[bksvol-discuss] Re: 550 books in the download queue

  • From: Guido Corona <guidoc@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 11:05:52 -0500

Ken,  I scanned a 1600 page history book for my daughter.  The book did 
contain a plethora of photographs, maps and diagrams.  I knew I could not 
make it perfect prior to submission to Bookshare.  But I did use the list 
of tables, figures and charts in the book to locate the pages containing 
optical junk blocks, which I removed.   A search for occurrences of the 
tab character allowed me to locate and destroy other junk areas of the 
book.  Wherever I removed a map, figure and so on, I added the metatext:
 
<figure not shown>

or something similar followed whenever possible by the original title and 
print description of the stuff I removed.  By the time I finished the 
rough cleanup,  the volume was 99.3% spelled correctly,  according to K1K.
My particular customer was my daughter,  and she deserved the best I could 
do. Her success at school depended on it.  Our PAYING Bookshare customer 
do deserve the same.  The fact that I am completely blind does not 
exonerate me from the moral obligation of creating a quality product.

Guido

 

Guido D. Corona
IBM Accessibility Center,  Austin Tx.
IBM Research,
Phone:  (512) 838-9735
Email: guidoc@xxxxxxxxxxx

Visit my weekly Accessibility WebLog at:
http://www-3.ibm.com/able/weblog/corona_weblog.html





"Kenneth A. Cross" <crossk@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
08/09/2004 09:27 PM
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[bksvol-discuss] Re: 550 books in the download queue






Let me present another point of view.  Almost all advanced science books
will have maps, diagrams, figures, pictures, formulae, and other material
which will not scan well.  I don't want to be denied science scans just
because of this.  I would rather have the book in a quasi-readable form 
than
no book at all.  In a similar vain, many history books have elaborate 
maps,
figures, pictures, and foreign words which scanning in its present form
won't make accessible to the blind.  Again, I would prefer to have what 
can
be scanned.

I have read many books which have poor scanning of the top line--title or
whatever--but where the total content of the book is perfect.

Now I will grant that the more pedestrian the book, the more readable it 
is
likely to be, but there is need for the others.  And, by the way, anything
like twenty thousand books, currently in copyright rather than public
domain, is a goal we are no where near.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy" <popularplace@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 9:32 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: 550 books in the download queue


> Are downloads rated before one downloads them? I
> haven't  validated that many and I guess I hadn't
> noticed. When I finish what I'm doing and I get to
> validate again I'll take some fair ones if they're of
> interest to me.  If not, I'm willing to reject them.
> What's the consensus?
>
> Cindy
>
> P.S. This 812+ book is,, surprsingly to me, very
> interesting. I  hope when it gets into the collection
> that people aren't discouraged by its size. I'll
> explain more about it when I'm ready to upload (it
> will take a fewmore weeks because I'm only half-way
> through -- not only mahy pages but many lines of small
> print).
>
>
> --- Pam Quinn <quinns@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > I for one would be in favor of weeding out all of
> > the "fair" rated
> > books. I don't plan to submit any more such books,
> > and maybe the ones
> > in the download list should be rejected. Just my
> > opinion.
> >
> > Pam
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
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