Cindy, thanks and I read in the news paper that it is hard to get people to
donate their time to anything and you can imagine how it would be with some
of the books we have to clean up. There are a lot of people sighted as well
as blind, that don't know about scanning books, pictures quite a few know
but they don't know how about books.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cindy" <popularplace@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 8:03 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] OT: FYI: How I became involved in bookshare
O.K., friends. Here's how one sighted volunteer found bookshare.
When I retired in June of 2002, I was looking for something to do that would be fun and useful. I went on the computer to see if there were opportunities for things I could do from home whenever I wanted to (as some of you may have noticed, I'm on the computer a lot at night). I found Project Gutenberg, and started scanning an old book for them. I found one book, about which I sent in information (you have to send them the copyright info so they can make sure it's out of copyright). It wasn't quite old enough, and a wonan named Diane who told me that said I might submit it to bookshare. That's how I found out about it -- it hadn't shown up on my computer search of volunteer opportunities --and I've been "working" for bookshare ever since. The first thing I did was to validate a biography of Aaron Copland. I thought it would be more interesting than it was. To show how stupid and thoughless I was, I kept going to google to check the spelling of the names of various composers, critics, personalities. I knew many, but there were many I didn't know. I was about two-thirds of the way through the book when I suddenly realized that I could get the book from the library and it would be much faster to check that way. How stupid can one be.
I started by scanning books that were on the teachers' request list and then books that people on the list requested, and I pre-validate everything I scan before submitting them. But I much prefer validating, and so since so many people like to scan and there are so many books to be validated, I'm just doing that, except when books are missing pages or chapters -- or has happened once, half the book.
Allison also asked if I've learned a lot about blindness, and yes, I have -- about blindness, and technological devices. I had known one blind person years ago who had lost his sight in puberty (I don't remember the name of the condition or disease) and had, despite that, become a very successful attorney and husband and father, so I knew what blind people were capable of -- and that was before all the technology now available.As the author of First Lady of the Seeing Eye wrote, there were only canes and human assistants to help him. I don't believe he ever got a dog, at least I never saw him with one -- just his wife.
Allison also asked how to get other sighted people to help. I haven't been able to. I've suggested it as something to do to other volunteers at the library; to friends who have recently retired; and to people who come into the library bookstore, but as far as I know, no one has signed up.
Cindy
Cindy
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