This may be something interesting for some you know and maybe a list you
could post it to. It isn't something you should just read and forget.
Please pass it on, it could benefit you too.
Karyl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alison Lingane" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 4:01 PM
Subject: Submit your Books Now!
Bookshare.org - Books without Barriers
e-Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 2
Submit your Books Now!
Welcome to the second Bookshare.org e-Newsletter. Since our last issue,
we have made significant progress towards our official launch,
including:
1. You can now submit books over the Internet.
2. The volunteer website is now available so you can help prepare books
for publication on Bookshare.org.
As we described in our inaugural issue, Bookshare.org is a new online
community that enables people in the United States with visual or other
print disabilities to legally share scanned books. Bookshare.org takes
advantage of a special exemption in the U.S. copyright law that permits
the reproduction of publications into specialized formats for the
disabled. Our website has more details: www.bookshare.org.
1. SUBMIT YOUR BOOK SCANS TODAY
If you have books you have already scanned, don't wait -- share them
with Bookshare.org now! The collection will grow as fast as our
community submits books. Whether you've got one book or a thousand in
your library, you can help build, and then enjoy the Bookshare.org
collection.
Simply email [log in to unmask] to find out how to get started
submitting books.
For your convenience, we have again included detailed information about
book scans below.
We also maintain a list of recent best-sellers that aren't already in
the collection. Send an email to [log in to unmask] to request
book suggestions from this list.
2. VOLUNTEER OVER THE INTERNET TO PREPARE BOOKS FOR PUBLICATION
The community of volunteers helping to build the collection is already
growing, and volunteers include those with and without visual or print
disabilities, computing professionals and Internet novices. Anyone with
an Internet connection and an interest in making books accessible can
get involved!
The volunteer website is now ready for use. Let's get these books
ready! Volunteers help build the collection by publishing books to the
Bookshare.org system, using a simple process that can be performed over
the Internet. Email [log in to unmask], and we can get you
started.
While we have rigorously tested the website, as an initial volunteer you
may still encounter some undetected bugs. Your involvement, feedback
and patience at this stage is invaluable. You can help attain the goals
of offering 20,000 books at launch and presenting a high-quality,
informative, easy-to-use website.
With your help, people in the United States with print disabilities will
have dramatically increased access to books.
-------------------------------------------
BOOKSHARE.ORG UPDATE
* As of today, 9,500 books have been submitted, and we need your help to
get all of them - and the additional books being submitted every day -
prepared for easy access.
* Many of these books came from people who have submitted their large
personal collections. If you have a large quantity of books, email us
at [log in to unmask] for information about how to submit them.
Share all that scanning effort with this community.
* The website work is about 90% done. By the end of this month we will
start beta testing the entire site functionality, a process that will
last about 6 weeks.
* Bookshare.org also maintains an interactive discussion mailing list.
The list, Bookshare.org-discuss, is the place to make suggestions for
the community, discuss feedback, or talk about topics involved in access
to print such as scanning and reading technology. You can subscribe to
the list by sending a blank email to [log in to unmask]
* On October 19th, Jim Fruchterman will be speaking about Bookshare.org
at the Closing the Gap conference in Minneapolis - currently scheduled
for 3:30 pm on Friday. If you are attending, we'd love to meet you!
* Bookshare.org has been named a finalist for the Tech Museum of
Innovation Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity. Bookshare.org is
one of five finalists for their Equality Award. You can read more about
it at:
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/techawards/press_resources.html.
* Be sure to tell your friends. The more people who know about
Bookshare.org and take an active role in supporting its development, the
more extensive the collection will be. Feel free to forward this email
to other people you know who could benefit from being a part of the
Bookshare.org community.
We continue look forward to your involvement in this online community,
and as always, welcome your ideas and suggestions.
Sincerely,
The Bookshare.org Team
[log in to unmask]
www.bookshare.org
-------------------------------------------
DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT BOOK SCANS
If you have digital copies of books that you have scanned in for your
own use, you can now submit them to Bookshare.org.
Here are some guidelines about what materials we can and cannot accept.
Below, you'll find a set of preferences we've put together for scanned
materials if you are scanning new books to submit to Bookshare.org.
Following these preferences will help ensure the highest quality books
that have useful markings such as page numbers and chapter indications.
