[bookshare-discuss] Bookshare.org Newsletter Spring 2006
- From: "Gustavo Galindo" <Gustavo.G@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:34:45 -0700
<http://www.bookshare.org/>
Spring, 2006
Now over 26,250 Books on our site!
Welcome to the Bookshare.org Newsletter
Spring, 2006
In this issue:
New Alternative Media Manager
Accessible Tax Forms
Bookshare.org has New York Times® Best Sellers
Game of Shadows available
Top 10 Downloads for March
Top Public Domain Downloads
Expanded NFB®-Newsline Service
Institutional Access Going Strong
No-cost Spanish-language subscriptions
AFB Assistive Tech Guide
ACC Devices Overview
Earn a Free or Discounted Subscription
About Bookshare.org
Unsubscribe from this newsletter
Bookshare.org Newsletter, Spring, 2006-Hello. I'm gustavo galindo, the Manager
of the Bookshare.org Website, and the editor of this newsletter. Bookshare.org
is the on-line digital library of accessible books with over 26,250 books and
periodicals. If you met us for the first time at one of the conferences we
attended from January through March: ATIA, TRLD, CTVEH, NYBIDA, CSUN, or CEC;
this is the first newsletter you receive from us. It's my pleasure to bring you
up to date on the latest happenings at Bookshare.org, share a bit of what we're
working on in 2006, and point you to additional resources available to the
print-disabled community.
________________________________
Jennifer Sutton Joins Bookshare.org as our Alternative Media Manager!-Jennifer
Sutton, one of the earliest members of Bookshare.org, has recently joined the
staff as the Manager of Alternative Media. She brings to the staff a knowledge
of accessible publishing best practices, an understanding of current standards,
including DAISY and NIMAS, and an enthusiasm for books of high quality. We are
especially excited to tap into Jennifer's ability to work with our
post-secondary partners and publishers to bring more books into the collection.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Accessible Tax Products, Just in Time for April 15-April 15 is still the
deadline for filing your tax returns. Visit the accessibility page (in a new
browser window) on www.irs.gov/accessibility/index.html for a current list of
the accessible tax products available by download. If you can not find the
product you are looking for on our website, please call the IRS at (800)
829-3676.
The IRS Alternative Media Center has prepared hundreds of its most asked-for
forms and publications using full text descriptions. These forms are available
for download directly from the IRS; most are in ASCII format, a few were
prepared in HTML and have been transcribed for Braille:
* Download Accessible Tax Forms (Braille and Text Formats)
<http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131773,00.html>
* Download Accessible Tax Publications (Braille and Text Formats)
<http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=131761,00.html>
* Download Accessible Talking Tax Forms
<http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=98135,00.html>
The IRS Wants Your Help!
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been testing the Digital Talking Book
(DTB) format for over two years and in 2005 began distributing internal
training materials in this format to its employees with print disabilities.
Now the IRS would like to determine the level of public acceptance for
documents distributed in this format. Would you like to influence the
accessibility of future products from the IRS?
If you are interested in reviewing this technology, let the IRS know. You will
receive a CD containing Publication 17 "Your Federal Income Tax" in DTB format
bundled with a DTB software player and a short feedback form. In addition, you
will receive software installation instructions in the format of your
preference. To participate, you will need a computer with following minimum
requirements:
* Pentium II Processor
* 128 MB RAM
* Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 or Windows XP
* Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
* Sound card (required for speech output)
If you want to participate, please e-mail the IRS at altmc@xxxxxxx with the
following information:
* Name
* Shipping address
* Format preference - Braille, large print or regular print
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Latest Best Sellers on Bookshare.org!-Continuing our efforts to bring to our
subscribers the same books everybody else is reading, we're happy to announce
that we're in the process of adding the following New York Times® Best Sellers
for March, 2006 to our collection:
* The House by Danielle Steel
* The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
* Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline
* The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
* False Impression by Jeffrey Archer
* Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman
* The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr
* Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza
* You're Wearing That? by Deborah Tannen
* Fatal Burn by Lisa Jackson
* Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag
* Pretty Woman by Fern Michaels
* Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas
* The Covenant With Black America by Tavis Smiley (editor)
* Smashed by Koren Zailckas
* The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
These titles will be available to our subscribers both in BRF and DAISY soon.
