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For quality control, we ask that different people scan and proofread each book. Occasionally we will make an exception for a highly-skilled, experienced volunteer. If you would like to be considered for this exception, please Request Help.
Yes! When you submit your newly scanned version, make sure to put the letters "BSO" in all capitals before the title of the book so that proofreaders know that you're improving an existing copy.Check out this page for more information about BSOs.
If you're having trouble uploading a scanned RTF (Rich Text Format) file, try skipping the step where you input the ISBN the first time. This does mean that you'll have to put in a bit more information manually, but it hopefully will solve the uploading problem. Do... more
You may scan any book you choose, so long as it follows the guidelines on this page. The book should not be in the collection * and must be a physical book that is manually scanned.* See exceptions here.
Yes. Bookshare volunteers must use their own scanner and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. The scanner may have built-in OCR software, or the person scanning may have the OCR software as part of a computer program.
When I request a book to be added, when will it be ready?Converting books into accessible format is a complex process, and we can't guarantee a specific turnaround time. For books that are available in the NIMAC, we can usually add them to the collection within 1-2... more
Student book requestsIf your request is on behalf of a U.S. student, it gets added to the Student Request queue, which is maintained by Bookshare’s Collection Development staff. If the book is available from the NIMAC, we'll pull a copy directly or as assigned to us... more
It's easy to volunteer for Bookshare!Scanning: You can make virtually any book accessible if you are willing to scan the file and submit it to Bookshare. If you have a computer with internet access, a scanner with scan-to-text software, basic computer skills, and a... more
Benetech owns and operates the Bookshare website. Benetech works with the Daisy Forum of India (DFI) to make Bookshare available to qualified individuals in India under Section 52(1)(zb) of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, or under agreements between Benetech and... more
Bookshare cannot accept:eBooks (even if they have been printed and scanned)standardized teststeacher editions of textbookscopyrighted dramatic works (plays or screenplays)
Click here for instructions on how to file a book quality report, and to see a list of books that have been reported for problems and are being fixed.
Bookshare will fix the errors as quickly as possible and replace the book in the library. NIMAC-sourced textbooks will... more
Over 850 U.S. and International publishers contribute digital content to Bookshare. Their generous support helps in many ways. Click on the link to see a complete list of who is involved.
Yes! The Wish List is a list of books that have been requested by our members for reading outside of the classroom. We encourage volunteers to check this list regularly and choose titles to scan and proof. Adding a Wist List title guarantees that you will make... more
Image Description volunteers advance the accessibility of the Bookshare collection by describing images in textbooks and childrens' books, using our open-source Poet Image Description tool developed by our DIAGRAM Center. Since we launched Poet in 2012, our volunteers... more
When a volunteer's scanned or proofread book is approved into Bookshare®'s collection, both the scanner and the proofreader automatically earn Volunteer Reward Credits. These credits can be used to reduce the cost of a Bookshare membership* for a person with a... more