Bookshare
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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You may also view the AIM Guide to AMPs which compares all three AMPs.

Updated 2012

AMP Name: Bookshare
Address: 480 S. California Avenue, Suite 201; Palo Alto, CA 94306-1609
Phone: (650) 644-3400
Fax: (650) 475-1066
Web: http://www.bookshare.org

Who should be contacted if there are questions?

Send an email to support [at] bookshare [dot] org or membership [at] bookshare [dot] org

Based on the National Library Service regulations at 36 C.F.R. § 701.6(b), which student certification categories do you serve?

Blind
Visually Impaired
Physical Limitations
Reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction

Describe the certification requirements and how these are verified and maintained.

We use the Chafee qualification rules for Bookshare. For NIMAC books, a student must be Chafee qualified and enrolled in a K–12 program with an IEP.

If a student qualifies, how is the student registered?

Go to http://www.bookshare.org and follow the steps to create a sponsored (i.e., organizational) membership for your student. With an organizational membership, authorized teachers or staff members (sponsors) may download books for their registered students (members). In addition, a student can have an individual membership, authorized by his or her parents.

What types of memberships are available?

Individual student accounts
Institutional/organizational accounts
For further information, see the Membership FAQ at http://www.bookshare.org/_/membership/faq.

Describe your membership requirements:

Individual student accounts
Institutional/organizational accounts
For further information, see the Membership FAQ at http://www.bookshare.org/_/membership/faq.

Do you require membership fees for individual student accounts?

Yes  No  Depends on circumstances

Currently, Bookshare offers free memberships to qualifying U.S. students through an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). There is a charge for members who are not U.S. students.

What is the process to access these services?

Sign up authorized students and then download books on their behalf. Students can, in addition, or instead, have accounts on their own. Books may be requested for conversion to DAISY or digital Braille formats by students, teachers, or any AU of the NIMAC. Because of the terms of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that established the NIMAC, accessing these books is different than other Bookshare media. Bookshare's NIMAS-sourced books are only available for U.S. K–12 students with print disabilities as defined in the Chafee Amendment to copyright law, and who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Only teachers and staff members of U.S. public K–12 education agencies can download these books. To ensure that Bookshare complies with the above limitations, students, parents, transcribers, adults with print disabilities, and private schools serving students who do not have an IEP from a public K–12 education agency that states that the individual needs textbooks in accessible formats, cannot download these books. For more information, see the Bookshare NIMAC FAQ at http://www.bookshare.org/_/help/faq/nimac.

Please provide a link to your web site where step-by-step instructions on how to access your services are provided.

For further information, see Membership options at http://www.bookshare.org/membershipOptions.

What services do you provide?
XML conversion
Original transcription
Downloads
Scanning
NIMAS file conversion
Other (please specify):

Who can use these services?
Authorized Users (AUs)
State agencies (SEAs)
Local education agencies (LEAs)
Teachers
Others: Paid subscribers

What specialized formats are provided?

Braille

Embossed contracted braille
Embossed uncontracted braille
Electronic contracted braille
Electronic uncontracted braille
-.brf (braille-ready format) in conformance with BANA guidelines
-.brf (braille-ready format) other
Tactile graphics
Hard copy
Electronic
Other (please specify):

Large Print

Large print (over-sized textbook)
Font sizes (please specify):
Large print (standard-sized textbook)
Font sizes (please specify):

Audio

-.mp3
-.mp4
-.wav

DAISY 2002 HTML (digital talking book [DTB]) with —

Text
Images
Image descriptions
Human-voice audio
Pre-recorded synthetic audio
Other (please specify):

DAISY 2005 HTML (digital talking book [DTB]) with —

Text
Images
Image descriptions
Human-voice audio
Pre-recorded synthetic audio
Other (please specify): Text-to-speech

Digital text

-.pdf
-.rtf
Word
HTML
ePUB 2
ePUB 3
Other (please specify): Text, for out-of-copyright works)

File formats accessible on mobile platforms

iOS
Android (—soon to be released)
Windows phone
Symbian
Blackberry OS
Other (please specify):

Are apps needed to use the files on mobile devices? If so, where are they acquired and what is the cost?

Our iOS reader, Read2Go, can be purchased through iTunes [at this writing] for $19.95. A free Android accessible book reader is soon to be released.

Is assistive technology such as a computer, device, and/or software program needed to deliver the files to the student in a student-ready format? If so, please explain.

You need a DAISY reader, a screen reader (such as JAWS or Window-Eyes), or an assistive technology device that reads refreshable Braille (-.brf). We provide two free DAISY readers, Victor ReaderSoft and Read:OutLoud. We also provide all files in -.brf. Works which are not copyrighted (i.e., in the public domain or licensed through Creative Commons) are also available in -.txt and -.html. Once a file has been downloaded by or for a registered member, a user may convert the file to any format that works best for them, including -.mp3 or -.html. The file may not be shared with another user. Go to http://www.bookshare.org/readingTools for further information.

If assistive technology is needed, do you provide it? Is it provided with membership or for purchase?

We provide two free DAISY readers, Victor ReaderSoft and Read:OutLoud, to registered members.

What assistive technology from other sources might be needed?

We provide free technology to our Members and in most cases our DAISY files are compatible with other assistive technology being used by Bookshare Members.

How long will it take to get the specialized format after an order is placed?

Books in the NIMAC database can be added to Bookshare in one to two weeks. Other educational books can be added in one to two months. Requests for books not needed for school go to a wish list and can be processed by volunteers within a few months.

Do you have a digital rights management (DRM) system? What are your policies?

Yes, we do. We electronically watermark our books as being from Bookshare, and we digitally fingerprint them as having been downloaded by or for a given member. We also require proof of disability and a signed user agreement. All books include their copyright notice.

When the instructional materials are no longer needed by the student, do they need to be returned?

Once they have been downloaded, members may keep them. But they may not be transferred to anyone else, including another user. Each member must have books downloaded solely for their own use so that the DRM can be in compliance.

How will confidential information about the student be protected?

We require proof of disability and a valid email address. We do not share this information with anyone, and we do not compile information on books downloaded by individuals. We comply with all FERPA policies regarding student privacy.