[bksvol-discuss] [Bookshare.org Newsletter] December 2005 News Update FINAL DRAFT
- From: "Gustavo Galindo" <Gustavo.G@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 12:58:59 -0800
5
<http://www.bookshare.org/>
December, 2005
Welcome to the Bookshare.org Newsletter
December, 2005
In this issue:
Bookshare.org has 25,000 books
Bookshare.org has New York Times(r) Best Sellers
Award-Winning Books on Bookshare.org
MSU Shares its Textbooks
Give a Bookshare.org Subscription
Give to Bookshare.org
Earn a Free or Discounted Subscription
The Bookshare.org Advisory Board
2006 Conference Schedule
About Bookshare.org
Unsubscribe from this newsletter
Bookshare.org Newsletter, December, 2005-Hello. I'm gustavo galindo, the
Manager of the Bookshare.org Website, and the editor of this newsletter.
It's my pleasure to bring you up to date on the latest happenings at
Bookshare.org, give you a recap on 2005, and share a bit of what we're
working on for 2006. Additionally, on behalf of everybody at
Bookshare.org, we wish you and yours a happy holiday season and new
year.
_____
Bookshare.org has 25,000 Books!-We began 2005 with 20,000 accessible
books on our website. Thanks in large part to efforts of our members who
submit their scanned books, the tireless efforts of our volunteer
community, and through our in-house efforts, we're proud to have reached
the 25,000 benchmark before the end of 2005. The more than 5,000 books
we've added this year reflect the diverse interests and needs of our
print-disabled community. Aside from our usual offerings of the latest
best-sellers in fiction and non-fiction, computers & technology, sci-fi,
romance, children's titles, K-12 and college-level textbooks, we're
happy to include books with topics such as LSAT test preparation,
cooking, and travel. Visit our New Books page in a new browser window
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksNew.html> for a list of the titles
we've recently added. Browse our collection by your favorite category
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksByCategory.html> (link opens a new
browser window) or author
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksByAuthor.html> (link opens a new
browser window). You can do a simple search or an advanced search for
authors and titles on Bookshare.org. Click here to go to the
Bookshare.org Simple Search page
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksBySimpleSearch.html> (link opens a
new browser window) or the Bookshare.org Advanced Search page
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksByAdvancedSearch.html> (link opens a
new browser window).
If you would like to help us increase our collection of accessible books
in 2006, find out how you can submit
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersSubmitForm.html> books you have
scanned, or become a volunteer
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutVolunteering.html> and help us
validate books that others have submitted. [--return to table of
contents--]
_____
New York Times(r) Best Sellers-Thanks to a generous new source of
funding, we have been able to purchase, scan, OCR and validate books
in-house that have made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list since
September of 2005. Hardback or paperback; fiction or non-fiction; if a
book has been in the top 10 of the New York Times(r) Best Seller List
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/NYA.html> (link opens a new browser
window), subscribers can download it now in either DAISY or BRF.
[--return to table of contents--]
_____
Literary Award Winners- This year's non-fiction recipient of the
National Book Award is The Year of Magical Thinking
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=34552> by
Joan Didion
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/BooksByAuthor.html?author_id=17536> , and
is available to our active subscribers for download. Subscribers who are
currently logged in to Bookshare.org may download the book in DAISY
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/Download.html?publishtitleid=100284> or
BRF <http://www.bookshare.org/web/Download.html?publishtitleid=100283> .
The Man Booker Prize (the Booker Prize) is awarded to the best novel of
the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of
Ireland. The winning novel for 2005 was The Sea
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/SingleTitle.html?submittitleid=34308> by
John Banville, and our current subscribers who are already logged may
download it in DAISY
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/Download.html?publishtitleid=100126> or
BRF <http://www.bookshare.org/web/Download.html?publishtitleid=100125> .