Check for them on our New Books <http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksNew.html>
page. To see other recent New York Times® Best Sellers available on
Bookshare.org, visit our New York Times® Best Sellers
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/NYA.html> page online.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Game of Shadows Now Available on Bookshare.org-The book that has been in the
headlines for over a month is available in both BRF and DAISY on Bookshare.org;
Game of Shadows : Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked
Professional Sports
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=36554> by Mark
Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, and our subscribers can download it now.
To see what other books we've recently added to our collection of online
accessible books, now numbering over 26,250 titles, visit our New Books
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksNew.html> page in a new browser window.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Bookshare.org Top 10 downloads for March 2006-We did a little digging into our
records, and came up with a fun list that will be a regular feature on the
Bookshare.org homepage, our own "best sellers". Here are the top ten most
downloaded books from Bookshare.org:
* The 5th Horseman
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35922> by James
Patterson and Maxine Paetro
* The Last Templar
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35918> by Raymond
Khoury
* Memory in Death
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35916> by J. D.
Robb
* Alone
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35980> by Lisa
Gardner
* Memoirs of a Geisha
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35976> by Arthur
Golden
* Sea Change (a Jesse Stone Novel)
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=36238> by Robert
B. Parker
* Cell
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35580> by Stephen
King
* The Hostage
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35917> by W. E.
B. Griffin
* The Beatles
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=33571> by Norman
Lebrecth, Allan Kozinn
* Grape Expectations
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=35831> by Tamar
Myers
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Public Domain Top 10 for March 2006-Did you know that public domain books
available on Bookshare.org are freely available to anyone at anytime? You don't
have to be a subscriber, you don't have to have a qualifying print disability.
You don't even have to log in. We have some 3,500 public domain titles, which
we offer in DAISY, BRF plus HTML and Text (ASCII).
The top ten most downloaded public domain titles in March of 2006 were:
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=2081> by Mark
Twain
* Little Women
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=4749> by Louisa
May Alcott
* The Call of the Wild
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=649> by Jack
London
* A Christmas Carol
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=655> by Charles
Dickens
* Little Lord Fauntleroy
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=1206> by Frances
Hodgson Burnett
* Moby Dick
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=1835> by Herman
Melville
* Julius Caesar
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=4142> by William
Shakespeare
* Romeo and Juliet
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=4129> by William
Shakespeare
* Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=154> by Jules
Verne
* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=1409> by Mark
Twain
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Expanded NFB-Newsline® Services Through Bookshare.org-We continue to expand and
improve our offerings of NFB-Newsline® periodicals
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersPeriodicals.html> . Now over 125
newspapers and magazines are available for download in DAISY and BRF formats to
our subscribers who reside in Newsline®-funding states. We've recently added
The Washington Post
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SinglePeriodical.html?submittitleid=washington_post>
. Aside from adding more titles, Bookshare.org has improved the layout and
presentation of NFB-Newsline® periodicals. Check out our improved NFB-Newsline®
pages <http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersPeriodicals.html> , or check if your
state funds this service and visit our Newspapers and Periodicals Information
Page <http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutNewsline.html> . Click here to read the
full press release from Benetech and NFB-Newsline
<http://benetech.org/about/press_releases/PR_2006-03-22_NFB-Bookshare.shtml>
in a new browser window.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Bookshare.org Doubles its Institutional Access Subscribers in a Year-From March
2005 to March 2006, the number of persons receiving Bookshare.org books through
Institutional Access book blocks more than doubled. Institutional Access allows
schools and groups to pre-purchase a set number of books then make them
available to qualifying students. Institutional Access is a great solution for
schools that have a number of qualifying students with directed reading needs.
Our institutional Access Book Packages begin at 30 books for $300. Visit our
website to learn more about our Institutional Access Program
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutInstitutionalAccess.html> , or contact Susie
Mckinnon, our School and Group Accounts Manager, groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=Info%20on%20Institutional%20Access%20accounts>
.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
No-Cost Subscriptions for California Residents who speak Spanish-Bookshare.org
still has a limited number of year-long no-cost subscriptions available to
Spanish-speakers who reside in California. Qualified individuals receive access
at no charge for a full year to our Spanish-language titles, newspapers as well
as our English-language collection. Interested individuals or those who want
more information should contact Susie Mckinnon, our School and Group Accounts
Manager, groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=Info%20on%20Institutional%20Access%20accounts>
. Click here to view a list of Spanish-language titles currently available on
Bookshare.org <http://www.bookshare.org/web/LibrosAnnounce.html> .
