This information is excerpted from the most recent TechConnections
newsletter, December 2001. TechConnections is funded by a grant from the
U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). See: http://www.techconnections.org. (I
happen to be on their Advisory Board, but anyone can get on their online
newsletter.)

Carol Boyer
RESNA Technical Assistance Project
Arlington, VA
[log in to unmask]


ACCESS RESOURCES: www.Bookshare.org

One of our first Tech Connections newsletters notified our readers about the
Texas Text Exchange (http://tte.tamu.edu/), a consortium of colleges that
are sharing electronic copies of textbooks so that the effort of scanning
them does not need to be duplicated.

A similar program, Bookshare.org, is now being created for the general
public, and it will allow digital book users to share textbooks as well as
general fiction and non-fiction.  Both students and non-students can
participate; the main requirement is that the person must have certification
of a print-related
disability.  The project takes advantage of an exception in the U.S. federal
copyright law that permits the reproduction of books for U.S. citizens and
residents who need "specialized formats exclusively for use by blind or
other persons with disabilities."  These formats will include the NISO/DAISY
digital talking book standard and the BRF Grade II digital Braille format.

Bookshare.org will not be ready to begin sharing books until February 2002,
but they are already beginning to collect materials.  They are asking people
who have already scanned materials to submit a copy for their collection.
Once the project is launched, there will be a cost for subscription or
per-book download in order to cover the project's operating expenses.
Bookshare.org was created and is maintained by Benetech, a nonprofit
organization and successor to Arkenstone.