[--return to table of contents--]
_____
MSU Shares its Scanned Textbook Repository-The Resource Center for
Persons with Disabilities at Michigan State University (MSU), has
recently begun sharing its high-quality scanned college-level textbooks
with Bookshare.org. Over the next several months we will add hundreds of
titles from MSU, making these high-quality accessible textbooks
available nationwide. MSU is the latest post-secondary institution to
begin sharing its repository of scanned textbooks. If your college or
university scans textbooks for your print-disabled student community,
you can share your repository with other print-disabled students across
the country, help eliminate duplication of effort, and earn credits for
sponsoring your school's qualifying students. Please send an email to
our Manager of School and Group Accounts, Susie Mckinnon
(groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
<mailto:groupaccounts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=Info%20on%20sharing%20scanne
d%20Post-Secondary%20Textbooks> . [--return to table of contents--]
_____
The Gift of Bookshare.org- Do you know somebody who is print-disabled,
has internet access, and would enjoy a gift subscription to
Bookshare.org? Consider making your gift a year-long subscription to
Bookshare.org. Subscribers have unlimited access to our collection of
over 25,000 books, plus newspapers and magazines from NFB-Newsline(r),
and our DAISY and BRF titles work with most all AT hardware and software
that handles eText, plus our subscribers are able to download Victor
ReaderSoft, a fully-functional DAISY player from HumanWare at no
additional charge. Year-long subscriptions cost only $75.00, and you can
purchase a gift subscription online today. Click here to visit the
Bookshare.org Gift Subscription Information page
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersGiftSubInfo.html> (link opens a
new browser window). If you need additional information please write to
us at gifts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:gifts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=I%20want%20more%20info%20on%20giving
%20Bookshare.org%20as%20a%20gift> .
In this season of giving, please also consider giving to Bookshare.org.
Any donation you make, regardless of the amount, helps us make more
books available and accessible to print-disabled communities. Monetary
donations in 2005 helped us underwrite improvements to our search
functionality, add more children's books, begin offering New York
Times(r) Best Sellers, and purchase a new iMac to better support
Mac-based users. You can make a monetary contribution now
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/DonateNow.html> to Bookshare.org;
additionally, donating your time by becoming a volunteer
<http://www.bookshare.org/web/AboutVolunteering.html> , or sharing your
scanned books <http://www.bookshare.org/web/MembersSubmitForm.html>
also contributes to our mission.
Benetech <http://www.benetech.org/> , Bookshare.org's parent company
recently was awarded a generous grant by the Omidyar Foundation. This
and other critical financial support will make it possible for us to
hire a full-time Collections Production Manager to oversee our
collection development. [--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 2005, over 60 individuals earned entirely free
subscriptions to Bookshare.org. Over 200 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--]
_____
The Bookshare.org Advisory Board-Bookshare.org has assembled a group of
AT experts and professionals who give us invaluable advice on our new
efforts and with whom we consult as our services develop and mature. For
2006, our Advisory Board Members are:
Curtis Chong: Curtis Chong, Iowa Department for the Blind Project
Director. Curtis is the project director for Project ASSIST. He brings
to Project ASSIST over a quarter century of experience in commercial
Information Technology and twenty years of experience in nonvisual
access technology. Chong is an internationally-recognized expert in the
field of access technology for the blind. In this capacity he has
written extensively, lectured and appeared at public forums and served
on a number of advisory bodies. Between October 1998 and April 1999, he
served as a member of the Electronic Information and Technology Access
Advisory Committee of the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board. He currently serves as a member of America Online's
Accessibility Advisory Committee and the National File Format Panel--a
group charged with developing a voluntary standard which textbook
publishers can follow to produce accessible material for students with
disabilities.
Gaeir Dietrich: Gaeir Dietrich is the alternate media training
specialist/instructor for the High Tech Center Training Unit of the
California Community Colleges, located at De Anza College in Cupertino.
She has developed extensive training curricula in the area of alternate
media. Gaeir is also a member of the AHEAD E-text Solutions Group and
trainer for the two-day AHEAD E-text Institute.
