[bksvol-discuss] Re: Bookshare's Purpose in Your Eyes
- From: "Donna Goodin" <goodindo@xxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 15:25:56 -0400
Hi Dave,
I'm going to try and keep this brief so as not to monopolize things.
My husband's view wasn't that blind people expect a "free ride, but
rather simply to question whether it is fair, to publishers or authors, or
even to the sighted reader, for us to get so much of our reading material
for free. I can personally say that between web-braille and Bookshare I
definitely have more books in my collection than I would have been able to
afford to purchase.
If you lost anything, books, time, effort, whatever, due to not backing up
your hard-disk, it's still your fault. And I say that with complete and
utter sympathy having had the experience myself.
I think I would say that I'm not hung up on technology--though technology
is clearly what occasions this debate--but rather on the issue of permanent
possession. To argue about the merits of paper versus electronic is similar
to arguing about paper versus sound-recording. they're different, and both
have pros and cons. However, there is a clear difference between buying a
book and borrowing one, and what we do does muddy that distinction.
Lastly, of course I value my time, and feel that when I submit a book I am
providing a service for which I am receiving fair compensation. But I don't
think that minimizes The other issues.
Take care,
Donna
----- Original Message -----
From: <talmage@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 2:42 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Bookshare's Purpose in Your Eyes
> Hi Donna,
>
> While I usually hate to do it this way, I think it would be easier for me,
> if not for the others following this thread, if I took these 1 at a time.
>
> At 12:24 PM 6/9/2004, you wrote:
> >Hi Dave,
> >
> > First, let me just say that my side in our argument has been strongly
> >proBookshare, or I wouldn't be here. I believe fervently in equal
access,
> >and I also believe that it's absurd for ten thousand blind people to all
> >have to sit and scan the same Harry potter novel, which is a big reason I
> >think that Bookshare is so important. That said:
>
>
>
> I understood that you were probably pro
> Bookshare, my comments were addressed to the sentiment by whoever made it,
> that by being a member of Bookshare blind people are expecting a free
ride.
>
>
> >1. If you lost books because of your own failure to back up your hard
disk,
> >well that's your fault. *smile* You technically *could* still have those
> >books.
>
> I didn't loose any books, as I said they are still on the shelf, what I
> lost was time and effort.
>
> >2. It is true that sighted people can use the public library, but as I
have
> >already pointed out, you only get the book for a week or so. That's very
> >different from getting to download something and keep it for the rest of
> >your life. So, according to your theory we should also only get to keep
> >Bookshare books for a couple of weeks.
>
> I must have missed the point you made about keeping the hard copy books
for
> just a couple of weeks, but regardless of how long one is able to keep
> print books with renewals and all, when a person goes to the library and
> walks out with a book, they have in their hands a tangible object. It is
> usually printed on paper, in ink, bound, etc. Aside from the intellectual
> properties involved, there is a production cost, distribution cost,
> maintenance cost, etc. When I download a book from Bookshare, all I
> actually have are a number of positive and negative charged points on my
> hard drive that is construed as intellectual property. If you are saying
> that I must wipe my hard drive clean of these ideas prior to someone else
> downloading the book, then I would submit that we will have to do like in
> Star Wars and do a memory wipe of every person who reads a book when they
> get done with it. Oh no, I shouldn't have remembered that name as it is
an
> intellectual property and copyrighted. Now, if you were talking about
> circulating books outside of the framework of Bookshare, I would have to
> agree with you.
> I guess I would also have to say, that I wouldn't really have a problem
> with deleting books from my hard drive after I read it, provided that
> someone like the President, the Speaker of the House, God, etc. could
> assure me that Bookshare will be with us for years to come.
>
> >3. I, too, purchase many of the books I scan. I have, however, and I
know
> >others have as well, scanned and submitted books we have borrowed from a
> >library. Yes, the library *did purchase the book, but not with the
intent
> >that thousands of people would be able to download copies of it for free.
>
> I think we are getting hung up on technology here. Leave out the word
> download and ask the question, When the library purchased the book, was it
> with the intent that thousands of people within their system would read
the
> book for free? If the answer is no, then I would submit it was probably a
> small library.
>
> >4. As to the cost of Bookshare, I scanned some books before joining, so
my
> >original cost was defrayed. By the time I renewed this past year, I had
> >enough submission credits to cover my subscription, and will probably
have
> >for next year as well. So, though I have payed for some of the books I
> >submitted, I have not had to pay directly for my Bookshare membership.
> I think this comes down to a question of do you value your time? If you
> have received compensation for your efforts, you are in fact paying for
> your membership with time and effort rather than money, and yes, did you
> claim it on your taxes?
>
>
> >5. Even if you choose to pay for you Bookshare membership, that money
goes
> >to Bookshare. Neither the author nor the publisher get any of it. That
> >starts to look pretty significant if someone is downloading 100 books a
> >month.
>
> There are a number of things in this one.
> It would be just as significant to the publishers if someone went to the
> library and signed out a hundred books a month, so I don't really see your
> point here.
> With Bookshare, just as with my local library, I don't know where the
money
> is allocated. I do know that there are a number of books produced
in-house
> at Bookshare, but I don't know the source of the books. I suspect you are
> right and they are probably donations, but the bottom line is that unless
> the publisher supplied the book directly, someone, somewhere bought that
book.
> By the way, where I lived in East Hampton prior to moving to Maine, the
> library was a free library receiving its operational budget from
donations,
> grants, etc., so members didn't have to pay a thing to take out those
> hundreds of books a month.
>
> Dave
>
> >getting out the hornet spray (smile)
> >Donna
>
>
>
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