This was sent to me so hope someone finds it useful. I haven't checked it out yet myself. --- Scott >elsewhere. Please consider at least signing up for the newsletter list, >even if not the discussion list. You can sign up from the Web site, or if >Web access is a pain for you, let me know, and I'll send you email directions. > >I, for one, am looking forward to making whatever contributions I can. > >I won't send one of these out again. > >Best to all, >Jennifer > >Bookshare.org - Books without Barriers >e-Newsletter >Volume 1, Issue 1 >Save Your Book Scans > >Welcome to the first Bookshare.org e-Newsletter. We're excited to >update you about the development of this 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. Bookshare.org is on track to launch at the end of this year. > >The number one priority is to build the collection of digital books, >with a goal of offering 20,000 books at launch. Bookshare.org brings >people together to share their digital resources with the broader >community. As a result, the collection is built by its members and >supporters. Whether you've got one book or a thousand in your library, >your role in building the collection is critical. Once the books are >submitted, the Bookshare.org community relies on volunteers to check the >books and prepare them for download. > >Our vision - to dramatically increase the accessibility of electronic >books for this community - is within reach. Help make it a reality! > >1. Save your book scans. > >If you regularly scan books for your own use, or have access to a >scanner, you can help build the collection. Detailed information about >book scans is included below. > >While we welcome any scanned books, we also maintain a list of recent >best-sellers that aren't already in the collection. Send an email to >volunteer at bookshare.org to request some book suggestions from this list. > >2. 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. > >3. Sign up as a volunteer. > >In mid-September we will launch a volunteer website that will enable >people like you to help check in the thousands of books that have >already been submitted. This important processing step can be done by >volunteers over an Internet connection. > >What does it mean to check in books? Before submitted books can be made >available for download, they need to go through this important >processing step. All of this can be done through a web interface, and >includes things like verifying the title, author, and copyright >information, helping to categorize the book, and rating its quality. >For some books, this check in process will include downloading the >original book submission, and converting it into a standard file format. > >We'll let you know through this e-newsletter when it is up and running. >If you'd like to sign up to become a volunteer, simply send an email to >volunteer at bookshare.org expressing your interest. > > >We look forward to your involvement in this online community, and >welcome your ideas and suggestions. > >Sincerely, > >The Bookshare.org Team >info at bookshare.org >www.bookshare.org > >------------------------------------------- >DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT BOOK SCANS > >If you have digital copies of books that you have scanned in for your >own use, please save them to add to the collection when Bookshare.org >launches. > >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 can accept: > >- 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 other members with 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 behind Bookshare.org? >Bookshare.org is a project of the Benetech Initiative, a nonprofit >organization. Benetech is the new name of Arkenstone, the nonprofit >organization that was the leading maker of reading systems. Benetech >brings the power of technology to socially important needs. > > >Copyright ? 2001 Benetech >
