[bksvol-discuss] Re: Volunteering for Bookshare
- From: "Bob" <rwiley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 13:18:24 -0500
Well said Lori.
I hope this thread will be a place for folks to tell their volunteering story.
I joined bookshare about a year and a half ago. Before that I was an avid anti
bookshare spokes person. I objected to the fact that bookshare charged for
their services, and also to the fact that it's library wasn't totally available
to international readers. But I got desperate for something to read, plus a
friend of mine told me I didn't know what I was talking about since I had never
been a bookshare member. So, I thought, I'll try it for a year then go back to
criticizing it with my own experiences to rely on. Unfortunately, I love to
read and got hooked on the books. So, about three months after I joined I
decided to look into volunteering to help defray the annual cost.
I don't scan because of arthritis in my hands, but part of my last job before I
retired was editing documents. I found I enjoyed the detail involved in
editing, and, validating is just editing by another name.
Anyway, since I started volunteering, I've come to love it. I would validate
even if we didn't get credits for it. Don't get any big ideas bookshare staff!
I now validate mainly books that I like to read, rather than just taking on all
comers. I take pride in doing a thorough job, and have only had one book
rejected. It was my first book, and being inexperienced, I messed up the
pagination something terrible. Thanks Carry for rejecting that long forgotten
book. I'd hate to think it was lingering on the site with my mistakes as part
of it.
Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Oh yes, lest I forget, I am now a convert to bookshare and apologize for all my
unwarranted criticisms.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: Lori Castner
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 12:48 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Volunteering for Bookshare
Hi, Folks,
Recent discussions on this list have caused me to think a lot about why I
volunteer for Bookshare.
However, without considering these discussions, i.e., whether volunteering
will continue change or be the same in the future, I want to share my own
experience here for those who might be interested.
A year and a half ago, I purchased my husband Mike a membership to Bookshare
because he was becoming bored with books from NLS. Although we have a friend
who validates books for Bookshare, that activity seemed very abstract to me,
and I simply wanted to get Mike a source of new books. He had been looking for
a volunteer activity in the community with little success, so he began
validating books and absolutely loved the activity.
Because of his enthusiasm, I purchased a bookshare membership to get books to
read, but primarily to validate books. And I enjoyed validating almost as much
as he did.
For us, bookshare is not so much a place to get reading material--although I
have read a fair number of books and have many as yet unread on my computer and
bookport and Mike has read very few books, but rather a way to give back, a way
to give to others. Sure, we can still scan books just for us to read, but that
process now seems incomplete, because Bookshare has provided a way for us to
share those books with others who would not find them through other sources.
Also, validating books so that they can become part of a larger collection and
be available for others to read is unexpressibly rewarding.
I used to knit items for three different charitable organizations, but since
developing arthritis in my thumbs I can no longer contribute very much in that
way. I also write poetry, but very few benefit from my poems at this time. If
we had not discovered the joy of volunteering for Bookshare, Mike might still
be looking for a gratifying volunteer activity, which for a blind person can be
as difficult as finding a fulfilling job. And, I might be wondering how to
give back to the world.
Sure, without volunteering for bookshare, we would have time to read more
books, but that is only partially rewarding and fulfilling. We might spend
more time with friends, but many of them work days and have most evenings
filled with family, errands, etc. But without the fulfillment of giving back
to others through volunteering for Bookshare, our lives would be less rich,
less fulfilled, and less meaningful.
I speak only for myself although I am sure I am sharing a common feeling.
Thanks! Bookshare!
Cat Lover Lori
P.S. and I would have more time to play with and pamper our cat who now sits
in our den and watches us contribute to the world!
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