Everyone Reads at Bookshare.org!
By Harrison, Ann; Consumer's Guide to Assistive Technology, pp. 18-20Publication Date: 2008
Article features Bookshare.org, an online digital library of accessible books. The library offers more than 36,000 books, magazines, and newspapers in digital files that can be converted to large print, Braille, synthesized speech, CD, DVD, and MP3 digital audio. Bookshare.org was launched by Benetech, a nonprofit technology organization which developed a technical conversion process that transforms scanned book files into DAISY/NISO digital talking book and digital Braille formats. Bookshare.org membership is free for qualified U.S. students; for others, low-cost subscription is available. Titles for the library are selected by members and volunteers who submit books they have scanned. A special provision in U.S. copyright law enables the distribution of copyrighted materials in a specialized format for use by people with print disabilities without requiring permission. Titles from the library can also be played in combination with onscreen digital texts to provide a multi-modal reading approach for special-education students. A $32 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2007 will enable Benetech to expand its library by more than 100,000 educational books over a 5-year period.
Published by: EP Global Communications (Website:http://www.eparent.com)
