[bksvol-discuss] Re: Downloading fair-rated books

  • From: Robin Mandell <robinmandell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 08:32:33 -0400

I have actually corrected and resubmitted a few books that were rated good, or even excellent...in which there were scanning errors, and improperly inserted page breaks.

At 10:20 PM 13/05/2006, you wrote:

Hi, Jill. Most of the time, I don't download them, either, unless it's one I really want to read, but even then, I have to want to read it really badly and have no other option for getting the book. Sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised and it's really not that bad, but there have been a few times when books have slipped through the cracks and were rated better than they should have been. Those are the ones that really frustrate me. If something is rated fair and I choose to download it, anyway, at least I can be prepared for what I might have to deal with, but really, I can't blame any kind of automated tool for these books slipping through the cracks. Some of the ones I've read recently had half a line or more totally missing, but what was there was complete and did make sense, so no automated tool would have picked up on that. Take care.
Julie Morales
Life is a gift from God. What we do with it is our gift to Him.
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:jillocon@xxxxxxxxxx>Jill O'Connell
To: <mailto:bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 6:08 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Protecting page numbers and chapter headings


I can't help wondering how many of us even download books marked fair or even good; I know I don't.
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:donnafsmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>Donna Smith
To: <mailto:bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:32 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Protecting page numbers and chapter headings


Hi Evan and others following this thread.

I apologize for being the one to open this particular can of worms. Every time we've had this discussion on the list, it has brought up these same issues. There is no official requirement for this from BookShare. The goal is still to get as many books as possible in the collection following the absolute guidelines regarding copyright laws as amended, and the concern of quality is next in line with the understanding that it is possible to rate books as fair, good or excellent.

However, many of us who do the work have our own standards of quality for our submissions and so we've come up with tips for how to get the best quality possible. These standards, and they vary from volunteer to volunteer, are not required by anyone. It's just a self-imposed standard.

Personally, when I submit a book, I try to do as much clean-up as possible so that the validator has an easy job. Actually, I try to submit the book in a form I'd not mind reading. I knew from previous discussions on this list that the BS software has little quirks that we can accommodate by creating a particular format, though I had forgotten what that was specifically. I choose to follow this pattern of blank line, page number, blank line, text, or, false header, blank line, chapter heading, blank line text, because it will produce a better end result for all formats, but there is no requirement to do so. Volunteers can do as much as they are comfortable with doing both as submitters and validators, and the addition to the collection is appreciated by all.

Hope this helps to explain it all a bit. Keep on scanning and keep up the good work!

Peace and Hope,

Donna


----------
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Evan Reese
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 11:17 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Protecting page numbers and chapter headings


Ok, now I'm more confused than ever. If I strip the headings manually, then why does the stripper need something to strip. If I don't strip them, then I need to make them consistent so the stripper can strip them correctly? But if I do strip them, then I need to put a fake one at the beginning of each chapter so the chapter heading doesn't get stripped? Do I have this all correct? Wouldn't it be a lot simpler just to not strip anything? Aren't we supposed - ideally anyhow - to be replicating the original book, in which there is in fact a heading at the top of each page, except on those which begin a chapter. This makes a lot of extra work and complexity and a reduction of quality for those who can't keep straight all the persnickety demands of the Bookshare software, or who don't have the time to go through and fix everything just right so that other readers can have a decent reading experience. I would say, just drop the whole stripping thing and make life simpler for everyone and then we won't have these quality problems.

----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:GeraldHovas@xxxxxxxxxxx>Gerald Hovas
To: <mailto:bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 4:18 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Protecting page numbers and chapter headings

Donna,

Yes, put a blank line before and after the page number when the page number is in the header as well as a blank line at the bottom of the page. I'm not sure if the blank line is necessary between the page number and the text, but I can say that putting one after the header does work well. If you leave the blank lines at the top and bottom of the pages off, then some odd things will happen to the page numbers when the HTML file is created. The page numbers end up as part of a paragraph instead of on a separate line.

Example of how the page should look...

[Page Break]

95

.
.
.
text
.
.
.

[Page Break]

Yes, put a blank line between the chapter heading and the first line of text. Again, I don't know that this is necessary, but it does work well, and some people have said that it is necessary.

3. Yes, you need to give the Stripper something to strip other than the chapter heading or the chapter heading will be stripped. The easiest thing to do when page numbers are normally at the top of pages except on pages where a chapter begins is to move the page number from the bottom of the page to the top. If page numbers are always at the bottom of the page, then place a false header above the chapter heading. Using the title works well, and it won't look as odd if the Stripper fails to strip it for some odd reason. It helps to strip all of the real headers manually since its easier to strip them yourself than to insure that they are consistent so that the Stripper will remove them all, but if you do leave them in, then just follow the pattern of the headers and put whatever header would normally appear on the top of that page above the chapter heading.

Examples of how pages should look...

[Page Break]

95

Chapter Seven

.
.
.
text
.
.
.

[Page Break]

[Page Break]

The Firm

Chapter Seven

.
.
.
text
.
.
.

95

[Page Break]

Or if the page would normally contain the author's name instead of the title...

[Page Break]

John Grisham

Chapter Seven

.
.
.
text
.
.
.

[Page Break]

I can't say that these are the only ways to do it, but I've had excellent results with these approaches.

HTH

Gerald


----------
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Donna Smith
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 5:41 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Protecting page numbers and chapter headings


Hi all.

I hesitate to ask this question, but I can't find the answer on any of the official or unofficial sites giving tips to scanners.

Did we ever determine absolutely what should be done to protect page numbers and chapter headings? What I want to know is:

At the top of each page, do I need to put a blank line before and/or after the page number?
For chapter numbers/titles that appear at the top of the page, do I put a blank line before and/or after it?
Is it necessary to have something at the top of the page for the BookShare stripper to strip?


I spend a good bit of time cleaning up each scan regarding page numbers, chapter headings and stripping out unwanted headers. I'm trying to do it in such a way that it will result in the best book in the finished product.

I really, really hope that an answer has been found to this question and that I'm not opening up the can of worms we've had before about the different perceptions of what might work. <smile>

Thanks.

Peace and Hope,

Donna


---------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.6/338 - Release Date: 5/12/2006

To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-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.

Other related posts: