[bksvol-discuss] Re: Creating a Process for Creating Guidelines

  • From: "Pavi Mehta" <pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:29:39 -0700

Thanks for your note Mayrie. Glad to have you and Amber both step
forward to join the others. There seems to be a solid team forming here!

 

Smiles,

Pavi

 

 

 

From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mayrie ReNae
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 2:26 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Creating a Process for Creating Guidelines

 

Hi Pavi,

 

    May I please be included in helping to shape guidelines?

 

        Mayrie

         

         

 

________________________________

From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pavi Mehta
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 1:26 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: carrie.k@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Creating a Process for Creating Guidelines

Hi All,

 

As you know the recent guidelines that went out on Page Numbering have
generated some understandable concern and confusion among the
volunteers. Some of you have written in to staff with detailed emails
articulating those areas of concern and where the guidelines  appear
more inconvenient than helpful. Others have expressed their opinions on
the list. Carrie and I have had several discussions recently on how best
to address these concerns and modify the guidelines so that they serve
as a tool and not a hindrance. As hands-on volunteers all of your input
is valuable and we want the guidelines to reflect the best practices and
collective wisdom of the volunteer community. 

 

Regarding page numbers Carrie will send out a note shortly to clarify
some of the areas of confusion and concern and explain how the
guidelines  for this will be implemented. Bottom line is that we do
understand the wide variety of challenges volunteers face with including
page numbers in books, and we're glad to have had your feedback. We
intend hereon for this guideline to be implemented with a large degree
of flexibility - and will be rewriting the guidelines to clearly reflect
the difference between page number requirements for educational books
and other submissions.

 

Moving forward though, for us one of the overarching questions that the
Page Number issue brings up is: 

 

What is the most efficient and effective way for Bookshare to do the
following:

 

1.       Identify volunteer areas that need guidelines

2.       Draft guidelines and have them reviewed by a small pool of
volunteers(in a sort of beta phase)

3.       Finalize and share these guidelines among the greater volunteer
community

 

Ideally, Carrie and I feel that volunteers should have a leading and
more transparent role to play in steps 1 and 2 above. 

Here is a suggested approach, that it would be great to get your input
on:

 

1.       Form a self-selected team of "Bookshare Guideline Shapers" (we
can think of a better name down the line- smile). The Guideline Shapers
are Bookshare volunteers who step forward to help identify, draft and
sound out missing guidelines. Even if something is brought to staff
attention regarding a missing guideline, we would turn it over initially
to this group with our suggestions if any.

 

2.       The Guideline Shapers would decide on areas that need
guidelines, work on an initial draft of these guidelines and then send
them over to Carrie/me for review from the Bookshare staff perspective.
The Guideline Shapers would go over any edits from us and come up with a
revised guideline. They would then solicit feedback on the guideline
from the volunteer list before making any final tweaks to it.

 

3.       Once the guideline has been finalized, I will incorporate it in
the Volunteer Manual, and ensure that it is announced on the volunteer
blog as well as on the volunteer discussion list. (We will create a
separate section of the manual for Updates to the Manual so that it is
easy for people to keep up with the changes).

 

 

Participation from the volunteer community while shaping policy, we feel
is key and we think this approach could be a really invigorating way of
facilitating the creation of useful guidelines from the inside-out. Of
course we would be more than glad to help with the logistics of setting
up a group alias and other etcs for Guideline Shapers, and to provide
assistance wherever we can.  We would love your feedback on this
approach as well as to know if any of you are interested in being part
of such a team.

 

Warm regards,

 

Pavi & Carrie

 

Pavi Mehta

Volunteer Coordinator, Bookshare

 

Benetech 

480 S. California Ave., Suite 201

Palo Alto, CA 94306-1609 USA

Phone:  +1 650 644-3459

 

pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

www.benetech.org

 

The Benetech Initiative - Technology Serving Humanity 

A Nonprofit Organization

 

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