[bksvol-discuss] Re: Volunteering for Bookshare
- From: Laura Ann <agape.wellness.massage@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:25:11 -0500
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for sharing this and more about you.
You sound like a really cool person.
I love cats too.
I started volunteering over 2 years ago and earned my membership and
new member set up fee.
Then Joined bookshare and love it.
I enjoy validating and now also take mostly only books I want to read
so I keep enjoying volunteering.
I scan and validate and love working to build the collection.
Laura Ann
At 12:48 PM 8/9/2008, you wrote:
Hi, Folks,
Recent discussions on this list have caused me to think a lot about
why I volunteer for Bookshare.
However, without considering these discussions, i.e., whether
volunteering will continue change or be the same in the future, I
want to share my own experience here for those who might be interested.
A year and a half ago, I purchased my husband Mike a membership to
Bookshare because he was becoming bored with books from
NLS. Although we have a friend who validates books for Bookshare,
that activity seemed very abstract to me, and I simply wanted to get
Mike a source of new books. He had been looking for a volunteer
activity in the community with little success, so he began
validating books and absolutely loved the activity.
Because of his enthusiasm, I purchased a bookshare membership to get
books to read, but primarily to validate books. And I enjoyed
validating almost as much as he did.
For us, bookshare is not so much a place to get reading
material--although I have read a fair number of books and have many
as yet unread on my computer and bookport and Mike has read very few
books, but rather a way to give back, a way to give to
others. Sure, we can still scan books just for us to read, but that
process now seems incomplete, because Bookshare has provided a way
for us to share those books with others who would not find them
through other sources. Also, validating books so that they can
become part of a larger collection and be available for others to
read is unexpressibly rewarding.
I used to knit items for three different charitable organizations,
but since developing arthritis in my thumbs I can no longer
contribute very much in that way. I also write poetry, but very few
benefit from my poems at this time. If we had not discovered the
joy of volunteering for Bookshare, Mike might still be looking for a
gratifying volunteer activity, which for a blind person can be as
difficult as finding a fulfilling job. And, I might be wondering
how to give back to the world.
Sure, without volunteering for bookshare, we would have time to read
more books, but that is only partially rewarding and fulfilling. We
might spend more time with friends, but many of them work days and
have most evenings filled with family, errands, etc. But without
the fulfillment of giving back to others through volunteering for
Bookshare, our lives would be less rich, less fulfilled, and less meaningful.
I speak only for myself although I am sure I am sharing a common
feeling. Thanks! Bookshare!
Cat Lover Lori
P.S. and I would have more time to play with and pamper our cat who
now sits in our den and watches us contribute to the world!
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