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
AFB Press Publishes Guide to Assistive Technology Products-The American
Foundation for the Blind recently published the AccessWorld® 2006 Guide to
Assistive Technology Products. This guide profiles more than 200 assistive
technology products that enable people with vision loss to live and work
independently. Edited by Jay Leventhal, the book is available both in paperback
and on disk; more details are available at www.afb.org/store
<http://www.afb.org/store> .
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Overview of Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices in QUEST
Magazine-In the recent Muscular Dystrophy Association's QUEST Magazine, there's
a great article "Technology Narrows the Gap
<http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q131narrow_gap.cfm> "
(http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q131narrow_gap.cfm) where "advances
in communication and mobility have brought people with disabilities to the
brink of bionics." "....One way is by reading books, newspapers and magazines
online. A student featured in the article, Christamae Zimpel subscribes to an
online collection of digital books. "I wouldn't have been able to read Harry
Potter or any of the other hundred books I've downloaded thus far [without this
service]," she explained. "Reading allows me to escape to a different world and
become someone else." The article describes how with the use of AAC devices
Zimpel and others are informed, integrated and contributing to society.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
Earn Your Subscription to Bookshare.org-We certainly understand that even at
$75.00 for an annual subscription, that amount is beyond the means of some
people. However, because we designed our service on a community-based model,
any user can use sweat-equity to earn a free subscription. In the first three
months of 2006, 20 individuals earned entirely free subscriptions to
Bookshare.org. Over 50 members reduced their subscription costs. Our members
earn credits that defray their subscription costs every time they submit new or
improved books <http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersSubmitForm.html> or
volunteer to validate submitted books
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutVolunteering.html> . Please do remember that
only individuals who provide us with documentation of a qualifying
print-disability can become subscribers.
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
About Bookshare.org, Books without Barriers-Bookshare.org is an online
community that enables people in the United States with visual or other print
disabilities to legally share scanned books.
Bookshare.org is a project of the Benetech Initiative, a nonprofit
organization. The Benetech team originally developed the Arkenstone reading
systems, and is now using the power of technology to introduce new projects
such as Bookshare.org.
* www.benetech.org <http://www.benetech.org/> (opens a new browser
window)
The Benetech Initiative
480 California Ave., Suite 201
Palo Alto, CA 94306
USA
[--return to table of contents--]
________________________________
How to unsubscribe-You received this newsletter because you indicated that
preference when you signed up for Bookshare.org, or when you visited our booth
at a conference. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply reply to
this email and indicate your preference in your response, or send email to
admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=I%20want%20to%20unsubscribe%20from%20the%20Bookshare.org%20Newsletter>
.
How to subscribe-Stay in touch with the developments of Bookshare.org through
the quarterly email newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter by sending an
email with "subscribe" in the subject line to bookshare-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:bookshare-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=subscribe> . Join our online
discussion group by sending an email with "subscribe" in the subject line to
bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:Bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=subscribe> .
[--return to table of contents--]
www.bookshare.org <http://www.bookshare.org/>
Flexibility
Download accessible books in DAISY or BRF formats--which work with most
adaptive technologies
Subscription Options
Sign up for an Individual Subscription or School and Group Account
Accessibility
Subscriptions are ideal for qualifying students and adults who are
Visually-Impaired, Learning Disabled or Mobility Impaired
Our Collection
Read fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, classics, textbooks, newspapers and
magazines
Learn More Today
Visit Bookshare.org <http://www.bookshare.org>
About Membership <http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutMembership.html>
Individual Subscriptions
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutIndividualSubscriptions.html>
Schools & Groups <http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutGroupAccounts.html>
Press Room <http://www.bookshare.org/web/PressRoom.html>
Partners <http://www.bookshare.org/web/Partners.html>
Legal Information <http://www.bookshare.org/web/Legalities.html>
Contact Us <http://www.bookshare.org/web/SupportContactUs.html>
Bookshare.org was created and is maintained by Benetech, a nonprofit
organization. Copyright © 2001-2006. All other product names are the trademarks
of their respective manufacturers.
The Bookshare trademark is used under license from its registered owner,
Follett Library Resources division of Follett Corporation.
<http://www.benetech.org/>
Other related posts:
- » [bookshare-discuss] Bookshare.org Newsletter Spring 2006
