[Blindtlk] Fwd: Thousands of Volunteers Select and Scan Bestsellers For the World's Largest Accessible Online Library

[David Andrews]

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>>Dear loyal and patient Bookshare.org volunteers,
>>
>>The press announcement below was sent out for release this 
>>morning.  Many of you have done a tremendous amount of work in 
>>building Bookshare.org, a library of accessible books that reflect 
>>your interests.   Congratulations on your achievement.
>>
>>Thanks from everyone at Benetech.
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>>BOOKSHARE.ORG PUTS 30,000 ACCESSIBLE BOOKS
>>ONLINE FOR DISABLED READERS
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>>Thousands of Volunteers Select and Scan Bestsellers For the World's Largest
>>Accessible Online Library
>>
>>Palo Alto, Calif., November 8, 2006 - Bookshare.org announced this 
>>week that its network of volunteers has succeeded in scanning 
>>30,000 books creating the world's largest accessible online 
>>library. Thousands of Bookshare.org volunteers, including educators 
>>and librarians, select their favorite books and legally convert 
>>these texts to digital formats that can be used by people with 
>>print disabilities such as dyslexia and visual impairment.
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>>The entire Bookshare.org online library can be downloaded to 
>>Braille printers, portable Braille devices and software that reads 
>>aloud in a synthesized human voice. Among the titles are 
>>bestsellers including Criss Cross, the 2006 Newbery Medal winner 
>>for children's literature. Information about the latest titles can 
>>be found at http://www.bookshare.org.
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>>"There are thousands of people who couldn't read this literature 
>>without something like Bookshare.org, it opens up a whole new world 
>>to them," says Bookshare.org volunteer Matthew Devcich, 16, of 
>>Chantilly, Virginia. "You are helping people across the nation and 
>>it's a great way to learn today's technology."
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>>Devcich, who has a visual disability, created an Eagle Scout 
>>leadership service project that organized 21 mostly teenage 
>>volunteers to scan and proofread 24 books. Devcich listens to the 
>>Bookshare.org ebooks which allow him to reduce eye strain while he 
>>reads the text online in an enlarged font. "It helps me read a 
>>great deal faster," says Devcich.
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>>The subscription-based Bookshare.org digital library is the first 
>>literacy program developed by Benetech, a nonprofit based in Palo 
>>Alto, California. "It's people like Matthew who have made 30,000 
>>books available at Bookshare.org today," said Janice Carter, 
>>Director of Benetech's Literacy Programs. "Thanks to the ongoing 
>>support of the Bookshare.org volunteer community, we continue to 
>>add about 100 new books each week."
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>>The Benetech literacy team will present their library of accessible 
>>books and periodicals at the annual conference of The International 
>>Dyslexia Association conference held at the Indiana Convention 
>>Center in Indianapolis, Indiana from November 8-11.
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>>Janice Carter
>>Director, Literacy Programs
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>>Benetech
>>480 S. California Ave., Suite 201
>>Palo Alto, CA 94306-1609 USA
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>>(650) 644-3422 direct
>>(650) 759-5828 cell
>>(650) 475-1066 fax
>>janice.c at benetech.org
>>Benetech - Technology Serving Humanity
>>A Nonprofit Organization
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>David Andrews and white cane Harry.