bksvol-discuss] Re: Are volunteers really that important anymore?
- From: Cindy <popularplace@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:24:33 -0700 (PDT)
I think until the books done by the outsourcers and the PQ books are as
excellent as those done by our best scanners and proofers, volunteers are
necessary. (and I think the books done by the outsourcers so far aren't all
that good). And a lot of books the volunteers scan are older books and perhaps
less popular books (like the ones you request, smile)
Cindy
Wish List (i.e., books wanted added to the collection) and books-being-scanned
list available at sites below
Wish List: https://wiki.benetech.org/display/BSO/Bookshare+Wish+List
Books Being Scanned List:
https://wiki.benetech.org/display/BSO/Books+Being+Scanned+List
--- On Wed, 8/26/09, Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx <Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx <Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Are volunteers really that important anymore?
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 7:22 PM
I am not taking a position one way or another. I just thought I would express
some thoughts and questions that have been running through my mind. I have been
involved with Bookshare for just a little over a year now and have seen some
considerable changes. I have also surmised changes that came about before I
came along. As I understand it the name Bookshare was literal in the beginning.
That is, people posted the books they had scanned for themselves and actually
shared them with others who were posting books they had scanned for themselves.
That would have meant that the only source of books Bookshare had for the most
part was from the volunteers. Since then, though, publishers have come to
contribute large numbers of books. Bookshare is acquiring books from donations
or from buying them and scanning them in house or outsourcing them. It actually
appears that the number of books added to the collection by means other than
volunteers is considerably
greater than those added by the volunteers. I have noticed other things being
done that volunteers do that may be being done more prolifically by other means
than by volunteers. On more than one occasion now I have made a quality report
for a book that contained an error or errors. To my surprise the whole entire
book was promptly replaced by an outsourcer. That makes me wonder why we should
bother with scanning a BSO. Volunteers are more and more frequently finding
that the books they intend to scan are being added by outsourcers before the
volunteer get a chance to add it. Yes, that means that the volunteer can work
on something else, but it still remains that work that would have been done by
a volunteer is being done otherwise. We were asked for some suggestions about
gaps in the collection and I made a suggestion. As I scan the new books lists I
see that it appears, to my gratification, that my suggestions are being acted
on. I am pleased, but I
cannot help noticing that it is being done without volunteers. If time is
money I wonder if it might be more efficient to donate money to Bookshare to
buy books and pay outsourcers rather than donate our time. If we want certain
books in the collection I wonder if it might be faster and more efficient to
just donate the books rather than put so much of our own labor into them. As
things change devices to accomplish our goals become obsolete when they are
replaced by better devices and certain jobs become obsolete when better and mor
efficient ways are found to do things. I wonder if Bookshare volunteering is a
job that is becoming obsolete. Since we have not even heard hints from
Bookshare that new volunteers are no longer welcome or that volunteers can give
up on certain jobs I wonder if Bookshare volunteering is becoming obsolete and
the folks at Bookshare do not even realize it yet. It does seem that the
volunteers are becoming less important to
Bookshare and that Bookshare could probably now do quite well without
volunteers while still adding books at a rapid rate. I am not saying that is
good or bad. I am not saying that I want it to be like that or that I don't
want it to be like that. I am just wondering and thinking. What do you guys
think about what I have said?
"Can a nation
be free if it oppresses other nations? It cannot." Vladimir Lenin
The Militant: http://www.themilitant.com Pathfinder Press:
http://www.pathfinderpress.com
Granma International: http://granma.cu/ingles/index.html
_
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