Bookshare

Bookshare is an online library of accessible ebooks for people with print disabilities, such as visual impairment, severe dyslexia, and cerebral palsy.[3] An initiative of Benetech, a social enterprise organization based in Palo Alto, California, it was founded in 2001 by Jim Fruchterman.[4][5] Bookshare provides books in DAISY, EPUB, BRF (Braille refreshable format), MP3, and Microsoft Word document formats.[6] Books have been contributed by volunteers, authors, libraries, universities, and publishers. By 2010 more than half of books had been contributed by publishers and by 2020 more than 900 publishers had partnered with Bookshare, contributing to its library of more than 900,000 books.[1][7][8]

Bookshare
LocationUnited States
Collection
Size903,068 titles (July 2020)[1]
Other information
DirectorFred Slone (Director of Operations)[2]
Websitewww.bookshare.org

Since 2007, Bookshare has received awards from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free access for all U.S. students with a qualifying print disability, with the five-year allocation from 2017 to 2022 totaling $42.5 million.[5] Similar programs have been set up in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[9][10] Bookshare also partners with libraries and blindness organizations around the world.[11]

References
  1. "About". Bookshare. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  2. "Leadership". Bookshare. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. Shah, Nirvi (November 1, 2011). "Digital Book-Sharing Unlocks Print for Students". Education Week. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  4. "For Dyslexic and Visually Impaired Students, a Free High-Tech Solution". MindShift. KQED. August 10, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  5. Desmond, Ned (November 1, 2017). "Palo Alto nonprofit Benetech wins a $42.5M Dept. of Education grant, a nod to founder Jim Fruchterman's quest to help the blind". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  6. "In which formats are the books available?". Bookshare. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  7. Gross, Mark (February 1, 2011). "Sharing Books with Jim Fruchterman". EdTech Digest. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  8. "Publishers". Bookshare. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  9. "RNIB partners with Benetech to deliver online resource for print disabled learners". Royal National Institute of Blind People. March 23, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  10. Casey, Jess (November 14, 2019). "Digital library to 'empower' visually impaired students". The Daily Examiner. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  11. "Our membership partners". Bookshare. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
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