- gutvol-d - lists.pglaf.org

Internet Archive to build alternative to Google [Print]
by Steve Thomas 23 Dec '04

23 Dec '04

Yet another story -- this one on an alternative to GP: http://www.iwr.co.uk/IWR/1160176 -- Stephen Thomas, Senior Systems Analyst, University of Adelaide Library UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE SA 5005 AUSTRALIA Phone: +61 8 830 35190 Fax: +61 8 830 34369 Email: stephen.thomas(a)adelaide.edu.au URL: http://staff.library.adelaide.edu.au/~sthomas/ CRICOS Provider Number 00123M ----------------------------------------------------------- This email message is intended only for the addressee(s) and contains information that may be confidential and/or copyright. If you are not the intended recipient please notify the sender by reply email and immediately delete this email. Use, disclosure or reproduction of this email by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is strictly prohibited. No representation is made that this email or any attachments are free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

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Help with German text
by Al Haines (shaw) 21 Dec '04

21 Dec '04

I'm working on a book that's mostly in English, but that has several short passages in German. Each German passage is immediately followed by its English translation. According to my research, the German material is using the Fraktur alphabet. None of the German characters appear to use any accenting - umlauts, etc. I think I've generally managed to transliterate the German characters into their English equivalents, but since I don't understand German, I'm baffled as to how to tell the difference, in some contexts, between its lower-case f's and s's, and between its lower-case k's and t's. Is there someone out there to whom I can send the six page scans involved and their matching text files, to have my transliteration checked? Al

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Need Help With MS Word File
by Michael Hart 20 Dec '04

20 Dec '04

A volunteer who has been working on a book for us for three years is very near completion, but can't do any more due to medical issues. If anyone is willing to take a look at this book and help get it into a final format, please let me know. Forwarded message: Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 11:13:38 -0500 From: Jeanette Hayward <jeanett(a)teacher.com> To: hart(a)beryl.ils.unc.edu Subject: Ebook submission Hello, My name is Jeanette Hayward. I began transcribing Henry A. Beers, A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century nearly 3 years ago. Because of a number of issues,I am just now getting to the finished state. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do much more with the transcription. But, I did want to submit the work because I feel it is important to be able to add it to the collection. I tried sending this message to the submission team; however, my ISP apparently had difficulty recognizing the address as a valid e-mail address. *** My HUGE thanks to anyone who can help! Michael

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Re: Google Partners with Oxford, Harvard & Others to Digitize Libraries
by Steve Thomas 20 Dec '04

20 Dec '04

There's actually quite a lot about this project -- "Google Print" -- to be learned from their own web site: http://print.google.com/ which may dispel some of the misconceptions I see being bandied about. It also raises some more questions. (E.g. it is not at all clear whether their "print only" policy will apply to everything, or only the copyright books.) But also, to keep this in perspective, it may be worth remembering the recent Google stock float, which may have some influence on the timing of this press release and the previous (last week's) release about Google Scholar. Clearly, these things are going to do no harm to their stock price. Google Print has a long way to go, and I wish them well. Steve -- Stephen Thomas, Senior Systems Analyst, University of Adelaide Library UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE SA 5005 AUSTRALIA Phone: +61 8 830 35190 Fax: +61 8 830 34369 Email: stephen.thomas(a)adelaide.edu.au URL: http://staff.library.adelaide.edu.au/~sthomas/ CRICOS Provider Number 00123M ----------------------------------------------------------- This email message is intended only for the addressee(s) and contains information that may be confidential and/or copyright. If you are not the intended recipient please notify the sender by reply email and immediately delete this email. Use, disclosure or reproduction of this email by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is strictly prohibited. No representation is made that this email or any attachments are free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

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re: [BP] Google Partners with Oxford, Harvard & Others to Digitize Libraries
by Michael Hart 18 Dec '04

18 Dec '04

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004, Tony Kline wrote: > > > Bowerbird(a)aol.com wrote: > > tony said: >>> That's very good, though image files hardly meet the needs of those users >>> who want digital text and the ability to download, cut and paste etc > >> well, since google _is_ a search engine, they'll obviously o.c.r. the text. >> and clean up the text, because errors would muck up their search engine. > > Did they say OCR or did you deduce that? I got the impression they are > imaging pages, and maybe adding some identifying keywords for each page. > That is you'll be able to Google to a title chapter and page maybe, but > you won't be able to Google within pages. Try OCR'ing some of the stuff > in the Bodleian...there ain't no such fonts!! Does anyone know what > they mean by digitizing? Here's what I have gleaned from 5 TV network news shows and the various NYT, SF Chron, etc., articles: There will be one "full text" respository at Google, but users won't be able to access more than a "snippet" around any quotation they look up, much as with general Google searches today, and then, if they want more, they will have to click on the item and will then arrive at a second database, this one provided by one of the five libraries [NYCPL, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford, Oxford] where they will get a graphical representation of the non-printable page that contains the quotation. Why they chose to call it "Google Print" when printing is outlawed, I have no idea. Michael

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[BP] "A call to Arms" (fwd)
by Michael Hart 17 Dec '04

17 Dec '04

Can anyone send me a plain text copy? http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/about/papers/calltoarms.pdf Thanks & Best Regards, Veenu [Moderator: The URL above is for an 11-page paper titled "A Call to Arms: What in the World is Happening to Information?" by Karen Williams, reference librarian at the University of South Australia. In the abstract, she writes: "We are fighting a battle, and that battle is all about the provision of and access to information. This paper looks briefly at how the provision of information has created gaps between those who have access, and those who do not .... Only if national information policies are moulded with a basis of equal access for all will the future be brighter.... The author concludes that much can be done by librarians..." - JMO] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent via the Book People mailing list. Posting address: spok+bookpeople(a)cs.cmu.edu Admin. & unsubscribe address: spok+bookpeople-request(a)cs.cmu.edu Charter: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/bplist/

