Posted on: Tuesday, March 5, 2002

Service allows disabled to share books

By Janet Kornblum
USA Today

To call Rich Ring an avid reader is an understatement. In the past week, he has read five books — and reading isn't a simple matter for the blind Portland, Ore., man.

First he has to scan the book into a PC, so he can hear the text read aloud in an electronic voice. An average book takes about three hours using a regular flatbed scanner.

But a new Web site called Bookshare (bookshare.org) should make Ring's life easier. The site allows file-sharing by people who have disabilities that hamper or prevent them from reading printed text.

Inspired by Napster, Bookshare allows members to share books they've scanned, said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech, the nonprofit company behind the site.

But the service is no "Bookster," Fruchterman said — Benetech has been working closely with publishers to put in safeguards preventing people from using the system to illegally trade copyrighted works.

Bookshare falls under a 1996 amendment to the copyright law that allows certain organizations to distribute literary works in specialized formats exclusively for use by the disabled. The site requires written proof of disability, and it encrypts each book, electronically stamping it so it can be traced. The service costs $50 a year or an equivalent amount of time volunteering on the site.

The Association of American Publishers, wary of possible copyright violations, will be closely watching the experiment to make sure the protections work, said vice president Allan Adler. Some people have scanned books and illegally distributed them on the Net. Adler wants to make sure this service isn't used for the same purpose: "We think the setup has worked very well. Now we want to see how it's implemented."

Publishers themselves can't be in the business of distributing works because of myriad legal, technical and financial hurdles, Adler said.

Ring, 51, who has been testing the service since November, said it's a godsend. "Bookshare is sliced bread. It's something I've always dreamed of."

Blind since birth, he remembers the first time he was able to use a crude reading device for the blind, several years ago. It allowed him to read one letter at a time.

"As soon as I got one of those babies, I got a science-fiction novel called 'Dune,'" he said. "That was the first time in my life I could walk into a bookstore like any other God-fearing human being and say, 'I'm going to read a book.'"

With Bookshare, Ring can often find obscure books. And he's happy to share the hundreds he has already scanned.