[bksvol-discuss] Re: Creating a Process for Creating Guidelines
- From: "Pavi Mehta" <pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:06:38 -0700
That's great to hear Christina! It's definitely possible to have you be
on the team. Judy S. has also volunteered to be a part of it. As more
feedback comes in we will keep everyone posted.
All good things,
Pavi
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christina
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 2:03 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Creating a Process for Creating Guidelines
Hi, Pavi.
This guideline shapers group is a wonderful idea.
I'd like to be included on this team if that's possible.
Christina
----- Original Message -----
From: Pavi Mehta <mailto:pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: carrie.k@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 4:26 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Creating a Process for Creating
Guidelines
Hi All,
As you know the recent guidelines that went out on Page
Numbering have generated some understandable concern and confusion among
the volunteers. Some of you have written in to staff with detailed
emails articulating those areas of concern and where the guidelines
appear more inconvenient than helpful. Others have expressed their
opinions on the list. Carrie and I have had several discussions recently
on how best to address these concerns and modify the guidelines so that
they serve as a tool and not a hindrance. As hands-on volunteers all of
your input is valuable and we want the guidelines to reflect the best
practices and collective wisdom of the volunteer community.
Regarding page numbers Carrie will send out a note shortly to
clarify some of the areas of confusion and concern and explain how the
guidelines for this will be implemented. Bottom line is that we do
understand the wide variety of challenges volunteers face with including
page numbers in books, and we're glad to have had your feedback. We
intend hereon for this guideline to be implemented with a large degree
of flexibility - and will be rewriting the guidelines to clearly reflect
the difference between page number requirements for educational books
and other submissions.
Moving forward though, for us one of the overarching questions
that the Page Number issue brings up is:
What is the most efficient and effective way for Bookshare to do
the following:
1. Identify volunteer areas that need guidelines
2. Draft guidelines and have them reviewed by a small pool
of volunteers(in a sort of beta phase)
3. Finalize and share these guidelines among the greater
volunteer community
Ideally, Carrie and I feel that volunteers should have a leading
and more transparent role to play in steps 1 and 2 above.
Here is a suggested approach, that it would be great to get your
input on:
1. Form a self-selected team of "Bookshare Guideline
Shapers" (we can think of a better name down the line- smile). The
Guideline Shapers are Bookshare volunteers who step forward to help
identify, draft and sound out missing guidelines. Even if something is
brought to staff attention regarding a missing guideline, we would turn
it over initially to this group with our suggestions if any.
2. The Guideline Shapers would decide on areas that need
guidelines, work on an initial draft of these guidelines and then send
them over to Carrie/me for review from the Bookshare staff perspective.
The Guideline Shapers would go over any edits from us and come up with a
revised guideline. They would then solicit feedback on the guideline
from the volunteer list before making any final tweaks to it.
3. Once the guideline has been finalized, I will
incorporate it in the Volunteer Manual, and ensure that it is announced
on the volunteer blog as well as on the volunteer discussion list. (We
will create a separate section of the manual for Updates to the Manual
so that it is easy for people to keep up with the changes).
Participation from the volunteer community while shaping policy,
we feel is key and we think this approach could be a really invigorating
way of facilitating the creation of useful guidelines from the
inside-out. Of course we would be more than glad to help with the
logistics of setting up a group alias and other etcs for Guideline
Shapers, and to provide assistance wherever we can. We would love your
feedback on this approach as well as to know if any of you are
interested in being part of such a team.
Warm regards,
Pavi & Carrie
Pavi Mehta
Volunteer Coordinator, Bookshare
Benetech
480 S. California Ave., Suite 201
Palo Alto, CA 94306-1609 USA
Phone: +1 650 644-3459
pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx
www.benetech.org
The Benetech Initiative - Technology Serving Humanity
A Nonprofit Organization
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