[bksvol-discuss] Re: Ladies And Gentlemen, Start Your Scanners!

  • From: "Shelley L. Rhodes" <guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 22:22:12 -0500

I remember when the "step 1" page had over 700 titles on it, and I know it was 
one of the times, as I absolutely don't like editing, or proofreading, but I 
stopped scanning.  it is truly awesome.


Shelley L. Rhodes, M.A., VRT
And Guinevere: Golden Lady Guide Dog
guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx
Guide Dogs for the Blind 
Alumni Association
www.guidedogs.com

The people who burned witches at the stake never for one moment thought of 
their act as violence;
 rather they thought of it as an act of divinely mandated righteousness.
 The same can be said of most of the violence we humans have ever committed. 
-Gil Bailie, author and lecturer (b. 1944) 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Pavi Mehta 
  To: Monica Willyard ; bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Cc: Bookshare.org Volunteers 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 4:14 PM
  Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Ladies And Gentlemen, Start Your Scanners!


  Hi Monica,

   

  What a great note! It's terrific to have the perspective of someone whose 
been volunteering with Bookshare for so long, and who can speak to the way it's 
evolved over the years. I wasn't aware of the early on scarcity of proofreaders 
- but it's great to know that that gap has been filled, and to hear the can-do 
enthusiasm as you rally the team towards the fun challenge of 50,000 books in 
the collection! Am sure it's a goal well within our reach too - Go Team!

   

  Pavi

   

   

   

   

  From: Monica Willyard [mailto:rhyami@xxxxxxxxx] 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 5:41 AM
  To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Cc: Bookshare.org Volunteers
  Subject: Ladies And Gentlemen, Start Your Scanners!

   

  Hi everyone. I just noticed something cool and new about our volunteer 
community. We have enough dedicated proofreaders that those of us who like to 
scan can kick into high gear! In the past, many of us have felt the need to 
throttle back our production and take time to proofread books waiting for 
approval. For us it was an either/or situation. There were chronic complaints 
about not having enough proofreaders and having very large queues of books to 
process. At that point, we didn't have the proofreading support to keep 
submitting new books. Adding more books was like putting fuel on the fire. Some 
of us stopped scanning completely while others just didn't submit books and 
kept them on our hard drives. That's no longer necessary. This means that we no 
longer need to be pinch hitters unless we want to. The shift has been quiet and 
gradual, and it's definitely here. We've got a lot of world-class proofreaders 
now. For the first time since I have joined Bookshare, anyone can freely work 
on either side of the equation based on preference and passion rather than 
concern for processing the queue of books.

   

  Proofreaders are standing by, ready to roll. Let's kick it into high gear and 
reach the 50,000 book mark this year. We've only got around 5300 books to go, 
and we can easily do that this year. We've beaten that number for the past 2 
years with less volunteers and help from staff. We can do this if we choose to. 
For those with books on our hard drives, let's get them submitted. For those 
with giant stacks of books covering every surface, let's scan some of them. 
Your scanner has been feeling kind of lonely lately. (smile)

   

  The caution flag is down, and the pace car is on the move. The fans are 
cheering, and you've got a great pit crew. The track is smooth and clear. So to 
borrow from NasCar, ladies and gentlemen, start! Your! scanners!

   

  Monica Willyard

  "The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker

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