A wonderfully informative and well-written article, Anastasia. Cindy --- Anastasia Saridakis <anamatia81@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Here is my artical. I wrote this in hopes that more > people would join or at least take a lookat the > site. Enjoy > > > BOOKSHARE: A LIBRARY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS > > by Anastasia Saridakis > > (Editor's Note: To check this library > out for yourself, > visit > www.bookshare.org.) > > Imagine hearing a sighted friend comment > on a wonderful > book > he/she read. Imagine being able to gain access to > that book the same > day > from the comfort of your own home. A decade ago that > would have been > impossible for people in the blind community, but > not any more. > > On Feb. 21, 2002, one web site decided > to make that dream a > reality. Benetech is sponsoring Bookshare.org, a > web site where a > member > with a print disability can download an > > entire book in seconds. Bookshare currently has more > than 4,000 members > and > more than 29,000 books in 33 different categories. > As a result of a > partnership with the National Federation of the > Blind, this diverse > library > contains newspapers and magazines from all over the > United States. In > addition to its material in English, Bookshare.org > contains material in > other languages, including more than 1,000 books in > Spanish. More > books are > approved every day. > > The Bookshare database reflects the > interests of its > members and > volunteers. > > Bookshare has a section of books recommended by > teachers for students, > so > when a student needs a book for school, he/she can > find it more > quickly. > Bookshare.org currently highlights New York best > sellers on its home > page. > The site contains the entire Harry Potter series, > including the Spanish > translations. The latest book in the series, "Harry > Potter and the > Halfâ??Blood Prince," was available on Bookshare the > same day as it was > available in print to the public. > > A book goes through a threeâ??step > process before it can be > on the > site. First, a person > > scans, edits, and submits a book. This can take > anywhere from an hour > to > several weeks, depending on many factors. Some of > these factors include > access to a computer, access to the book, the > quality of the scan, and > of > course, time. Then, a validator picks the book up > from the site, > proofreads > it and recommends it for approval. Finally, the book > is approved by a > Bookshare.org staff member who makes a final > decision about the book. > > In general, it is illegal to scan and > share copies of > books. > However, there is an exception in the United States > Copyright Law. It > states > in part "... it is not an infringement of copyright > for an authorized > entity > to reproduce or to distribute copies ... of a > previously published, > nonâ??dramatic literary work if such copies ... are > reproduced or > distributed > in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind > or other persons > with > disabilities." > > Bookshare volunteers can submit books in > one of five > formats > including Arkenstone, > > Kurzweil, Microsoft Word documents, Wynn and rich > text format. > Arkenstone > is a format that is only accessible to a user who > has Open Book. > Likewise, > Kurzweil is a file format that can only be accessed > with that software > program. Bookshare is encouraging all its > volunteers to submit their > books > in rich text format, which is accessible to more > members than any other > format. Once the book is downloaded, the talking > software on the > individual's computer helps make the print audible. > If the user does > not > have such a program, he/she can download Humanware's > Victor Reader > software > from Bookshare. > > A member or visitor can search the > entire database by using > the > search function. A search can be done by title, > subject or author. One > can > also search within a category. For example, if > someone were searching > for a > book on Helen Keller, he/she could do a general > search or search the > disabilities category, which would cut down on time. > Once the book is > found, > a page is displayed with the title, author, ISBN, > copyright name and > year, > length, quality (excellent, good, or fair), and two > synopses. One > synopsis > is 250 characters or less. The other is 500 words or > less. This helps > the > user know if he/she has the right book before > downloading it. Once the > user > > is sure he/she has the right book, he/she can > download it from the web > site. > > Bookshare.org is different from other > organizations that > offer > reading material for the blind in many ways. First, > it costs money. It > costs $75 the first year and $50 each additional > year for the service. > A > volunteer can work off this cost by submitting or > editing books. Each > submitted book is worth $2.50 credit toward > membership. If one wants > credit > toward a subscription but does not have access to a > scanner, he/she can > validate a book for a 50-cent credit. Validators are > essential for > Bookshare > to run. These dedicated readers take books that were > submitted, > proofread > them, and categorize them so they appear on > Bookshare in the > > right place. > > A person can become a member by filling > out a short online > form > and submitting a proof of disability to the site > either proving that > they > are a member of the National Library Service (NLS) > or getting a > printable > form filled out and signed by his/her eye doctor. > Bookshare has a > small > staff and relies on its active volunteer community > to grow the > collection. > If a member can get a volunteer to scan the book, > Bookshare will have > it on > the site for the whole community. Bookshare has a > wish list for this > type of > situation. Members need to keep in mind that there > is no guarantee a > book > they ask for will be scanned, however. > > Bookshare also offers another unique > feature for braille > users. > Any book in excellent or good quality can be bought > in braille from the > Braille Institute of America thanks to a partnership > between the two > organizations. Books can be purchased for 8 cents > per braille page for > unformatted and 36 cents for formatted braille. > Membership is not > necessary > for purchase of braille books. > > I enjoy scanning books people request > for two reasons. > First, I > know the book I submit will be read by a member who > either wants it or > needs > it. Some people who use Bookshare have the equipment > to scan books, but > don't have the time. I feel fortunate that I have > the time and the > resources to submit books for others. I scan > children's books often > because > they are fun to read, and parents, teachers and > children can benefit > from > them. I also describe pictures in every children's > book so the reader > won't > miss out on any visual information in the print > copy. > > I learn a lot by scanning books on > different topics, too. A > friend asked me to scan a book for her on Buddhism. > If she didn't ask, > that > would not have been a book I would have scanned. I > learned a lot about > the > religion and I thanked my friend as much as she > thanked me. > > Bookshare.org is a wonderfully diverse > library that has > affected > the lives of its members in many ways. The size and > scope of this > library > reflects the needs and interests of its members and > volunteers. The > site > allows members to gain access to information in a > quick and easy way > that > was unheard of 10 years ago. Bookshare.org has a > growing collection of > diverse reading material with no end in sight. > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email > and get things done faster. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com 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.