[Nfbaz-talk] Fw: The Bookshare Bulletin

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Wed Oct 7 03:15:48 UTC 2009


I've had no trouble.

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dr. Scott Wendell Bray" <sbray at nisj.org>
To: "NFB of Arizona Discussion List" <nfbaz-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 8:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbaz-talk] Fw: The Bookshare Bulletin


A question: How many Bookshare users out there have had difficult time
downloading the books since the zippered program was initiated in 
January?
Please let me know. I think thousands of blind people are using 
Bookshare a
lot less but the organization refuses to give me any information on use
since the zippered books came into existence.

Thanks.

Scott
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison (NFBA)" <nfbarizona at gmail.com>
To: "AABS List" <arizona-students at nfbnet.org>; "NFB of Arizona 
Discussion
List" <nfbaz-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 5:37 PM
Subject: [Nfbaz-talk] Fw: The Bookshare Bulletin


> FYI,
> Allison
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Bookshare" <Bookshare at mail.vresp.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 5:15 PM
>> Subject: The Bookshare Bulletin
>>
>>
>> The Bookshare Bulletin
>>
>> Issue 4 :: Fall 2009
>>
>> The activity at Bookshare this Fall is non-stop. We're
>> busier than ever with new books, features and software.
>> We're excited to announce additional publishers and universities
>> as well as conferences and webinars. Membership
>> is now over 60,000 and we have 57,000 books in
>> our collection.
>>
>> Connect with Bookshare
>>
>> Come friend us on Facebook
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/7aaeb6cf22]
>> ,
>> or follow us on both standard Twitter
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/4052c4e813]
>> and Accessible Twitter
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/39238cdc1a/uid=bookshare].
>> Also, look for our new Bookshare Blog, launching soon.
>>
>> In This Issue
>>
>> A Fall Update [#story1]
>> Bookshare Volunteers [#story2]
>> Professional Development Workshops [#story3]
>> University Partnerships Growing [#story4]
>> International Program Expands [#story5]
>> Readers Voice Contest Extended [#story6]
>> Upcoming Events [#story7]
>>
>> Unsubscribe
>>
>> The Bookshare Bulletin was sent to you because
>> you wished to receive information about Bookshare or you subscribed 
>> at
>> our web site
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/f06bd6c99a.
>>
>>
>> If you no longer want to receive The Bookshare
>> Bulletin, please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this
>> page.
>>
>>
>>
>> A Fall Update:
>> New Software for Bookshare
>>
>> By Betsy Burgess
>>
>> Can the Bookshare you already know and love get any better? The short
>> answer is yes. We've added some exciting new capabilities in the
>> last few months and have more planned. There's something for 
>> everyone.
>>
>>
>> Textbook Search Improved
>>
>> Are you a K-12 educator looking for NIMAC (National Instructional
>> Materials
>> Access Center) textbooks? You probably remember how hard it was to
>> just
>> figure out how to find out which textbooks were available.
>>
>> Now, it's much easier; you just go to Bookshare. Any Bookshare
>> member authorized to download NIMAC books can now
>> use our new "one-step" search that allows you to simultaneously 
>> search
>> through Bookshare and the NIMAC. If the book is in the NIMAC,
>> you'll get a "Request Book" button or guidance on how to get the book
>> -- depending on which state you're from. One-step search should get
>> textbooks to students much more quickly: in under a week in some 
>> cases
>> or no more than two weeks.
>>
>> Digital Images
>>
>> Many Bookshare Members told us that digital images topped their wish
>> lists. Well, wish no longer. Digital images are here. All NIMAC
>> textbooks are available for download as a DAISY (Digital Accessible
>> Information System) file with -- or without -- images: your choice.
>> We'll also start including image descriptions in other books.
>>
>> Don Johnston's Read:OutLoud and Dolphin Easy Reader text to speech
>> software already display the images but do not include
>> descriptions. If you want to know how the assistive
>> technology you use will support images, please contact
>> your vendor. Have faith -- assistive technology is
>> increasingly incorporating digital images.
>>
>> More Powerful Search
>>
>> Have you ever wished you could search Bookshare for all references
>> to a certain topic? Maybe you've been baffled about the source
>> of a famous quotation. This fall, Bookshare is launching full-text
>> search.
>>
>> When students need to conduct research for a school report, they can
>> now search all books in our collection simultaneously.
>>
>> A search for "William Shakespeare," for instance, will
>> return all books with William Shakespeare in the
>> title or in the text of the book -- as well as Shakespeare's
