Introducing Bookshare’s VAT!

Dear Friends,

I am very happy to introduce all of you to Bookshare’s VAT – our brand new Volunteer Advisory Team, a dynamic group of thirteen people who have stepped forward to help us continue to improve the volunteer experience and process. The team is comprised of thirteen Bookshare volunteers and members who collectively bring a wealth of scanning and proofing expertise to the table.

VAT’s role among other things will be to identify aspects of the Bookshare volunteer program that can be strengthened, policies that need to be defined, and guidelines that need more fleshing out,  they will also be active in helping create a more thorough and comprehensive manual.

VAT members communicate via an email alias and will also be conducting regular conference calls. Four Bookshare staff persons are included on the alias, Carrie Karnos (Scanning & Proofreading Manager), John Glass & Rob Turner of Bookshare Customer Support and Pavi Mehta (Volunteer Coordinator). We are thrilled to have such a competent and enthusiastic team in place and look forward to working together!

VAT’s first chairperson is the wonderful Bob Wiley who many of you know well from the Volunteer Discussion lists. At the end of this email are included brief introductions from all thirteen VAT members. It’s amazing and inspiring to see the diversity and wide-ranging skill-sets and experiences of the group. A resounding welcome to each of them and much gratitude for the responsibilities they have taken on together.

Warm regards,

Pavi

Bookshare VAT Member Bios:

