[bksvol-discuss] Re: Are volunteers really that important anymore?
- From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:16:15 EDT
The outsourced books I have tried do have errors. I can't say they have
more errors than the volunteered books that I have read, but I do not recall
that I have necessarily tried the outsourcer that I have heard the most
complaints about. I do have one of those in mind though. Another question to
consider might be, does the quantity of outsourced books make up in any degree
for a bit less in quality.
"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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[bksvol-discuss] Re: Are volunteers really that important anymore?
Date:
8/27/2009 6:13:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
popularplace@xxxxxxxxx
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Have you checked the quality of the outsources books? When I was doing the
list of new books that John is now doing (thank you, again and forever,
John)
I gnashed my teeth in frustration because of how poor the synopses were,
both re spelling and content. If the books are anything like those, they're
not
of as good quality as volunteer-done books. People have at times
complained about some of thePQ books. What takes volunteers so long to get the
books
into the collection is the care we take making sure they are perfect.
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 Thu, 8/27/09, Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx <Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx> wrote:
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From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx <Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Are volunteers really that important anymore?
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 10:36 AM
If I had a stack of those gay and lesbian books on hand I can imagine that
I might send them off to Bookshare and I might be out the postage and the
cost
of the books if I had bought them, but I would also be out many hours of
volunteer labor to get them into the collection. I am not particularly
interested
in children's picture books, so I have not downloaded any, but I would
think that outsourcers could handle them. I think that Pavi, in fact, said that
the more difficult books have priority for being outsourced. The main thing
I have noticed, though, is that the proportion of books added to the
collection
by means other than volunteers is now considerably greater than the
proportion added by volunteers and that proportion is growing. Also, a good
many
books
already in the collection by means of volunteers are being replaced by
other means. Furthermore, the proportion that are being added by volunteers
could
, in most cases, be done faster and just as easily or more easily, by those
other means. No one has mentioned it. In fact, the Bookshare staff is
proceeding
away with more and more innovations for volunteers. What I was really
wondering is whether volunteering is becoming obsolete and nobody has noticed
it.
"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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[bksvol-discuss] Re: Are volunteers really that important anymore?
Date:
8/27/2009 4:25:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
rwiley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Roger, this is an excellent summary of some of the things I have also been
thinking.
When I first started with bookshare a couple of years ago, there were tons
of books whose rating was fair, and in most cases that designation was kind.
But, the books were available, and for a group starving for reading
material, they were great to have.
However, our tastes--and our tolerances--have improved. Where once we would
accept day-old bread because we were starving, we now want freshly baked
goods.
(Wow, I must be hungry).
So, I think your comments about the changing role of the volunteer are
right on target. There will always be a need for volunteers to do the specialty
books
(such as children's books with pictures), and books of special interest. I
can't imagine NLS having a whole category of gay and lesbian books, nor can
I imagine the department of education wanting their money going toward that
end. (I'm not being critical, just can't imagine it happening.) But, we
volunteers
can make it happen. We can also put books in the collection from those
publishers who won't cooperate with us (after all, we have the law on our side).
In short, I see the role of the volunteer changing, but not going away any
time soon.
There's an old Chinese proverb that says "may you live in interesting
times." I've always wondered whether that was a curse, challenge or a blessing.
Whatever
it is, we live in very interesting times with bookshare.
Bob
“We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us
will live on in the future we make,”
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
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----- Original Message -----
From:
Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx
To:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 9:22 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Are volunteers really that important anymore?
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 th
at
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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