Paul Edwards: Director of ACCESS Services, North Campus, Miami Dade
College. ACCESS - short for A Comprehensive Center for Exceptional
Student Services - is a program housed at all MDC campuses, committed to
assuring that all college programs and activities are accessible to
disabled students. This department is responsible for providing support
services and specialized equipment to students with disabilities so they
may fully participate in the educational and social activities offered
by the college. Past President, American Council of the Blind. As
Bookshare.org's largest scanned book contributor, Paul and his family
have provided several thousand scanned books to Bookshare.org.
Chancey Fleet: Adaptive technology trainer, independent contractor: the
Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, Norfolk, VA; Isle of Wight
school system, Smithfield, VA; Equal Opportunity Employment Commission,
Richmond, VA; and others. 2004 to present: Recording secretary,
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia; 2004 to present: advisory
committee member as appointed by Governor Warner, Vocational
Rehabilitation Council for the Blind 2002 to 2004: 2nd Vice President of
the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia, 2001 to present:
President of the Virginia Association of Blind Students, 2002-2003:
secretary to the board of the Meridian (a student-run performing arts
venue in Williamsburg, Virginia), 1999-2002: crisis counseling
volunteer, Avalon Shelter for Women and Children, Williamsburg,
Virginia. Chancey was one of Bookshare.org's earliest volunteers
starting in 2001. She has a BA in sociology and psychology, College of
William and Mary.
Nina Ghiseslli: Nina Ghiselli, Psy.D., is a psychologist in private
practice in Hayward, California and the systemwide director of
disability services at Alliant International University in San
Francisco. She also teaches courses at U.C. Berkeley Extension, Alliant
International University, and Heald College. Dr. Ghiselli consults with
schools and agencies on how to make their programs more accessible for
people with disabilities. She is the Chair of Adult Issues for Learning
Disabilities Association (LDA) of California and and Vice President and
Chair of Adult issues for East Bay LDA, and is an adult with LD.
Donna McNear, Rum River Special Education Coop: Donna McNear, special
education teacher and Braille literacy advocate. McNear, a Minnesota
teacher who has certifications in vision impairment as well as
orientation and mobility, has since 1978 been a consultant and teacher
of students with vision impairments and an orientation and mobility
specialist at the Rum River Special Education Cooperative in Cambridge,
Minn. During the past two decades McNear has participated as a
researcher, project manager or consultant in numerous research projects
investigation functional assessments, curriculum development and Braille
literacy. She is the author or co-author of 17 published research
papers, book chapters and books, and she has worked as a consultant for
20 school districts, educational consortiums and government agencies.
Jeff Senge: Jeff Senge is the founder and coordinator of the Information
& Computer Access Program at CSU Fullerton. He was the co-project
director of the Braille Transcription Center Project and co-authored
"Preparing for College and Beyond, A Guide for Students with Visual
Impairments." During his nearly 20 years in the field of adaptive
technology and information access, he has authored numerous articles and
presented at many professional conferences. His work for the past ten
years has focused on improving information accessibility for persons
with disabilities in postsecondary education. Jeff has conducted
campus-wide as well as statewide research studies in this area. He has
provided assessment and consultant services for the U.S. Department of
Education, Office for Civil Rights as well as the California State
University and the California Community Colleges.
[--return to table of contents--]
_____
Bookshare.org will be at these Conferences in 2006-2006 will have the
Bookshare.org Team traveling around the United States throughout the
year. So far we plan to attend ATIA in Orlando, TRLD in San Francisco,
CTVEH in Anaheim, LDA in Jacksonville, IDA in New York City, CSUN in Los
Angeles, CEC in Salt Lake City, NFB in Dallas, ACB in Jacksonville, CTG
in St. Paul-Minneapolis. If you will be at any of these conferences,
please seek us out in the exhibit halls or attend our presentations. We
would be happy to meet you in person and share with you the latest on
Bookshare.org. [--return to table of contents--]
_____
About Bookshare.org, Books without Barriers-Bookshare.org is an online
community that enables individuals with print disabilities in the United
States as well as groups and institutions that serve the print-disabled
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%2
0the%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
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 (c) 2001-2005. 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:
- » [bksvol-discuss] [Bookshare.org Newsletter] December 2005 News Update FINAL DRAFT
