Hello Lissi and Monica, Yes, Lissi, you bring up some interesting points. Having access from multiple sources is good. One never knows due to funding or even natural disasters could dry up a source of books. You mention rare and out of print books. I have begun to look for some books that I have an interest in. I have three in particular that are on the way and in the queue now. The book of knowledge, the keys of Enoch by J J Hurtak The cube of space by Kevin Townley And Penetration by Ingo swann. I realize these are not books that would take the top download award but all three of these are out of print and from requests are not available in the libraries we have access too. IN time I may end up reselling them but they will be coming soon for our more eclectic readers. I have noticed there are those of us that have interests that would never get on NLS because of the limited interest. I have been here two years or so now and having Bookshare and my Kurzweil and scanner has opened up a wonderful and amazing world of books that were only a dream unless I could get someone to read them to me. Thank-you to all the volunteers that work week in and week out to expand the library and I do hope that Bookshare continues to grow and expand, adding new features and making this wealth of books more widely available. Huggles Katie Change comes by living in the question Katie Hill Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Estelnalissi Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 4:22 PM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Rethinking A Decision Dear Monica, and Booksharian Friends, Please don't mind my too long, too emotional and too fanciful reply to your post about whether or not to duplicate web braille books for Bookshare.The short version of my opinion is an emphatic, Yes, duplications are well worth adding to Bookshare. When books are available from both web braille and Bookshare, I usually read the web braille versions because I know the accuracy will be impeccable. When Cindy said she thought I'd enjoy Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising set of 5 fantasy books for middle grade children, I downloaded the first, then the second book from web braille. That's before I knew she'd validated bookshare's copy of all 5 books in a single volume. She validates so carefully, I could have downloaded that version with confidence. Now, I'm really involved in the story and ready to read, "Greenwitch," the third book, but since Saturday, my computer has been unable to complete the download process for web braille. It's a good thing for me that my finicky computer still downloads Bookshare's files so I can finish the series whether I solve my problem with web braille or not. I agree with Cindy's thoughts about clichés. They are repeated until they become part of our vocabulary because they are so often true. So, regarding your consideration of whether it is worth the effort to scan and validate titles for Bookshare which are available in web braille, my opinion is yes. Let's not put all of our eggs in one basket, I.e. all of our copies of books on one shelf. I don't dwell on it, but one of my recurring nightmarish what ifs is, "What if computers failed and paper braille books burned and were discontinued?" What if NLS or Bookshare disbanded with no organization to preserve their books?" With the abundance of multiple copies of print books, sighted readers have more assurance that they'll be able to own or find books they want to read. Even for them, the availability of books is precarious as libraries seem to keep only books with high circulation and wonderful books which lack mass appeal go out of print every day. Amber recently scanned a children's book about the holocaust, called, "Children of Bach," which was published I believe 15 years ago. My Summit County libraries only have 2 copies. Amazon has 3 copies used and new starting at over sixty dollars. Though it's a good book, it lacked mass appeal because the children were so comforted by classical music which doesn't interest the majority of today's kids, and because its depiction of the holocaust was thought, by reviewers to have bypassed too many graphically horrible details. Children of Bach is too good a book not to be available to us. I appreciate it that Amber took time to scan it. In a few years, it might be so obscure that it wouldn't have any chance of being added to the collection. When I was a teenager I read several Dickens novels I loved. They aren't available on web braille or paper braille, now. Project Gutenberg has them, but if there's a way to convert those files to braille, I haven't learned it. So, the fact that some books are on web braille now doesn't guarantee they'll be there in the future, and I do understand there are no guarantees about anything. I digressed, but my point is that the more places books are preserved where they can be accessed by the masses, in our case, by the print impaired, the less likelihood they have of vanishing. I was profoundly saddened when I read about Alexander the Great's ruined library. Our understanding of history would be vastly different if that fabulous collection of ancient manuscripts hadn't been lost. Thank you, Monica, for bringing up this interesting topic for discussion. Always with love, Lissi ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jill O'Connell" <jillocon@xxxxxxxxxx> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 5:08 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Rethinking A Decision > I'm no computer whiz, believe me, but I believe that the reason we are > able to have Web Braille is that it is based on the way books are > published in hard copy and really has nothing to do with the digital > issue. I know Judy Dixon could explain all of this to us but I probably > wouldn't understand her answer. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Monica Willyard" <rhyami@xxxxxxxxx> > To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 1:23 PM > Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Rethinking A Decision > > >> Hi, everyone. Something has been bugging me over the past few days, and >> I'd really like some input from you all. After reading a couple of >> articles about the General Accounting Office suggesting that NLS funding >> for going digital should be denied, I'm becoming worried about a decision >> several of us made some time back. As has been discussed here before, >> many of us do not scan books that are available in WebBraille since that >> would be a duplication of efforts. We do scan books that are available >> on cassette only because we have several users with hearing impairments >> who can't listen to tapes. If funding for going digital is not approved, >> will that impact existing NLS services? Brf files are digitally >> prepared, aren't they? If so, should we rethink our decision not to scan >> books that are on WebBraille? As a person who can hear, I know I can >> just move to Audible and get commercially available audiobooks. I'm >> trying hard to be aware of the needs of people who don't have that >> option. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing here. If I am, a friendly >> "chill out" message would be appreciated. (smile) >> >> >> "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today!" Will Rogers >> Monica Willyard, rhyami@xxxxxxxxx >> Add rhyami to your Skype if you'd like to chat. >> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to >> bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >> put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list >> of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.9/834 - Release >> Date: 6/5/2007 2:38 PM >> >> > > To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to > bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list > of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. > > To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.