1. Until about ten years ago I was a computer programmer with a variety of companies, from very small (my favorite) to very large fortune 500 companies. About ten years ago I went to work for the state agency for the blind as supervisor of their technology department. (Best job I ever had). About four years ago I retired and now am a stay-at-home grandpa. I’ve been a Bookshare reader for a couple of years, and a volunteer for about a year-and-a-half. I love to read, and to proof-read as well. Favorite genres, mystery, science fiction.  I love challenging proof-reads, but hate mundane repetitive work. Oh well, not so brief, sorry. – Bob Wiley
2. I joined Bookshare in the fall of 2007.  I decided the best way to get the books I wanted into the collection was to volunteer.  I started as a proofer near the end of 2007 and began scanning in 2008.  I mostly scan now though I proof the occasional book.  I love fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, and some science fiction and mysteries. – Christina Nixon
3. My name is Nancy, and I am a computer programmer.  I have been a member of Bookshare for the past five years or so.  I proofread for Bookshare, reading each book through cover to cover.  I enjoy urban fantasy, horror and mysteries.  I would also like to see more books on board and role-playing games enter the Bookshare collection, although I realize that these books pose special challenges.- Nancy Feldman
4. I am Shelley and I am a Rehabilitation Teacher working for the state of Pennsylvania.  I am a scanner and submitter primarily and use Kurzweil 1000 and a Braillenote QT to edit my submissions.  I love mystery, nonfiction and some fantasy.  I have been volunteering for Bookshare now almost 8 years and have over 1000 books submitted. -Shelley Rhodes
5. My name is Chanelle, and I have been both a volunteer and a member of Bookshare for not quite a year. Some of my favorite book genres include historical fiction, biography, mystery, and romance. I proofread and scan with a combination of Microsoft Word, Openbook, and a BrailleNote. I am working on receiving a B.A. and later a masters in Psychology.- Chanelle Hill
6. I’m in Wisconsin.  Was working as the director of “Strategic Information Systems Planning” (that’s corporate buzz talk for “a computer area”) in a Fortune 250 company when I became disabled. Prior to that worked at two Big Ten universities, mostly doing research.  I’ve been a member of Bookshare for 7 years and a volunteer for 18 months, proofreading using Word. Hobbies – organic flower gardening, equine color genetics and my blog; used to ride hunters and jumpers and sidesaddle and we owned or leased Morgan horses for over 25 years.  I enjoy books on science, especially biology, zoology and genetics research, military fiction and nonfiction, all kinds of young adult books, military science fiction, some mysteries, as well as little bit of this and that from all genres except erotica and horror.  I also read just about any book where horses are central to the plot, unless the writing or plot is so dreadfully dumb that even I can’t wade through it. Judy s., B.S., M.S., SFO;
7. I have been involved with Bookshare since 2007 submitting and sometimes proofreading books. I use ABBY FineReader, Capture Perfect and Word. I am a genealogist by hobby and enjoy all types of books. – Dianna Messina
8. I have been a volunteer with Bookshare since the end of 2003. I use k1000 and Braille to validate. My specialty is history and my particular specialty is knowing how to fix dates and scannos. My paid work includes transcribing audio of meetings, seminars and webinars. I also am studying to be a Certified Medical Transcriptionist. In my former life I worked for big corporations for thirty years. Despite my deep concern for personal privacy and the safety of people, particularly blind folks who simply cannot see if they are being followed or their house staked out, I am a friendly nice person who welcomes you if you wish to write me. I have lived in big cities so am perhaps overly cautious about personal safety issues from the vantage point of somebody who has always lived in a small town. If I have offended anyone I am sorry. My goal is getting a better manual for Bookshare.  Hope you like the brief biography. – Elizabeth
9. Retired dean of University School at Tyler Junior College, in Texas government on agency boards under five governors and for twenty-three years; 68 years of age; currently administering a charitable fund which provides college full-ride scholarships for relatives of blind persons resident in East Texas; have done news and weather for the local newspaper and radio stations for forty-six years; have had ten books published on Texas history and state government; I scan using OpenBook, and enjoy reading scholarly history and mysteries. I have been volunteering for the last three or four years with Bookshare. – Robert K. Peters, Ph.D.
10. After 30 joyful years of teaching upper elementary grades, home instruction grades 1-12 and summer school cooking, drama and zoology, classes for gifted students for the Akron Public Schools, I had to retire for health reasons. Volunteering for Bookshare brought challenge and great satisfaction back into my life. Shortly after I started I thought it would be a long shot for me to complete  one book a month. Now, I’ve proofed over 400 books and scanned about 25. I’ve read every word of every one of those books. I partner with submitters who share my enthusiasm and take pride in their scanning. In addition to my fondness for fiction and nonfiction set in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and books about Tolkien, I love general fiction, mysteries, classics, unexpected books that pique my interest while browsing, holiday books and books for children from pre-school through high school. I describe illustrations when I can see them and enjoy writing synopses I hope will attract readers. I’m interested in developing formatting for poetry which will communicate the layout of poems to readers using Braille displays. Proofreading keeps me so occupied I don’t have time to read many books from the collection, but when I do, my preferred medium is Braille. Having such a reader driven variety of books to read from Bookshare remains ever thrilling and I think the world of the volunteers and staff I’ve gotten to know.  Always with love, – Lissi Deren
11. Well, I live in a little town in central Pennsylvania. I became a volunteer and a member of Bookshare in January 2006. I have no vision. I’ve studied college level physics and math, but did not get my degree. I scan with K1000 and I use a Pac Mate BX400 with a Braille display to proofread. A large proportion of what I scan are children’s books, but I also do science fiction and fantasy. I do proofread, but the bulk of my work for Bookshare is in the scanning department. I am a proficient Optacon user. When I proofread, I always have a copy of the book, so when I find a scannoe that isn’t obvious–whether it’s my own scan or someone else’s–I can check the book myself and make corrections without having to ask for sighted assistance. In the fiction category, I like science fiction, fantasy, espionage and some mystery. In nonfiction, I like books about science, the future, politics, economics, sellf-help, positive psychology and human potential, religion and spirituality–especially Buddhist literature. – Evan Reese
12. I believe I must have been born with a love of reading. When I began volunteering for Bookshare nearly three years ago, my goal was to do my little bit toward filling a gap I felt sorely needed filling as a teen.  I always wanted to read current books for my age group, begged people, in fact, to read to me, which some kindly did, a lot, because current accessible books for teens were in short supply.  Since having started volunteering, I have scanned and/or proofread over 750 books, the majority of which have been intended for that very age range. For me, the Bookshare For Education grant was a huge reason to celebrate joyfully, and with much woo-hooing! In the adult genres, I enjoy reading mysteries, romances, and general fiction, but am pleasantly surprised often to find books in other genres that I thoroughly enjoy as well.  Now that I am both a paid proofreader for Bookshare and still a VERY active volunteer, I consider myself one of the most fortunate folks in the world.  I get to do work that is fun, fulfilling, and valuable to folks who feel as thrilled by books as much as I do, or will, now that more and more books of varying interest are becoming more and more available. – Mayrie ReNae
13. I have been volunteering for Bookshare for several years now, both scanning and proofing others’ submissions. I love historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery books in the realm of fiction, and for nonfiction, I love books on natural health and medicine, alternative religions and Africa and the Middle East. – Amber Wallenstein

Nogales, A Memoir of Courage, Survival, and Escape

Image of "Nogales" book cover

Wanted to let everyone know about one of our members, Marsha Phillips. She has a good friend, who’s written a book about his arrest, torture, and escape from a Mexican prison. Marsha has given the book to all of her friends, but has never read it herself. She asked us to put the book into the collection, but I couldn’t buy it, because it’s not for a class and it’s not educational. I suggested that she send us a copy, which she did, and Rick is going to proof it, to be done within a week or so. Finally she will be able to read it!!
Now she writes that the book is going to be made into a movie. Won’t that be exciting!
Just thought I’d give you all a heads-up about this,