>> works. Watch for the Bookshare Blog to learn how to use full text
>> search
>> and for more information. Note that you still will be able to search
>> by author, title, or ISBN.
>>
>> Software for Bookshare
>>
>> Don Johnston has introduced a Macintosh version
>> of its Read: OutLoud Bookshare edition software.
>> The program is specifically designed for people
>> with learning disabilities.
>>
>> Humanware has upgraded VictorReader Soft Bookshare edition to version
>> 2.6. We're encouraging everyone who uses this software to download
>> the latest version.
>>
>> For more information on software tools, go to
>> www.bookshare.org/readingTools
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/bf62cb45fb]
>>
>>
>> - Back to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> Bookshare Volunteers
>>
>> By Pavi Mehta
>>
>> If you thought volunteering at Bookshare only meant scanning and
>> proofing
>> books, you haven't met our summer volunteers. Of course, our
>> crew of nearly 30 in-person volunteers did some scanning
>> and proofing, joining the ranks of some 1,700 virtual
>> volunteers. But this summer, those visiting our cozy
>> Palo Alto, California offices, also helped us market,
>> develop our business and engineer our services. You
>> name it -- they did it.
>>
>> Volunteers have now scanned and proofed more than 23,500 books.
>>
>> Here are three snapshot profiles of individuals who lent us their
>> time and skills over the summer.
>>
>> Satej Soman
>>
>> Satej Soman will be a high school senior this fall.  His previous
>> experience proofreading scanned books for the National Institute for
>> the Blind in Mumbai, India, led him to Bookshare. He pretty much hit
>> the ground running, assisting us with processing books submitted by
>> our outsourcers and helping with inventory checks.
>>
>> When Satej is not volunteering, he is listening to music, biking or
>> reading. He plans to volunteer with us again next summer.
>>
>> Vonn Xavier
>>
>> Vonn Xavier, a Stanford University communications
>> student, spent her summer helping us process vendor
>> submissions and working on a draft of a manual for
>> vendors assisting with Bookshare's collection development.
>> When Vonn is not volunteering with Bookshare she's finishing
>> up her senior year at Stanford. Her impetus for volunteering? "I
>> believe in Benetech's mission to serve humanity with technology," she
>> says. "And, I love books."
>>
>> Kartik Gopal
>>
>> Kartik Gopal just graduated with a master's degree
>> in management from Stanford and is currently involved
>> in a start-up venture of his own that seeks to put
>> technology to meaningful use for people with visual
>> disabilities. Kartik is working with Bookshare on a launch plan for
>> Route 66 -- an exciting Internet-based initiative that will provide
>> reading and writing instruction to adolescent and adult beginning
>> readers
>> with developmental delays. With his 13 years of semiconductor
>> engineering
>> and management experience across India, Germany, Singapore - as well
>> as his skills as an amateur bike racer, a marathoner and a 
>> mountaineer
>> -- Kartik brings a unique blend of skills with him.
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> Professional Development Workshops
>>
>> By Terri Icasiano
>>
>> Educators: you told us in our recent survey that you want 
>> professional
>> development to help you understand how to use Bookshare and assistive
>> technology. When asked about your plans for spending stimulus funds,
>> you told us that you want to know how to improve education for
>> students
>> with print disabilities. You also told us you'd be interested
>> in professional development from a non-profit such as Bookshare.
>>
>> In response, we are developing professional workshops that qualify
>> to be funded under the stimulus bill, the American
>> Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Here is information
>> about our first two workshops.
>>
>> Aligning Assistive Reading Tools to Student Needs
>>
>> This course is designed to review a broad range of assistive
>> technology
>> software and devices available for students with print disabilities.
>> The goal is to identify the appropriate technology to meet the unique
>> needs of each student.
>>
>> Through an interactive curriculum, course participants will learn how
>> to use
>> software and devices from a variety of vendors. They will then be 
>> able
>> to use
>> their knowledge to make educated decisions about matching the right
>> devices
>> and software to individual students. In addition, every participant
>> will leave with action plans they can take back to the classroom to
>> ensure
>> lasting results after the workshop is over.
>>
>> Bookshare in Depth
>>
>> In this workshop, participants will learn how to use Bookshare with
>> their students.
>>
>> This course is designed to cover all levels of use. Through labs and
>> exercises, participants will learn how to create and manage class
>> rosters
>> as well as how to search, request, and download books. In addition,
>> every participant will leave with lesson plans they can take back to
>> the classroom to ensure lasting results after the workshop is over.
>>
>> Bookshare's support extends beyond the workshop. We include online
>> follow-up coaching after each course. Coaching will focus on each
>> participant's
>> progress and his or her implementation of action plans.
>>
>> Watch  www.bookshare.org
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/276a9fa3b1]
>> for more information. Remember these workshops
>> qualify for ARRA funds.
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> University Partnerships Growing
>>
>> By Cherie Miller
>>
>> When a student at Michigan State University needs a book transformed
>> from pulp into a flexible electronic format, the
>> staff at the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities jumps into
>> action.
>>
>> Tom Hwang
>>
>> They search the Internet -- including Bookshare -- to see
>> if the book already exists or if they need to process it themselves,
>> says Tom Hwang, specialist with the Resource Center.
>>
>> Normally turning a book into an accessible electronic form involves
>> cutting the spine off a book, scanning it and then
>> making sure that the scan is correct. That's something
>> that can only be done by humans. The process can
>> take an hour for a super clean, very simple book.
>>
>> Complex books, on the other hand, take much longer. A scientific
>> textbook
>> can take up to 200 hours to produce with descriptions of all of the
>> tables, charts and graphs.
>>
>> So it's a big time saver when Bookshare already has a book in
>> its collection.
>>
>> Bookshare is "a treasure," Hwang says. "I feel it's
>> quite a blessing for students to have the Bookshare
>> resources available."
>>
>> Until recently, the process of sharing went one way. University
>> students
>> with qualifying disabilities have always had access
>> to Bookshare's 57,000-plus book collection. Now,
>> books are flowing two ways, thanks to Bookshare's growing university
>> partnership program.
>>
>> When a university partners with Bookshare, it shares its accessible
>> materials with Bookshare, as appropriate under the terms of U.S.
>> copyright law. The partnership helps other universities. If one
>> university scans and contributes a book, other universities don't 
>> have
>> to duplicate
>> the effort. However, the real beneficiaries of the university
>> partnerships
>> are the students who have access to a much larger collection of books
>> that they can use in their classes.
>>
>> Currently, Bookshare has 14 university partners with more 
>> universities
>>
>> expressing interest in the program all the time. These partners are
>> Alliant University, Indiana University, Arizona State University,
>> Hadley
>> School for the Blind, De Anza Community College, Michigan State
>> University,
>> George Mason University, Landmark College, Monterey Peninsula
>> Community
>> College, Texas A&M, University of California, Berkeley , University
>> of Idaho, the University of Montana and Ohio State University, which
>> boasts the largest population of students with disabilities.
>>
>> Sarah Terry, auxiliary services administrator for the Office for
>> Disability
>> Services at Ohio State University, says Bookshare and programs like
>> it represent the future.
>>
>> "I have no reason to believe that Bookshare will not become
>> an extremely viable component to students having
>> accessible materials, whether they are textbooks
>> or supplemental course materials in the future," Terry says. "They
>> won't be the only player in the field but they'll
>> probably be one of the biggest ones supporting students."
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> International Program Expands
>>
>> By Viji Dilip
>>
>> Before Bookshare came to India, Balasubramanian Kannan would
>> painstakingly
>> chop and scan his own books -- 20 pages at a time.
>>
>> Balasubramanian Kannan
>>
>> "It took 15 to 20 days to complete a book," says Kannan,
>> a stenographer from Chennai, India.
>>
>> In October 2008, not quite a year ago, Bookshare came to India and
>> now Kannan. Who is blind, can often find the books
>> he is seeking already transformed in to an accessible formats. He is
>> full of gratitude -- especially because Bookshare is giving him 
>> access
>> to computer programming books, which he needs to make a career 
>> change.
>>
>>
>> "We appreciate your efforts to bring popular books," says
>> Kannan. He adds a humble request: He wants "more and more books
>> in the Indian section."
>>
>> In fact, this is exactly what Bookshare is trying to do. Not only
>> is Bookshare now in India, but it is making inroads
>> to other countries as well, including Kenya and Nigeria.
>> Unfortunately, bringing books to countries outside
>> of the United States can sometimes be a complicated
>> process.
>>
>> In the United States, an exemption in the copyright law allows
>> authorized
