Can I Get Community Service Credits by Volunteering?
Yes! Bookshare is a project of Benetech, which is a nonprofit organization. We are able to provide letters and sign paperwork confirming community service as needed, provided you follow our procedures.
We can provide proof of your volunteer hours if you do the following:
- Proofread the book completely, following these instructions: /get-involved/volunteer/my-volunteer-home/guide-scanning-and-proofing/proofreading-steps/proofreading
- Finish the entire book (no credit for partially proofed books)
- Check in the proofread scan (DO NOT SUBMIT IT)
- Email me your log of hours and books using the form below at least 5 days before you need the proof of your hours
The following are some guidelines for how long it will likely take you depending on the length of your book. If the scanner has done a spectacular job, it may take less time, and books with footnotes or endnotes may take longer. When I verify your hours I will be looking at the original scan, your fixed version, and how long you had the book checked out for, in addition to your log.
200 pages or less: 1 hour per 100 pages
(Example: 45 pages = 1/2 hour; 150 pages = 1.5 hours)
200-500 pages: 2 hours per 100 pages
(Example: 225 pages = 4.5 hours; 450 pages = hours)
500+ pages: 3 hours per 100 pages
(Example: 500 pages = 15 hours; 700 pages = 21 hours)
Please use this template to log your hours:
Book Title:
Book Author:
Number of Pages:
Date:
Hours:
Summary of Work:
Example:
Book Title: Pearl Harbor
Book Author: Randall Wallace
Number of Pages: 311
Date: 4/16/15-4/18/15
Hours: 6
Summary of Work: Changed chapter titles to 16 point and bold, removed random italics, added missing page numbers, fixed all scannos
Image Description
Please keep a log of the book title, ID number, Book Part, and Image Numbers that you are working on. We have alloted 3 minutes per description.
Once you have accrued enough hours, please copy and paste your log into the provided space on our Contact Us page and make sure to include any specifics about the information you need from us (handwritten signature, addressed to a certain person, etc.).