[bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
- From: "EVAN REESE" <mentat3@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:05:46 -0400
I think that some of the suggestions that some have made here about noting
whether the book contains such things as explicit sex, violence or strong
language are a good approach to take. I think that in this case NLS has the
right idea. I am not blocked from seeing any titles in their collection, while
at the same time I get information on the book's content or tone.
People need information in order to make intelligent choices. If they are
simply blocked from even seeing titles in the collection, then that choice is
taken away from them. I just don't think that is right. I am all for informed
choice, not denial of choice.
Evan
----- Original Message -----
From: Chanelle Hill
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 6:20 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
I am sorry. My understanding was that the final decision is determined by a
Bookshare staff member who approves the books for a website. It sounds like the
tool has several flaws. if it is the proofreader's responsibility, the adult
rating criterion should be more clearly defined.
Chanelle
----- Original Message -----
From: EVAN REESE
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:12 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
Actually, proofreaders--and formerly submitters--do have a responsibility
to determine whether a book is marked Adult or not. Or, would you rather have
that decision determined by a computer? Because that is what is happening now.
And, I can tell you--as others have mentioned and given examples
previously--that that computer decision is very conservative. So if a
proofreader decides to uncheck a book that the computer has rated as Adult, are
you saying that they should have to give an explanation as to why?
I disagree with that. I think the onus should be on those who believe a
book should be marked Adult to explain why it should be.
Teenage students are indeed blocked from seeing any book marked
Adult. Just ask Kelby about that. <smile>
Evan
----- Original Message -----
From: Chanelle Hill
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:29 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
The adult content rating should be checked for the sake of the
children--or at least those who are very young. The question is: Are students
who have access to Bookshare automatically blocked from seeing adult content
books? Children do manage to see, hear, and read what may not be appropriate
for them, but does that mean that Bookshare should be another way for them to
gain access to explicit material? How would you define what are considered
"childrens books?" What about students in middle or high school? Should they be
stuck reading "childrens books"--especially when literature classes expand to
include Shakespeare and some British and American classics? I know many adults
who enjoy childrens books while taking pleasure in books of a more serious
nature or on subjects that are too complicated for young children to
understand. Adults should not be limited to just reading adult books since
there are books on a wide variety of subjects that do not involve explicit
content. Right now, the Bookshare volunteer manual states: "Please use your
best judgment for determining adult content. While we understand and respect
that different people have different standards for what is acceptable subject
matter, a general guideline to consider is this: in a large well-stocked
bookstore, would somebody under the age of 18 be able to get this book off the
shelf, pay for it, and walk away. Books of an obvious explicit sexual nature or
that incite hate should be considered adult content. If unsure, mark the book
as Adult Content, and explain in one or two sentences what about the content of
the book warrants this selection in the comments field." (Section 5, Guidelines
for Marking Books "Adult")
There are several things to notice about this statement. First, would
minors be able to walk away with the book in a sstandard, well-stocked
bookstore? Bookshare is a large bookstore of sorts with over 50,000 books on a
wide variety of subjects that is accessible to both minors and adults. Books
that are of obvious explicit sexual nature or incite hate should be marked, so
in many instances, perhaps the rating is given too liberally. However, it is
Bookshare's decision to rate the book as having adult content and the statement
encourages proofreaders to give an explanation of why they think an adult
rating should be given even if they are not sure. On the other hand, it is
probably all right for proofreaders to state why a book is not adult content
even if the tool gave it that rating. In short, We don't have the
responsibility of determining whether a book is or is not adult content and
some may be more hasty to give the rating than others, but we can offer our
opinions.
Chanelle
----- Original Message -----
From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 8:10 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
It is real easy to tell what is adult content. I can read a book and
see very quickly whether the author was intending to write for children or
adults. The ones that are clearly intended for children should be placed in the
children's category and the ones that are intended for adults should not.
Checking the adult designation for any book is effectively censorship so it
should never be checked.
"The
end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.
" Leon Trotsky
The Militant: http://www.themilitant.com Pathfinder Press:
http://www.pathfinderpress.com
Granma International: http://granma.cu/ingles/index.html
_
table with 2 columns and 6 rows
Subj:
[bksvol-discuss] Re: I have a question please and thank you.
Date:
9/8/2009 5:38:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
deniset@xxxxxxx
Reply-to:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent from the Internet
(Details)
table end
Some of the problem might be the definition of adult content. And for
that there has never been any agreement. I recently submitted a book and I
marked
it as having adult content, but when it was put into the library, it is
marked as not having adult content. So I don't know if it was the admin staff or
what. However, like I said, the courts have never been able to agree
upon what is and what isn't so I don't think we will here either.
Denise
At 05:22 PM 9/8/2009, you wrote:
block quote
You would think so, but alas I have no adult content selected and I got
a pretty racy novel with sex scenes and it was not ticked as adult, so it must
be
kind of hit or miss.
Take care!
Valerie
Please pray for Doug's Dad & visit his website:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/billkoonce
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [
mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of gwen tweedy
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 1:45 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] I have a question please and thank you.
If I go up and make sure my settings are set to no adult content,
does that mean when I go into the new books or brose any category that only
books with
only no adult content will come up or will other books slip through?
block quote end
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