[bksvol-discuss] Introducing Bookshare's VAT!
- From: "Pavi Mehta" <pavim@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2009 15:45:48 -0700
Dear Friends,
I am very happy to introduce all of you to Bookshare's VAT - our brand
new Volunteer Advisory Team, a dynamic group of thirteen people who have
stepped forward to help us continue to improve the volunteer experience
and process. The team is comprised of thirteen Bookshare volunteers and
members who collectively bring a wealth of scanning and proofing
expertise to the table.
VAT's role among other things will be to identify aspects of the
Bookshare volunteer program that can be strengthened, policies that need
to be defined, and guidelines that need more fleshing out, they will
also be active in helping create a more thorough and comprehensive
manual.
VAT members communicate via an email alias and will also be conducting
regular conference calls. Four Bookshare staff persons are included on
the alias, Carrie Karnos (Scanning & Proofreading Manager), John Glass &
Rob Turner of Bookshare Customer Support and Pavi Mehta (Volunteer
Coordinator). We are thrilled to have such a competent and enthusiastic
team in place and look forward to working together!
VAT's first chairperson is the wonderful Bob Wiley who many of you know
well from the Volunteer Discussion lists.
At the end of this email are included brief introductions from all
thirteen VAT members. It's amazing and inspiring to see the diversity
and wide-ranging skill-sets and experiences of the group. A resounding
welcome to each of them and much gratitude for the responsibilities they
have taken on together.
Warm regards,
Pavi
1. Until about ten years ago I was a computer programmer with a
variety of companies, from very small (my favorite) to very large
fortune 500 companies. About ten years ago I went to work for the state
agency for the blind as supervisor of their technology department. (Best
job I ever had). About four years ago I retired and now am a
stay-at-home grandpa. I've been a Bookshare reader for a couple of
years, and a volunteer for about a year-and-a-half. I love to read, and
to proof-read as well. Favorite genres, mystery, science fiction. I
love challenging proof-reads, but hate mundane repetitive work. Oh well,
not so brief, sorry. - Bob Wiley
2. I joined Bookshare in the fall of 2007. I decided the best way to
get the books I wanted into the collection was to volunteer. I started
as a proofer near the end of 2007 and began scanning in 2008. I mostly
scan now though I proof the occasional book. I love fantasy, urban
fantasy, romance, and some science fiction and mysteries. - Christina
Nixon
3. My name is Nancy, and I am a computer programmer. I have been a
member of Bookshare for the past five years or so. I proofread for
Bookshare, reading each book through cover to cover. I enjoy urban
fantasy, horror and mysteries. I would also like to see more books on
board and role-playing games enter the Bookshare collection, although I
realize that these books pose special challenges.- Nancy Feldman
4. I am Shelley and I am a Rehabilitation Teacher working for the
state of Pennsylvania. I am a scanner and submitter primarily and use
Kurzweil 1000 and a Braillenote QT to edit my submissions. I love
mystery, nonfiction and some fantasy. I have been volunteering for
Bookshare now almost 8 years and have over 1000 books submitted.
-Shelley Rhodes
5. My name is Chanelle, and I have been both a volunteer and a
member of Bookshare for not quite a year. Some of my favorite book
genres include historical fiction, biography, mystery, and romance. I
proofread and scan with a combination of Microsoft Word, Openbook, and a
BrailleNote. I am working on receiving a B.A. and later a masters in
Psychology.- Chanelle Hill
6. I'm in Wisconsin. Was working as the director of "Strategic
Information Systems Planning" (that's corporate buzz talk for "a
computer area") in a Fortune 250 company when I became disabled. Prior
to that worked at two Big Ten universities, mostly doing research. I've
been a member of Bookshare for 7 years and a volunteer for 18 months,
proofreading using Word. Hobbies - organic flower gardening, equine
color genetics and my blog; used to ride hunters and jumpers and
sidesaddle and we owned or leased Morgan horses for over 25 years. I
enjoy books on science, especially biology, zoology and genetics
research, military fiction and nonfiction, all kinds of young adult
books, military science fiction, some mysteries, as well as little bit
of this and that from all genres except erotica and horror. I also read
just about any book where horses are central to the plot, unless the
writing or plot is so dreadfully dumb that even I can't wade through it.
