[bksvol-discuss] Re: oh dear, I am more confused

  • From: Mayrie ReNae <mrenae@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:59:24 -0700

Hi Devorah,
You understood correctly to begin with. All tabs and extra spaces are removed by the bookshare tools. So, if you type five spaces, they'll be removed. You are correct that the hard return is the paragraph symbol.
Here is the deal, according to what I understood from one of Jake's posts a little while back. The braille files use standard braille paragraphing, which is an indentation of two spaces. You need not worry about that, that's just information. The Bookshare tools put those into the braille files with no help from any of us except for the hard returns at the end of each paragraph. And the daisy files, which are the other format used by Bookshare's patrons can have paragraphs identified by either a blank line between them, or an indentation. This option is chosen by each patron after downloading the book, and is selected within whatever daisy reader he/she uses. The html files have a blank line between paragraphs.
So, all that remains in the daisy file of what you as a validator put in are those hard returns which are paragraph symbols. Any tabs or spaces that you put in will disappear. So, whatever works for you and makes the book easiest to work with is fine.
Have I managed to confuse you more than you already were? If so, I'm sorry, and ask again. I am capable of being eloquent when I try on a good day when my brain doesn't feel like jell-O. 

Congratulations for escaping the snow!

Peace,
Mayrie

At 06:31 PM 4/1/2008, you wrote:
So, let me see if I understand. Prefaces and introductions are not core content. Tabs disappear. What happens if I type "space, space, space, space, space" instead of hitting tab. Does that make any difference to a screen reader? To a Braille file? Also, I thought that a hard return was how I separate paragraphs, unless the scanned book comes to me with an extra blank line between paragraphs, which I leave alone.
I think what would help me, as a sighted volunteer, would be to type a sort of sampler of different techniques, not copyrighted material, but a text with tabs, spaces, extra lines, no extra lines, etc etc., submit the sampler for approval, and then get it back from Bookshare to see what it looks like, what is lost (unlike G. Cindy, I do want to know what is left and what is removed) and what is retained.
Would that be possible? I find myself more confused today. I thought I had things sort of figured out. 

Thanks,
Devorah (in Orlando for a week, having escaped yesterday's eight inches of snow in Minneapolis) 

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