>From: "Peter Scialli" <Peter@xxxxxxxxxxxx> >To: <gui-talk@xxxxxxxxxx> >Organization: Benetech >Subject: [gui-talk] Press Release: O'Reilly Computer Books Internationally Available on Bookshare.org >X-Reply-To: "Peter Scialli" <peter@xxxxxxxxxxxx> >Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 15:32:51 -0500 > >Publisher O'Reilly Makes Books Accessible to People with Disabilities >Worldwide Under > >Landmark Agreement with Bookshare.org > >PALO ALTO, Calif., March 04, 2003 - Today Bookshare.org, an online library >of accessible > >digital books for people with disabilities, announced an agreement with O' >Reilly > >& Associates, a leading publisher of computer books, to make digital >versions of > >O'Reilly books available worldwide to qualifying users with disabilities. > >Bookshare.org (www.bookshare.org) is a subscription service that provides an >extensive > >online library of accessible digital books to people with severe visual, >reading, > >and mobility disabilities. The service, which was created by Benetech, the >leading > >technology nonprofit in the Silicon Valley, operates under a copyright >exemption > >in US law allowing the redistribution of copyrighted works in specialized >accessible > >formats for people with qualifying disabilities. > >Under the agreement, O'Reilly & Associates will transfer digital copies of >its books > >to Bookshare.org, which will convert the books into accessible formats and >make them > >available to qualifying subscribers in the US. In addition, O'Reilly has >granted > >Benetech rights to provide the books in accessible formats to qualifying >users from > >other countries, the initial step in a planned expansion into providing >accessible > >digital books internationally. > >"This is truly a landmark event in the struggle to make books accessible to >people > >with disabilities," said Benetech CEO Jim Fruchterman. "Tim O'Reilly's >visionary > >contribution will make it easy for people with print-related disabilities >worldwide > >to access his outstanding collection of technical books." > >"For years, we've done our best to make our books available to disabled >customers > >on request," said O'Reilly founder and CEO Tim O'Reilly. "After overcoming >the technical > >hurdles, the greater challenge was keeping up with the requests. Benetech's >Bookshare.org > >will give our efforts a real boost through their expert assistance on both >the technical > >and administrative fronts. This partnership builds on Bookshare.org's >expertise in > >providing accessible formats and the XML conversion tools O'Reilly developed >to support > >our online Safari Bookshelf. I'm quite pleased that we'll be able to make O' >Reilly > >books available worldwide through the Bookshare.org service." > >Bookshare.org offers a collection more than 12,000 accessible digital books >to its > >subscribers. The books are protected by a comprehensive digital rights >management > >system, which was designed in collaboration with the Association of American >Publishers > >and features extensive controls, including file encryption, watermarks, >fingerprinting > >and a security watch program. > >Information on Bookshare.org and Benetech > >Bookshare.org is a project of Benetech, an innovative Silicon Valley >nonprofit that > >develops technology projects to address pressing social issues in areas such >as disability, > >human rights, literacy, education and the digital divide. Many technologies >have > >compelling social applications that are not developed because such efforts >do not > >meet investors' financial expectations. Benetech specifically pursues >endeavors with > >a strong social, rather than financial, rate of return on investment, >bringing commercial > >technology and private sector management techniques to bear in creating >innovative > >solutions to difficult social challenges. > >Information on O'Reilly > >O'Reilly & Associates is the premier information source for leading-edge >computer > >technologies. The company's books, conferences, and web sites bring to light >the > >knowledge of technology innovators. O'Reilly books, known for the animals on >their > >covers, occupy a treasured place on the shelves of the developers building >the next > >generation of software. O'Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks >and forward-thinking > >business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new >industries. > >>From the Internet to XML, open source, .NET, Java and web services, O'Reilly >puts > >technologies on the map. > >Media Contacts > >Brendan Nyhan > >The Benetech Initiative > >Telephone: (202) 588-8269 > >Email: > >brendan@xxxxxxxxxxxx > >Website: > >www.bookshare.org > >Sara Winge > >O'Reilly & Associates > >Telephone: (707) 827-7109 > >Email: > >sara@xxxxxxxxxxx > >Website: > >www.oreilly.com > >_______________________________________________ Braille is the solution to the digital divide. Lloyd Rasmussen, Senior Staff Engineer National Library Service f/t Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress (202) 707-0535 <lras@xxxxxxx> <http://www.loc.gov/nls> HOME: <lras@xxxxxxxxxxx> <http://lras.home.sprynet.com> The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of NLS. _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list