[bksvol-discuss] bookshare concerns

  • From: "E." <thoth93@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 03:46:55 -0400

There are a series of often long-standing issues which only bookshare staff can address. The fact that many of these themes have remained unsolved or poorly solved for a long time adds to some people's frustration. Some of these themes have direct affect on subscriptions, renewals, and the effectiveness of volunteers.

Themes include:

Difficulty of the submit page. This has been reported to me in person several times and I can tell what they mean. The page is not verbal with screen readers, delays while uploading leaving one not knowing where one is, particularly if a novice screen reader user or if not used to the quirky bookshare interface.

Many folks have told me they have a lot of books on hard disk which they have had difficulty uploading. "Why pay for a membership when I should be able to get credits for my fifty books?" is what I heard.
You may find the submit form easy but if others do not, I suggest someone may want to work on the form. Also perhaps a way of someone sending in batches of scanned books might be provided. Perhaps cds could be send to bookshare if they contained many many books.


The volunteers need more accurate lists of what is being validated, what is being scanned, what is on the wish list and what is in the admin cue. I personally have books I have worked hours and hours on which are in the admin cue and have been there for months. Staff needs to know that no volunteer is validating for the fifty cents a book. Having a book on the admin cue for months is simply depressing enraging (fill in the blank).

Quality of submission has improved since I joined bookshare. Thank goodness as there is going to be trouble when someone's first download as a new member is a book riddled with1 instead of I, die instead of the, and cornmand, cornputer and so on.

I do not see a link for one person to five a gift of a bookshare membership to another. Surely if bookshare wants members such a link might be a good idea.

I hope things improve.

E.

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