[bksvol-discuss] Re: Wrote just now to Pavi

  • From: "Monica Willyard" <rhyami@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:38:31 -0500

Kim, I think you make people happy by choosing books that make you happy. I
know Roger's desire is to be helpful and let you know about the wish list.
What he says makes sense. I think our community is so large and diverse that
there are bound to be many members who like the things you put into the
collection. Yes, we have a large and active wish list. That doesn't mean you
necessarily want to read or pay for what someone else is wishing for. By
purchasing books you want to read, you are actively taking steps to fill
your own wish list requests. You're not adding books to the ever-expanding
wish list; you're taking a tangible step toward getting them into the
collection. So the net result seems to be the same. (smile) 
 
I think my email may sound somewhat stern. I don't intend that and think I
should explain why I'm saying these things. The nature of our wish list is
that there are some people who have requested over 100 books at a time while
being unwilling to help get them into the collection, whether through
volunteering to proofread or by providing the books to be scanned. I'm not
referring to people who physically can't volunteer or to people who request
books and who help with the proofreading. In theory, I do want those
hundreds of books to be added to Bookshare, no matter who requested them,
because I want everyone to be able to access any book they wish. Still the
reality is that the burden of buying, locating, and/or scanning these books
falls on our shoulders. This also means that if we spend our time and money
on these books, we can't spend our time and money working on books that are
important to us. So I feel frustrated when someone says that a volunteer
should spend money working on the wish list books instead of buying her own
to make people happy. 
 
When I get books from Amazon or Paperback Swap, I tend to get 2 books for me
and 1 book from the Bookshare wish list. Even then, I primarily use my
credits on books I'm willing to read so I can prepare my scan well. I'll
take books somewhat outside my interests if the request is clearly for a
student or an adult needing a book for their employment. 
 
I used to try to be totally fair, doing a book for me and then a book for
someone else, whether I liked it or not. I've taken on books in the past
that didn't interest me at all, and I found that proofreading them was
rather like pulling out my eyelashes strand by strand. I felt drained and
burned out pretty quickly. Now I focus on what I do well and trust that
others with interests in other areas will do likewise. Sue and Jill taught
me to do this, and I am so grateful that they taught me how to keep from
overwhelming myself.
 
Monica Willyard
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker

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