Materials we are accepting:
- Complete scans of books.
- Digital books in almost any format.
- Books either copyrighted or in the public domain.
- Materials that do not violate any of the restrictions listed below.
Materials we cannot accept:
- Any copyrighted material that does not contain the original copyright
notice (including copyright owner(s) and date).
- Copyrighted dramatic works (such as plays).
- Exams, teachers' editions of textbooks or sample course materials.
- Partial book scans, such as individual chapters.
- Any materials that are proprietary, or were obtained in breach of any
contract, or illegally.
Preferences:
Scanner settings
1. Keep Exact View / Image File
- If your scanner allows you to do so, keep the image file of the
scanned pages along with the text translation. If you are using a
Kurzweil 1000 version 6 or Kurzweil 3000, the image file is saved with
the .kes file format. If you are using OPENBook or WYNN, the image
files will be included if you have "Keep Exact View" enabled.
Why do we ask for this? Over time, as the quality of Optical Character
Recognition technology improves, we hope to be able to go back to the
original image files that are submitted to provide an even higher
quality book.
However, the size of books scanned with exact view on is quite large,
and people with limited disk space or slow connections may find this
impractical. We want your book with or without the images!
- If your system does not allow you to keep the image file of the
scanned pages along with the text translation, please save the scan in
RTF.
Bookshare.org can accept digital books in many different formats. If
you've got digital books in other formats, you can definitely still
submit them to the collection, and we welcome your submissions!
2. Two page scanning
- If you choose to scan two pages of a book at a time, select "two page
scanning" so that the resulting file will differentiate between the two
pages.
3. Keep blank pages
- Do not discard blank pages if your scanning software has such a
setting. Having all of the pages, including the blank ones, will help
provide page numbers that correspond to those in the original book.
Scanning
1. Copyright notice
- Make sure to include the scan of the copyright notice. This is found
on the back side of the title page. Bookshare.org cannot legally add
books to its collection that do not contain the original copyright
owner(s) and date.
2. Entire book
- Scan the book cover, book jacket (if it has one), and all of the pages
before and after the content.
- Make sure to scan the book in its entirety; no single chapters will be
accepted.
3. Careful layout
- Make sure that the book is square on the scanner when you scan.
Saving the Scan
Following these guidelines will save the most amount of information
about the book, such as page numbers, chapters, emphasized text, etc.
1. Optical Character Recognition
- Run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on your scanned material
before submitting it. This will help increase the quality of the
submission.
2. File format
- If you are using a commercial OCR package, save the scan in the RTF
format.
- If you are using OpenBook, WYNN, or the Kurzweil 1000 version 6 or
Kurzweil 3000, save the scan in the default format for the program. For
example, for OpenBook the default results in a file with the extension
.ark. For the Kurzweil products, the default results in a file with the
extension .kes.
-------------------------------------------
ABOUT BOOKSHARE.ORG
Books without Barriers
Bookshare.org is a new online community that enables people in the
United States with visual or other print disabilities to legally share
scanned books. Bookshare.org will launch in late 2001.
Where do the digital books come from?
The Bookshare.org collection is built and shaped primarily by its
community of members and supporters. By scanning a book to submit to the
collection, a Bookshare.org member can provide all other members access
to that book.
Who can access the books?
Copyrighted digital books will be available only to U.S. citizens or
residents who have a disability that affects print reading. Both
individuals and organizational memberships will be available. Qualified
organizations are those that provide accessible material to individuals
with print disabilities.
Why is Bookshare.org legal?
In general, it would be illegal to share or distribute copyrighted
books. However, Bookshare.org takes advantage of a special exemption in
U.S. copyright law that permits the reproduction of publications into
specialized formats for the disabled. This project is possible under
the law in the United States, as long as the copyrighted digital books
are only available to people in the U.S. with bona fide disabilities and
the nonprofits and schools that serve them. For more information,
please visit our website at http://www.bookshare.org/about/legal.
Who is providing Bookshare.org?
Bookshare.org is a project of the Benetech Initiative, a nonprofit
organization. The Benetech team originally developed the Arkenstone
reading systems, and is now using the power of technology to introduce
new projects such as Bookshare.org - www.benetech.org.
Copyright © 2001 Benetech
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