by Elizabeth Borghi, ALASC Chair
On August 15, ALASC members met at the Bookshare Headquarters in Palo Alto, California and toured their facility while learning more about the work Bookshare does to provide reading materials to people with print disabilities. Emerging technologies, adaptive technology, cataloging, and digitization were the primary topics of discussion. Students also received a walk-through of the work involved in getting a to a reader from the time of request to the time of download.
Bookshare began as a grassroots initiative of people with print disabilities sharing reading materials with one another, often by using simple home scanners. Now a division of Benetech, Bookshare has been seeking ways to improve access for readers with a variety of visual impairments, physical disabilities, and learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Textbooks are free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities, thanks to an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. Additional materials available to members include books and newspapers, for a total of over 125,000 items. The collection continues to grow rapidly.
At the conclusion of the tour, students were able to take copies of books home that had been de-spined and digitized. It was a fun opportunity to see the variety of materials Bookshare makes available to its readers. The SLIS students ended the visit with lunch, and shared ideas and experiences on course selection, career opportunities, and more.