Judy s., B.S., M.S., SFO;
7. I work for the Hadley School for the Blind as the Bookshare
Liaison. My job is to recruit, train and support volunteers as they scan
and proofread books to be added to the collection. We use Capture
Perfect and ABBY FineReader. I am a genealogist by hobby and enjoy all
types of books. - Dianna Messina
8. I have been a volunteer with Bookshare since the end of 2003. I
use k1000 and Braille to validate. My specialty is history and my
particular specialty is knowing how to fix dates and scannos. My paid
work includes transcribing audio of meetings, seminars and webinars. I
also am studying to be a Certified Medical Transcriptionist. In my
former life I worked for big corporations for thirty years. Despite my
deep concern for personal privacy and the safety of people, particularly
blind folks who simply cannot see if they are being followed or their
house staked out, I am a friendly nice person who welcomes you if you
wish to write me. I have lived in big cities so am perhaps overly
cautious about personal safety issues from the vantage point of somebody
who has always lived in a small town. If I have offended anyone I am
sorry. My goal is getting a better manual for Bookshare. Hope you like
the brief biography. - Elizabeth
9. Retired dean of University School at Tyler Junior College, in
Texas government on agency boards under five governors and for
twenty-three years; 68 years of age; currently administering a
charitable fund which provides college full-ride scholarships for
relatives of blind persons resident in East Texas; have done news and
weather for the local newspaper and radio stations for forty-six years;
have had ten books published on Texas history and state government; I
scan using OpenBook, and enjoy reading scholarly history and mysteries.
I have been volunteering for the last three or four years with
Bookshare. - Robert K. Peters, Ph.D.
10. After 30 joyful years of teaching upper elementary grades, home
instruction grades 1-12 and summer school cooking, drama and zoology,
classes for gifted students for the Akron Public Schools, I had to
retire for health reasons. Volunteering for Bookshare brought challenge
and great satisfaction back into my life. Shortly after I started I
thought it would be a long shot for me to complete one book a month.
Now, I've proofed over 400 books and scanned about 25. I've read every
word of every one of those books. I partner with submitters who share my
enthusiasm and take pride in their scanning. In addition to my fondness
for fiction and nonfiction set in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and books
about Tolkien, I love general fiction, mysteries, classics, unexpected
books that pique my interest while browsing, holiday books and books for
children from pre-school through high school. I describe illustrations
when I can see them and enjoy writing synopses I hope will attract
readers. I'm interested in developing formatting for poetry which will
communicate the layout of poems to readers using Braille displays.
Proofreading keeps me so occupied I don't have time to read many books
from the collection, but when I do, my preferred medium is Braille.
Having such a reader driven variety of books to read from Bookshare
remains ever thrilling and I think the world of the volunteers and staff
I've gotten to know. Always with love, - Lissi Deren
11. Well, I live in a little town in central Pennsylvania. I became a
volunteer and a member of Bookshare in January 2006. I have no vision.
I've studied college level physics and math, but did not get my degree.
I scan with K1000 and I use a Pac Mate BX400 with a Braille display to
proofread. A large proportion of what I scan are children's books, but I
also do science fiction and fantasy. I do proofread, but the bulk of my
work for Bookshare is in the scanning department. I am a proficient
Optacon user. When I proofread, I always have a copy of the book, so
when I find a scannoe that isn't obvious--whether it's my own scan or
someone else's--I can check the book myself and make corrections without
having to ask for sighted assistance. In the fiction category, I like
science fiction, fantasy, espionage and some mystery. In nonfiction, I
like books about science, the future, politics, economics, sellf-help,
positive psychology and human potential, religion and
spirituality--especially Buddhist literature. - Evan Reese
12. I believe I must have been born with a love of reading. When I began
volunteering for Bookshare nearly three years ago, my goal was to do my
little bit toward filling a gap I felt sorely needed filling as a teen.
I always wanted to read current books for my age group, begged people,
in fact, to read to me, which some kindly did, a lot, because current
accessible books for teens were in short supply. Since having started
volunteering, I have scanned and/or proofread over 750 books, the
majority of which have been intended for that very age range. For me,
the Bookshare For Education grant was a huge reason to celebrate
joyfully, and with much woo-hooing! In the adult genres, I enjoy reading
mysteries, romances, and general fiction, but am pleasantly surprised
often to find books in other genres that I thoroughly enjoy as well.
Now that I am both a paid proofreader for Bookshare and still a VERY
active volunteer, I consider myself one of the most fortunate folks in
the world. I get to do work that is fun, fulfilling, and valuable to
folks who feel as thrilled by books as much as I do, or will, now that
more and more books of varying interest are becoming more and more
available. - Mayrie ReNae
13. I have been volunteering for Bookshare for several years now, both
scanning and proofing others' submissions. I love historical fiction,
fantasy, and mystery books in the realm of fiction, and for nonfiction,
I love books on natural health and medicine, alternative religions and
Africa and the Middle East. - Amber Wallenstein
Other related posts:
