[nfbmi-talk] Webster's Comes to Bookshare

[Fred Wurtzel]

Springfield, MA and Palo Alto, CA, April 14, 2010 - Merriam-Webster,
America's foremost

publisher of language-related reference works, has signed an agreement to
provide

Bookshare with worldwide rights to its entire collection of key references
works.

This contribution will expand the Bookshare library which today serves over
90,000

members with print disabilities, such as blindness or low vision, a physical
disability

or a severe learning disability that affects reading.

"Getting dictionaries into accessible formats opens up new avenues for
individuals

with print disabilities to look up words and information," said Jim
Fruchterman,

CEO of Benetech, the non-profit organization that operates Bookshare.  "As
more publishers

follow in the footsteps of socially responsible publishers, like
Merriam-Webster,

we will see all individuals having equal access to all categories of print
content."

"We are pleased to enter into this agreement which will expand access to key
Merriam-Webster

titles for all people who seek to improve their skills and understanding of
the English

language," said John M. Morse, President and Publisher of Merriam-Webster,
Incorporated.

Since 1831, Merriam-Webster has published a wide range of quality
language-reference

products, including dictionaries for all age ranges, bilingual dictionaries,
dictionaries

for English-language learners, geographical and medical dictionaries, and
dictionaries

of English usage.  Non-dictionary publications include thesauruses, manuals
and handbooks

for writers, and vocabulary builders. The first three dictionaries from the
Merriam-Webster

collection contributed to Bookshare are titles commonly used by students in
school

from elementary grades through their postsecondary years:

.    Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary - Introduces young students
(grades

3-5) to a wealth of instructive and engaging information.  This dictionary
includes

36,000 entries, 600 full-color illustrations and thousands of examples of
words used

in context.

.    Merriam-Webster's School Dictionary - Developed for students in grades
9-12

and includes 100,000 entries, 1,000 illustrations and 15,000 usage examples.
Synonyms

and word history paragraphs help to clarify contextual meaning for deeper
understanding.

.    Merriam Webster's CollegiateR Dictionary - A leading college-level
dictionary,

updated annually, includes over 225,000 definitions ranging from the
technical vocabulary

of science to the everyday language of today's culture.  Recent additions
include

new words that reflect concern for the environment, such as carbon footprint
and

green-collar; government activities, such as earmark and waterboarding;
health and

medicine, like cardioprotective, locavore, naproxen, neuroprotective; pop
culture,

such as fan fiction, flash mob, and online activities, like sock puppet,
vlog ,and

webisode.

Bookshare will convert the dictionaries into the latest DAISY (Digital
Accessible

Information System) and BRF (Braille Ready Format) formats.  DAISY files are
electronic

files that allow easy navigation through a book or chapter.  This versatile
format

supports individual reading styles and enables multi-modal reading using
simultaneous

text and computer-generated speech.  The dictionaries in the DAISY format
will be

available with or without images.

Publishers interested in contributing digital files to Bookshare to provide
timely

access for individuals with print disabilities should contact Robin Seaman,
Publisher

Liaison.  For a list of publishing partners, please visit the

Bookshare

 website.

About Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster Inc. acquired the rights to revise and publish Noah
Webster's dictionaries

in 1843. Since then, Merriam-Webster has maintained an ongoing commitment to
innovation,

scholarship, and love of language. Today, the company continues as the
leader in

both print and electronic language reference publishing with reference
products,

learning tools, and word games. Visit http://www.merriam-webster.com/

About Bookshare

Bookshare is the world's largest online accessible library for people with
print

disabilities. Through its technology initiatives and partnerships, Bookshare
seeks

to raise the floor on accessibility issues so that individuals with print
disabilities

have the same ease of access to print materials as people without
disabilities. In

2007, Bookshare received a $32 million five-year award from the U.S.
Department of

Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free
access for

all U.S. students with a qualified print disability. The Bookshare library
now has

over 65,000 books and serves more than 90,000 members. Bookshare is an
initiative

of Benetech, a Palo Alto, CA-based nonprofit which creates sustainable
technology

to solve pressing social needs.

The content of this press release was developed under a cooperative
agreement, H327K070001,

with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
However,

those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.
Department of

Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.