[bksvol-discuss] Re: New 3 hold maximum in check out queue

  • From: "Sandi Ryan" <sjryan2@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:12:34 -0500

Hi Laura,

If you want to read a book and it's not in the collection, chances are a blind 
or print-disabled reader wants to read that book, too.  My goal, and the goal 
of many of us, is to put as many books into the collection as possible.  And 
frankly, some of the books on the wishlist are very new and would cost anyone 
buying them to scan quite a bit of money.  That's why I go for older 
books--just as good, but affordable on a volunteer's salary!

I did not indicate in any way that new proofers aren't as good as more 
experienced ones, so you weren't responding to my e-mail.  I just wanted to let 
you know that none of the scanners I know are limiting their work to proofers 
they've always worked with.  

I'm glad you're aboard, and if there are books you'd like to read that aren't 
in the Bookshare collection, send me a few titles with author and ISBN, and 
we'll see what we can do.  Or buy the book, ship it to me, and I'll scan and 
correct it and mail it back to you.  I don't think you should feel you have no 
right to suggest titles.  After all, at this point, more books are available to 
sighted people--you may want just the one I'd love to read!

Sandi
s
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Laura Shannon 
  To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 12:30 PM
  Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: New 3 hold maximum in check out queue


  Hi Sandi,

  Thanks for the information. I did not mean to imply that anyone was unwilling 
to expand, only that scanners are more comfortable with those that they know. 
I'm not sure that it was even your post that seemed to imply that new 
volunteers would not produce as quality of work as older volunteers. I only 
know there was a post that seemed to lean in that direction.

  I would actually not have any issue in checking the lists and suggesting 
books except that I am not visually impaired and it makes me feel odd to offer 
suggestions of my own personal taste. If I was a member as well as a volunteer, 
then I would not have any problem with doing so. I would prefer scanners to 
work on the Wish Lists of those who have an actual need for certain books and 
then have the opportunity to find them on the check out list for proofing.

  Of course I can only speak for my own situation in regard to actually 
locating titles for scanning and how I feel about it. I just do not feel that I 
should be taking up a scanner's time with my personal preferences given I am 
not visually impaired and a member.

  Regards,

  Laura




  On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 12:49 PM, Sandi Ryan <sjryan2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

    Hi Laura and All,

    One of your comments leads me to respond to you.  You said that people who 
start volunteering together continue to work together.  This is simply not 
true.  I started to volunteer a year ago, and like you, I have years of editing 
and proofing and scanning experience, but I was new to Bookshare.  At the time 
new volunteers were announced to the list, so we knew who was new, and I could 
have worked with any of them.  At the time there were fewer than 100 books on 
the checkout list, and some of them seemed daunting to me as a first proofing 
task.  Also, at the time there was a training program for proofers, and one was 
not allowed to proofread a real book until one had completed a test book, it 
had been read by staff, and your proofing was approved.  Back then, that 
process took three or four months, and by the time I was approved, two proofers 
I did not know then had encouraged me to scan, and had provided me books to 
scan for them.  They provided great pointers for improving my work, they had 
work to do, and I got my feet wet.

    I still work with these two proofers.  They have become friends, and I know 
they will deal with some issues of scanning that others might miss.  

    But this year I have also worked with three other proofers who wanted 
certain books to proof, and I offered to scan them.  This is not an exclusive 
clique.  The two proofers I mentioned first do not work together and have some 
differing views about books and quality.  But I can work with both of them 
because they are wonderful people.  The other three I've worked with are also 
wonderful, and they've done an excellent job of proofing my work.  I am 
supposed to be working with a new proofer, but have not received her books yet.

    I think your belief that we find and stick with one or two people and are 
not willing to expand is incorrect.  I know it is in my case.  But what keeps 
me working with these proofers, as I said two months ago when I recommended 
each volunteer have a profile (thanks for bringing that up again, Ann, though 
you didn't like the idea when I suggested it), is that they are eager to proof, 
they participate in searching for books they are interested in proofing, and 
they stay in contact with me.  As a scanner, I am quite busy.  As a proofer 
without enough books on the list to keep you busy, you could help a lot by 
finding books that are not in the collection that you'd like to read.  You 
don't have to buy them--I can find them usually through interlibrary loan, 
which costs $1 per book--but it's my little extra contribution--and we can work 
together.  I just don't have time to scan books like a wild woman and also be 
responsible for feeding books to people who aren't interested enough to help 
locate books.

    Thanks for stating what you believe.  I hope my explanation furthers the 
cause of getting volunteers who want to proof interested enough to search for 
books and expand their volunteering in that way.

    Sandi



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