[bksvol-discuss] Re: question on Complicated Books
- From: Melissa Smith <mdsmith25@xxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 07 May 2010 14:08:54 -0500
Scott,
Thanks for your reply. I must say you are extremely helpful to us
volunteers. I realize outsourcers can't add to the collection based on
personal preferences. Can you tell me if they will or will not work on
cookbooks? I think it is excellent that textbooks are a priority for
them. I realize that fractions do not scan well, but is there also a
problem in conversion, or is it simply in the proofing process, that
they aren't being caught. Another thing regarding fractions, as we were
talking earlier, the fraction symbols can't be used. I know that this is
one of Word's autocorrect things, so all scanners and proofers should be
sure to turn off the autocorrection of fractions.
Melissa Smith
On 5/7/2010 12:06 PM, Scott Rains wrote:
Jamie and Melissa,
In general it is true that the outsourcers work on more complicated
books. Textbooks are one type. Last week we had some success with new
software tools for rendering math problems for example. (No,
unfortunately the fractions problem isn't entirely solved yet)
Science textbooks are a special priority. Describing images in
science textbooks is still a 100% human-dependent process that both
volunteers and outsources do.
Being paid for through grants outsourcers priorities are determined
by the deliverables promised in the grants. They don't have the
freedom to build up the Bookshare library according to their personal
reading preferences as volunteers do.
Bookshare's Librarian Amy McNeely has come up with something I expect
her to announce very soon. It highlights the unique freedom that
volunteers have while addressing the recent topic of gaps in series.
I encourage everybody to read her announcement and take advantage of
the chance to work with someone here who I find fun to work with.
Scott Rains Bookshare Volunteer Coordinator, Interim
________________________________________ From:
bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Melissa Smith
[mdsmith25@xxxxxxxx] Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 8:07 AM To:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: question
That makes sense to me, that they should work on the more complicated
books. Perhaps the grant is the reason they are not. I really don't
know.
Melissa Smith
On 5/7/2010 7:44 AM, Jamie Yates, CPhT wrote:
> I was sure at one point we were told the whole purpose of the
> outsourcers was that they could work on books that were more
> complicated than volunteers were willing to or could handle.
> Cookbooks seem to fit that bill. Of course that was pre-grant so
> maybe their focus now is just getting a mass quantity of books
> that meet the grant conditions into the collection.
>
> I agree that cookbooks do take a long time and it's not an easy
> thing to do, even with sight. After a while all of those fractions
> look the same when you've seen hundreds of them.
>
>
> -- Jamie in Michigan
>
> Currently Reading: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai
> Sijie Earn cash for answering trivia questions every 3 hours:
> http://instantcashsweepstakes.com/invitations/ref_link/49497
>
> See everything I've read this year at:
>
www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html<http://www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html>
>
>
<http://www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html><http://www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html>
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