[bksvol-discuss] Re: KES to RTF

Hi Pavi.
You said: " Regarding policy change on file formats: That's something that will happen with the coming of the new site and I will definitely keep the volunteers posted on that." 

What is the projected date for the new site?
I've heard about this "new" site as long as I have been a volunteer (a little over a year). 

So, when does "new" not be so "new"?

Bob
----- Original Message ----- From: "Pavi Mehta" <pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 3:45 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: KES to RTF



Hi Monica and others,
"Chef M.D.'s Big Book of Culinary Medicine" has been converted to RTF and is on the Download list awaiting validation (smile) We converted it in-house a few minutes ago and it now has a comment attached to it mentioning the conversion and the fact that it requires a sighted validator.
Regarding policy change on file formats: That's something that will happen with the coming of the new site and I will definitely keep the volunteers posted on that.
Regarding the suggestion that willing volunteers can download KES files from Step 1 convert them and upload them -- this is definitely an interim possibility (and something Bob brought up awhile ago). Credits would still apply to the original submitter. The person who does the conversion will be considered as a validator. Before uploading the converted file he/she should send a note to Carrie asking her to send the file back to Step 1. Validation credits will go the final validator.
Awhile ago a staff member did work on converting a batch of KES files to RTF from the download list. She is currently working on other projects but if anyone urgently requires another title to be converted please bring it to my attention.
Please let me know if there is anything unclear in this mail, and thanks for the discussion around this topic. 

All good things,

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








-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Monica Willyard 
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 3:36 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Concerns About A Book On Step 1

Hi, everyone. Yesterday Elizabeth let us know that the book Chef
M.D.'s Big Book of Culinary Medicine, by JOHN LA PUMA  and Rebecca
Powell needs a sighted validater. Guess what! The book is in kes
format. None of our sighted validaters can open it. This situation
frustrates me because this is the kind of book that will be passed
from blind volunteer to blind volunteer with no resolution. Why?
Because only blind people can open it! I'm especially frustrated
because Bookshare could resolve this easily with a policy change on
file formats or by providing a converter at the time of upload. There
are 11 more cookbooks like this, all in kes format. If sighted help is
needed, it won't happen with these books since they aren't rtf files.
Cookbooks are tough to scan and validate, and sighted help is usually
needed somewhere along the way. Sighted people *don't* have Kurzweil
because they don't need it, and it costs a thousand dollars. I'm not
trying to bash the submitter here. I'm saying that this situation
seems wasteful and silly to me. I know I can't change it, but it sure
would be nice if everyone were required to submit in rtf since that's
what all validaters can open and have to upload to Bookshare anyway.
(sigh) Ok, I'm going to go and get some coffee.  Maybe I won't feel so
grumpy then.


--
Monica Willyard
Visit my blog at http://www.scannersguild.com
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