[bookshare-discuss] Re: About Volunteering
- From: "Brian Miller" <brian-r-miller@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:43:44 -0700
Hi Monica,
Yes, I have signed up as a volunteer, but I've never validated a book --
only uploaded.
Brian M
----- Original Message -----
From: "Monica Willyard" <plumlipstick@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 12:56 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: About Volunteering
> Hi, Brian. Have you signed up with Bookshare as a volunteer? I'm
> asking because only people who have volunteer status can access the
> validation area. This is done to make sure that people know how to
> do things like verifying the copyright of the books they
> validate. Validation usually involves doing a quick overview of the
> book to see that the text is in good shape. Some validaters choose
> to read line by line while others just do a spot check of the
> text. I use Microsoft Word to validate, while my friend Laura Ann
> validates books with Kurzweil because of its rank spelling
> feature. For books rated excellent, the work is easy. If a book is
> rated as fair, the validater may spend more time cleaning up garbled
> text. Each validater develops his or her own style along the
> way. Jake Brownell has made a website with tips to help submitters
> and validaters do things more easily. It's located at
> http://www.jbrownell.com
>
> Monica Willyard
>
> On Friday 9/29/2006 09:40 AM, you wrote:
> >I've scanned plenty of books that I've shared with bookshare, and I also
> >find it very rewarding. I always read, watch a movie, or talk on the
phone
> >while scanning so the time goes by much more quickly.
> >
> >What I don't understand is the validation process. What does one do?
How
> >does it work? Do you serch for particular scanning artifacts? Do you
read
> >the entire book line for line and check for errors? How does it work?
I'd
> >like to know so I can maybe take on this task once and a while, time
> >permitting.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >Brian Miller
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Monica Willyard" <plumlipstick@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 2:26 AM
> >Subject: [bookshare-discuss] About Volunteering
> >
> >
> > > From talking to a few list members, I think some of you are under
> > > the impression that validating or scanning for Bookshare is something
> > > that is highly technical, very time consuming, and is almost a
> > > full-time job. If that's the case, please allow me to share my
> > > experiences as a volunteer with you. You might be pleasantly
surprised.
> > >
> > > First, many of us spend a lot of time validating because we like to
> > > read. That doesn't mean that someone who can work on a book once
> > > every two months isn't a valuable part of the team. Validating
> > > requires skills that you probably already have, being able to read a
> > > book with your screenreader or Braille, checking it for obvious
> > > errors, and checking a web page for the copyright notice. I'm not
> > > assigned the books I work on. I get to look over the list and pick a
> > > book that I'd want to read even if it didn't need to be
> > > validated. Tonight I got a mystery from the pool of books awaiting
> > > validation. Because of the quality of the scan, it was ready to be
> > > approved after only 15 minutes of work. Now it's awaiting approval
> > > from Bookshare staff to be added to the collection. In fact, I
> > > expect you'll see it soon on the new books list. Not all books can
> > > be validated in 15 minutes, but quite a few of them can. While you
> > > do earn credit toward your yearly membership fee, I think the biggest
> > > reward is getting to read great books and helping other people who
> > > are blind or have learning disabilities to access books. Validaters
> > > are an important part of this system, and every validation matters to
> > > someone in a tangible way.
> > >
> > > When I scan books for Bookshare, I usually do it while I'm listening
> > > to an audiobook, waiting on hold for a business call, or chatting
> > > with someone on Skype. I don't have the latest, greatest computer
> > > either. Mine is around five years old. Scanning does require a
> > > scanner and a program to process the scans, a program like K1000,
> > > FineReader, or Openbook. I fit scanning into my life, doing a few
> > > pages when I have a few minutes. Before I know it, I have a book
> > > ready to share with all of you.
> > >
> > > I hope my message has helped some of you to get a clearer picture of
> > > how volunteers work. We're not superhumans who have skills no mere
> > > mortal can reach. We're people who love to read just like you and
> > > who want to give back to the Bookshare community in the best way we
> > > can. You're welcome to join us, to ask questions, and/or to join the
> > > volunteers list even if you're not an official volunteer. All are
> > > welcome, and thanks for following along with my ramblings.
> > >
> > >
> > > Monica Willyard
> > >
> > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
> > > bookshare-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
> >bookshare-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.
>
> Monica Willyard
> The Website your boss doesn't want you to know about!
> http://www.moreinfo247.com/9252754/FREE.
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
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