[Azpac] Bookshare Fw: Back to School Issue - September 2009

[Allison Hilliker]

Bookshare’s College and University Members - September 2009
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:57 AM
Subject: Back to School Issue - September 2009


              
            Bookshare’s College and University Members
            Back to School Issue - September 2009  
            Classes are now in session on many campuses around the country. We know that uncertain budgets, last-minute class changes and work furloughs at many schools mean that tracking down needed textbooks for students with print disabilities can take some time. 

            Bookshare can be a resource to DSS staff and students. With over 50,000 volumes in DAISY and BRF formats and over 150 newspapers and periodicals from the National Federation of the Blind Newsline, Bookshare’s collection is growing to include more books for postsecondary students. With thanks to an award from Office of Special Education Programs, Bookshare books and the on-line tools to read them are free for all qualified students in the United States. 

            In this issue:
              a.. Membership = Reading Independence 
              b.. More books for Postsecondary Students 
              c.. University Presses Agree to Contribute Books to Bookshare 
              d.. Search for Books 
              e.. Free Reading Tools 
              f.. Upcoming Webinars 
            Membership = Reading Independence:
            As Organizational Members, colleges and universities can download Bookshare books on behalf of qualified students; students can also easily become individual Bookshare members and download books they choose, when and where it’s most convenient. 

              a.. Becoming an Organizational Member 
              b.. Becoming an Individual Member 
              c.. Organizational Members can also help create Individual Memberships for their students from the Member tab in their Bookshare account. 
            Sign up your students and start downloading books today! 

            More Books for Post-secondary Student:
            Bookshare now has 14 Partners.* These colleges and universities are contributing hundreds of titles that have already been scanned for students, making it easier to “look in Bookshare first” for needed texts. Books range from poetry to political science, autobiographies to anthropology. 

            Bookshare protects publishers’ copyrights and guards against illegal sharing through a proprietary Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology which is added to all contributed books. The Bookshare DRM technology fingerprints and maintains a record of every book downloaded to identify potential misuse and copyright infringement. Read our Seven Point Digital Rights Plan. 

            University Presses Agree to Contribute Books to Bookshare:
            Three prestigious university publishers joined the Bookshare Publisher Partner Program last July, to provide digital books for Bookshare's accessible online library. The University of Chicago Press, the University of California Press and New York University Press have all agreed to provide Bookshare with digital book files that will contribute thousands of new scholarly works to the Bookshare collection. Read the press release. 

            Read more from the New York University Press. 

            Bookshare is looking for more university publishers to work with. If your school would like to be included in this program, please let us know. 

            Search for books:
            Bookshare members can search by both 10- and 13-digit ISBN numbers. Later this Fall, Bookshare will announce a new “search by text” feature. Stay tuned! 

            Free Reading Tools:
            Bookshare members enjoy free tools to read Bookshare books: Don Johnston’s READ:OutLoud Bookshare Edition and Humanware’s VictorReader Soft, Bookshare Edition. In addition, readers enjoy hearing the digital Acapela TTS Voices by Acapela Group. 

            Now, there’s READ:OutLoud Software for Macintosh® computers available to Members 

            We all share a common goal: to get students the books they need, in the format they can use, in the fastest amount of time. We want our students to be successful and have the materials they need. We’re working hard at Bookshare to make this happen and appreciate the support of our university partners. 

            Upcoming Webinars:
            For College and University members: 

            “Bookshare and the University Student – What’s New for Fall?” 
            Oct 8, 2009 - 1:00 pm Pacific Time 

            As someone who works with college students with print disabilities, maybe it’s been a while since you’ve looked at the Bookshare site, or suggested Bookshare as a resource for your students. If so, this webinar is for you. 

            Or perhaps you’re an avid Bookshare fan and want to keep up with the latest improvements. You, too, should join us! 

            Presented by Bookshare’s University Program Manager, Cherie Miller, this webinar is for universities who are already Members and those who are new to Bookshare who want more information about Bookshare’s resources for their students: 

              a.. New tools for reading and research. 
              b.. New books from university presses and Partners. 
              c.. Signing up new students. 
              d.. Creating individual memberships for students already on the organizational roster. 
              e.. And more! 
            This webinar will be presented live on October 8 at 1:00 pm PST. Participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time; there will be time for questions during the presentation. The webinar will also be recorded and posted on the Bookshare site. 

            Questions? Contact us for more details. 

            Other webinars of interest: 

            "Bookshare Reading Series - How to read on Macs with Read:OutLoud" 
            September 30, 2009 - 12:00 pm Pacific Time 

            All webinars are recorded and archived on the Bookshare site at:
            http://www.bookshare.org/about/training 


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            As always, we’re interested in your thoughts and comments.
            Contact us at: http://www.bookshare.org/contactUs 

            ‘Till next month! Be sure to watch for our Bookshare Blog coming in a few weeks and follow us on Twitter, accessible Twitter and Facebook! 

            Cherie Miller, University Program Manager 

             
           
      
              
            14 University Partners:* 
            Alliant University
            Arizona State University
            De Anza Community College
            George Mason University
            Monterey Peninsula Community College
            Texas A&M
            University of Idaho
            Indiana University
            Hadley School for the Blind
            Michigan State University
            Landmark College
            The Ohio State University
            University of California, Berkeley
            University of Montana 

            Pending:

            Boston University
            University of Texas, Austin
            University of Arkansas

           
            Webinars
            “Bookshare and the University Student – What’s New for Fall?” 
            October 8, 2009 - 1:00 pm Pacific Time 

            "Bookshare Reading Series - How to read on Macs with Read:OutLoud" 
            September 30, 2009 - 12:00 pm Pacific Time 
           
     


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