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Bringing Millions of Books to Billions of People: Making the Book Truly Accessible

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

I believe in the power of books to change the world. That is not a particularly radical belief among librarians, but I hope to make you believe even more in the power of books. Today, we are poised at a moment in time where we can transcend the limitations of past book technologies and bring the power of books to all humans.

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Reply Comments on the Proposed Treaty for Access to Copyrighted Works

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

We filed the following comments to the Copyright Office's request for comments on issues about access for people with print disabilities. The status quo is that people with print disabilities are experiencing a book famine. The good news is that for any Microsoft Press book that a U.S. And famines have consequences.

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Making the Book Truly Accessible for All Students

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Schools are back in session, and with them millions of American children who struggle daily to learn using traditional printed books. This includes accessible educational materials, such as e-books that can be used with computers, or mobile devices that display enlarged text or read the book aloud while also highlighting text.

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Fascinating Meeting at the Copyright Office

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Last Friday I spent almost two and a half hours in a wide-ranging conversation with Maria Pallante of the Copyright Office (and two other folks whose full names I didn't write down). copyright exemption for serving the print disabled is commonly called the Chafee Amendment: Section 121 of copyright law. copyright law.

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What is in the Treaty of Marrakesh?

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

The goal of the Treaty is to end the book famine for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. Ultimately, this community should have equal access to all of the books that are needed for education, employment and social inclusion. How Does the Treaty Meet this Goal? It does that in two main ways.

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The Road to Accessibility without Borders: Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the Marrakesh Treaty

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

One year ago, on June 28, 2013, at a diplomatic conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, the World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO ) agreed on a historic international copyright exception for people with print disabilities.

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Bookshare without Borders: #1/3

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Reading a Bookshare-downloaded book on the BrailleNote portable device Launched in 2007 to replicate the proven Bookshare model internationally, our Bookshare International library has already grown to serve members in more than 40 countries , many of whom are in the developing world. This is an area of special focus for our Bookshare team.

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