>> entities to reproduce or distribute electronic copies of published
>> books for use by people with qualifying disabilities such as
>> blindness.
>> There is no such law in India. In fact, in India, you cannot just 
>> take
>> a book, chop it and scan it and put it online. Instead, you have to
>> talk to every single publisher and author to get permission. The
>> process
>> is slow, but working.
>>
>> Bookshare is growing every day. We now work with many big publishing
>> houses and an equal number of small publishers. About 70% of our
>> current
>> Members in India are visually impaired and the remainder have 
>> physical
>>
>> and learning disabilities.
>>
>> In addition, Bookshare recently partnered with the DAISY Forum of
>> India to reach out to even more Members. Anyone who has a membership
>> in Bookshare's India program also automatically becomes a member
>> of The DAISY Forum of India. Member organizations of the DAISY Forum
>> of India produce and maintain libraries of digital talking books,
>> Braille
>> books or ebooks. Bookshare Members will automatically have access to
>> their collection.
>>
>> We've had some major wins. Recently, one of the biggest publishers
>> of Indian literature, Sahitya Akademy, gave us permission to 
>> reproduce
>>
>> all of their books. In addition, we have books from Oxford University
>> Press, Orient Blackswan, Seasons Publishing, Westland Publishing,
>> Sheth
>> Publications, Zubaan books, Leadstart Publishing, Book Box and
>> Pratham.
>> We have more than 300 books published in India that have been added
>> to our global collections.
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> Readers Voice Contest Extended
>>
>> By Mario Oliveros
>>
>> Calling all Kindergarten through grade 12 readers! The Bookshare
>> Reader's
>> Voice Contest has been extended. You now have until
>> Halloween, Saturday, October 31, to enter.
>>
>> Don't be afraid. This is not a Halloween trick -- and you
>> could get a huge treat. The prizes are a choice of
>> the Victor Reader Stream or a ClassMate Reader, both portable, 
>> digital
>>
>> audio book player, from HumanWare. You just have to be a Bookshare
>> member in elementary through high school.
>>
>> To participate, download books and write short reviews (about 100
>> words), telling us why you liked (or didn't like) the book, 
>> discussing
>>
>> your favorite character and letting us know if you'd recommend
>> the book. We know you've been doing some summer reading. So now
>> is your chance to have it pay off.
>>
>> Winners will include those who read the most books and write the most
>> reviews.
>>
>> All Bookshare Members, from kindergartners to high school seniors,
>> are eligible. Please help us spread the word. If
>> you have not registered, sign up! If you know a U.S.
>> student in grades K-12 who is a Bookshare member
>> and loves to read, let them know about the Reader's Voice
>> Contest. Learn
>> more
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/697ef395fb]
>> .
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> Upcoming Events
>>
>> By Inga Zukin
>>
>> Webinars
>>
>> Bookshare Reading Series: How to read on Macs with Read:OutLoud
>>
>> Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 12:00 PM PT
>>
>> Register here
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/ba4ea203fb/udc=5omomg8kbj34]
>>
>> Bookshare and the University Student - What's New for Fall?
>>
>> Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 1:00 PM PT
>>
>> Register
>> here
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/31ce62e65a/udc=rgo6mn7si4n8]
>>
>>
>> To see archived Webinars, go to:
>> www.bookshare.org/about/training#Pre-recorded_Webinars
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/7544905456]
>>
>>
>> Conferences and Events
>>
>> October 7-9, 2009
>>
>> Bismarck, ND - Title I/Special Education Fall Conference
>> October 15-17, 2009
>>
>> Bloomington, MN - Closing the Gap
>> Oct 17-20, 2009
>>
>> Salt Lake, UT - The National Association of State
>> Directors of Special Education
>> Oct 18-20, 2009
>>
>> Alberta, Canada - Canadian Vision Teachers' Conference
>> Oct 18-21, 2009
>>
>> San Diego, CA - California Association for Postsecondary
>> Education and Disability
>> Oct 23-24, 2009
>>
>> Niagara Falls, NY - 2009 New York State. Council
>> for Exceptional Children annual convention
>> Oct 28-31, 2009
>>
>> Schaumburg, IL - Assistive Technology Industry Association,
>> conference, Chicago
>> Oct 28 - Nov. 1, 2009
>>
>> Portland, OR - Council of Great City Schools annual
>> fall conference
>> Oct 30-31, 2009
>>
>> Harrisburg, PA - Pennsylvania Learning Disabilities
>> Association of America
>>
>> - Back
>> to Top [#top]  -
>>
>> Copyright © 2009 Benetech®. Privacy
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>> | E-mail
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>> | About
>> Bookshare
>> [http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5164f5ce36/dffb0032cf/1bbef01742]
>>
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