Carrie

July New York Times Bestsellers

Hardcover Fiction
THE NEIGHBOR, by Lisa Gardner (being purchased)
THE ANGEL’S GAME, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (being purchased)
KNOCKOUT, by Catherine Coulter (being purchased)
THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE, by Katherine Howe (being proofed)
ROADSIDE CROSSES, by Jeffery Deaver (being proofed)
THE BOURNE DECEPTION, by Eric Van Lustbader (in the collection)
RELENTLESS, by Dean Koontz (in the collection)
SKIN TRADE, by Laurell K. Hamilton (in the collection)
MEDUSA, by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos (in the collection)
MATTERS OF THE HEART, by Danielle Steel (being proofed)
THE STRAIN, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (in the collection)
THE SCARECROW, by Michael Connelly (in the collection)
SHANGHAI GIRLS, by Lisa See (in the collection)

Hardcover Non-Fiction
CRAZY FOR THE STORM, by Norman Ollestad (being proofed)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?, by Rocco Mediate and John Feinstein (in the collection)
PRAIRIE TALE, by Melissa Gilbert (being proofed)
THE LAST BEST HOPE, by Joe Scarborough (being proofed)
RENEGADE, by Richard Wolffe (being proofed)
HOME GAME, by Michael Lewis (being proofed)
HOW THE MIGHTY FALL, by Jim Collins (in the collection)

Paperback Fiction (Trade and Mass Market)
A SUMMER AFFAIR, by Elin Hilderbrand (being purchased)
RIGHT NEXT DOOR, by Debbie Macomber (being proofed)
UNDER THE RADAR, by Fern Michaels (in the collection)
HARBOR LIGHTS, by Sherryl Woods (in the collection)
ASHES OF MIDNIGHT, by Lara Adrian (in the collection)

Paperback Non-Fiction
GLENN BECK’S ‘COMMON SENSE’, by Glenn Beck (being proofed)

June New York Times Bestsellers

Hardcover Fiction
GONE TOMORROW, by Lee Child (being proofed)
THE SIGN, by Raymond Khoury (being proofed)
SEDUCING AN ANGEL, by Mary Balogh (being proofed)
WICKED PREY, by John Sandford (being proofed)
CEMETERY DANCE, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (in the collection)
ASSEGAI, by Wilbur Smith (being proofed)
THE LAST CHILD, by John Hart (in the collection)
ROAD DOGS, by Elmore Leonard (being proofed)
DEAD AND GONE, by Charlaine Harris (in the collection)
PYGMY, by Chuck Palahniuk (in the collection)
THE LEGEND OF SIGURD AND GUDRUN, by J. R. R. Tolkien (in the collection)
BRIMSTONE, by Robert B. Parker (being proofed)
THE LANGUAGE OF BEES, by Laurie R. King (in the collection)
SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET, by Debbie Macomber (being proofed)
LOVER AVENGED, by J. R. Ward (in the collection)
FIRST FAMILY, by David Baldacci (in the collection)
LOITERING WITH INTENT, by Stuart Woods (in the collection)
TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT, by Alexander McCall Smith (in the collection)
THE PERFECT POISON, by Amanda Quick (in the collection)
DEADLOCK, by Iris Johansen (in the collection)

Hardcover Non-Fiction
MY REMARKABLE JOURNEY, by Larry King (being proofed)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS, by James Van Praagh (in the collection)
HORSE SOLDIERS, by Doug Stanton (being proofed)
RESILIENCE, by Elizabeth Edwards (in the collection)
PRETTY IN PLAID, by Jen Lancaster (in the collection)
A-ROD, by Selena Robert (in the collection)
LOSING MUM AND PUP, by Christopher Buckley (in the collection)
THE END OF OVEREATING, by David A. Kessler (in the collection)
THE GIRLS FROM AMES, by Jeffrey Zaslow (in the collection)

Paperback Fiction (Trade and Mass Market)
OLIVE KITTERIDGE, by Elizabeth Strout (in the collection)
TRUE LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS, by Rachel Gibson (being proofed)
JUST BREATHE, by Susan Wiggs (in the collection)
AT LAST COMES LOVE, by Mary Balogh (in the collection)
BURNING WILD, by Christine Feehan (in the collection)
VISION IN WHITE, by Nora Roberts (in the collection)

Paperback Non-Fiction

[none]

The Pleasures of Being A Re-reader

Bob (the eternal optimist) brought a recent New York Times editorial to the attention of volunteers on the discussion list. For those of you who missed it, it was a piece titled “Some Thoughts on the Pleasures of Being a Re-Reader”, and it spurred a lively discussion on the list about people’s favorite re-reads. For those of you interested, the opening of the article and the link to the full piece is included below.

“I’ve always admired my friends who are wide readers. A few even pride themselves on never reading a book a second time. I’ve been a wide reader at times. When I was much younger, I spent nearly a year in the old Reading Room of the British Museum, discovering in the book I was currently reading the title of the next I would read.

But at heart, I’m a re-reader. The point of reading outward, widely, has always been to find the books I want to re-read and then to re-read them. In part, that’s an admission of defeat, an acknowledgement that no matter how long and how widely I read, I will only ever make my way through a tiny portion of the world’s literature. (The British Museum was a great place to learn that lesson.) And in part, it’s a concession to the limits of my memory. I forget a lot, which makes the pleasure of re-reading all the greater.

The love of repetition seems to be ingrained in children. And it is certainly ingrained in the way children learn to read — witness the joyous and maddening love of hearing that same bedtime book read aloud all over again, word for word, inflection for inflection. Childhood is an oasis of repetitive acts, so much so that there is something shocking about the first time a young reader reads a book only once and moves on to the next. There’s a hunger in that act but also a kind of forsaking, a glimpse of adulthood to come.”

May 30, 2009, Editorial Observer Some Thoughts on the Pleasures of Being A Re-reader

by VERLYN KLINKENBORG in the New York Times

For the complete article please visit: The Pleasures of Being A Re-reader

50,000 and Still Counting…

Breaking news from Bookshare’s Jake Brownell:

“The collection sailed past the 50,000 book mark last night! More than a year ago I was asked to predict when we’d meet that milestone, and I chose May 2009; though I’d like to claim great wisdom, that just wasn’t the case <Smile>.

Cheers,

Jake

Congratulations to all the many hands and hearts working in tandem that made this milestone possible!

Educational or Not? That Is The Question.

A month ago, the question of what qualifies a book as educational by Bookshare standards came up on the volunteer list. That’s a great question, and before going into details, I’d first like to clarify for those who may not be familiar with this fact, that as a library Bookshare welcomes books of all genres and subjects that meet the general requirements of the collection. It is not a repository dedicated strictly to educational material. That said, Bookshare does classify certain books under the educational category based on an in-house set of specifications. For those interested in knowing more, what follows is the working draft of a definition for what constitutes “educational” material within the context of Bookshare. It was spearheaded by our talented Librarian Amy McNeely and created with the help of several other staff members (this definition is currently pending approval from OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs).

The Concept of Grayscale

From veteran volunteer Judy S. comes this brilliant and spontaneous explanation of the term many of you scanner’s may be familiar with: Grayscale. The following piece was originally written to describe the concept to a co-volunteer on the Bookshare discussion list, and it’s a pleasure to share it here.

Grayscale is another one of those concepts that is totally based on a visual experience. I think I’ve come up with an analogy to help explain what grayscale does and why it helps to grayscale images when scanning books in situations like the old mass market paperbacks. So let me take a stab at it, and if this helps anyone out, great! A scanner has to find a way to differentiate various parts of an image. When scanning text, it has to figure out what part of the page is text, and what part of the page is the paper background. Suppose for a minute it’s your job (and I’m assuming you are blind) to tell the difference between two different pieces of fruit, an apple and a pear. You have various characteristics of the apple and of th pear to help you out, including the shape of each, their smell, their texture, and their firmness. If your nose is completely plugged, however, you can’t use the smell of the fruit or the taste to help you tell the difference. The apple and the pear will smell and taste just the same. If you focus your attention on trying to tell them apart based on those two characteristics, you’re going to do a very poor job of it. The best thing to do is focus instead on the things you can distinguish, and perhaps find a way to make those differences between each even more distinctive. If you focus on the round shape of the apple and the distinctive shape of the pear, that would really help…

Welcome to the Bound by Books Blog!

Sketch of a ring of people each holding an open book

Dear Booksharian Friends,

Welcome to the brand-new Bound by Books blog — a home for Bookshare’s volunteer-related news and updates. There is a lot happening these days at Bookshare, and we want to be able to share it with the wide community of people who contribute so much to our collection. The volunteer list is a great resource but only speaks to a subsection of the volunteers. Structured as a platform for many-to-many communication the list serves that purpose wonderfully well, but our sense is that this blog will be a more efficient means for staff to share information, updates and inspiration with those volunteers interested in hearing more regularly from us. (Special thanks to local volunteer Kayoko Akabori for her help with getting this blog off the ground.)

To begin with Carrie Karnos and I will be the main contributors to this blog but we will also include guest blogs from other staff members as well as volunteers. If there are particular topics, questions or themes that you would like to see included, we’d love to hear from you. Please write in to volunteer@bookshare.org with your ideas.

It is our hope that this blog serves as a bridge between our humming offices in Palo Alto, CA and the multiple humming corners of the country that each of you inhabit as Bookshare volunteers.

With gratitude for your contributions of time, energy and skill,

Pavi Mehta

Volunteer Coordinator, Bookshare