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Re: [gutvol-d] PG books used by visually impaired
by Dennis McCarthy 17 Dec '04

17 Dec '04

On a related thread, does anyone know a user friendly way to make mp3s (or other format) with digitized voices out of P.G. e-books? Specifically looking for using typical software on Windows or Mac format machines. I have been able to get newer versions of Abode Acroread to "Read Out Loud" (an option under "View"). This has a couple problems, though: 1) Most people do not have access to Acrobat to make PDF files. Acroread is free and lets you read PDF files, but you need Acrobat (somewhat expensive) to make PDFs. 2) This is fine for listening at your computer, but I could not find a way to export to MP3 for listening to later using other equipment. Looked for an option in RealPlayer, but no dice. This is specifically for someone who drives alot, and wants books-on-disk. Thanks. -Dennis McCarthy anno Domini MMIIII, a.d. VI Id. Dec., dies Mercvri Feast of the Immaculate Conception -----Original Message----- From: Andrew Sly <sly(a)victoria.tc.ca> Sent: Dec 8, 2004 3:28 AM To: gutvol-d(a)lists.pglaf.org Subject: [gutvol-d] PG books used by visually impaired Dear fellow PG volunteers, Here's a recent newsgroup posting that I came across showing more of the use that people do get out of the texts that we are creating. Andrew Newsgroups: alt.disability.blind.social Date: 2004-12-07 11:15:06 PST I often listen to books from the Gutenberg Project on my laptop. Most of those books are available from the US Library of Congress on audio cassette tape. So mainly, when I listen to a book on my laptop, it's because I forgot to order another book and am having a "book emergency". You know, when you finish one book and have nothig else to read and it's cold and rainy outside and there's nothing on TV? But I've listened to a lot of books on my laptop and after a while you don't notice the voice -- if it's a good book. _______________________________________________ gutvol-d mailing list gutvol-d(a)lists.pglaf.org http://lists.pglaf.org/listinfo.cgi/gutvol-d

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Distributed Proofreaders in German
by Marcello Perathoner 17 Dec '04

17 Dec '04

There's a new DP for German texts only at http://www.gaga.net/ producing books for PG-DE http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/ -- Marcello Perathoner webmaster(a)gutenberg.org

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Re: !@!Re: [gutvol-d] [Fwd: Folio files]
by Joshua Hutchinson 17 Dec '04

17 Dec '04

You know, it's like you're deliberately trying to make me angry! NO ONE HAS SUGGESTED SWEEPING IT AWAY! In fact, every person that has suggested a change of some kind has advocated putting the obsolete format document somewhere accessible. Just not right out in front where an uninformed visitor will see it, click it and get frustrated. It reflects poorly on PG as a whole and turns off potential users from ever coming back. Move the bloody thing into the OLD subdirectory. That's what the OLD subdirectory is for. Use it as such. Is the text version we have the exact same document as the folio version or where they created from separate sources? If it is the same, we should move the folio into the text's etext number and free up a number. If they are from separate sources, can any somehow generate a text file from the Folio file we have? Josh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Hart" <hart(a)pglaf.org> To: "Project Gutenberg Volunteer Discussion" <gutvol-d(a)lists.pglaf.org> Subject: Re: !@!Re: [gutvol-d] [Fwd: Folio files] Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 07:09:51 -0800 (PST) > > > On the one hand people complain that eBooks in general will never last, > simply because those big gov't databases were kept in formats no one > can read today. . .on the other hand you don't want this to be mentioned > up front. . . . > > None of the people arguing this case were there when we met with the > President of Folio, none of them were part of doing Gibbon's "Roman Empire" > . . .so please just leave it be. > > Some day, when you are all gone, perhaps someone else will sweep your > efforts under the carpet. . .and Google will go down as the inventor > of eBooks and the first eBook library. > > > > On Wed, 15 Dec 2004, D. Starner wrote: > > >> From the standpoint of an archivist, I have to fall on the side of > >> keeping all file formats available and accessible to the reader. PG is > >> as much a historical catalog as it is a library. > > > > Since when? Why? > > > > If we want to teach people about the death of old > > formats, maybe we should have a page about old formats, and how WordStar > > and Folio and other formats were da bomb, and how it's hard to find anything > > that can read them now. If they come across them in a search, how will they > > even know that it's an old format nobody can read? For all I would have > > known before this discussion, you could run out and buy an ebook reader that > > takes Folio, or download a program to read them. > > > > Remember that it's not just proprietary formats that die; I seem to remember > > code to read WordStar files in one of my old programming books, and there's > > a bunch of open source programs where you'd have to go through old CDs to > > find a version of the program that could read your files. > > -- > > ___________________________________________________________ > > Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com > > http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm > > > > _______________________________________________ > > gutvol-d mailing list > > gutvol-d(a)lists.pglaf.org > > http://lists.pglaf.org/listinfo.cgi/gutvol-d > > > _______________________________________________ > gutvol-d mailing list > gutvol-d(a)lists.pglaf.org > http://lists.pglaf.org/listinfo.cgi/gutvol-d

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Re: !@!Re: [gutvol-d] [Fwd: Folio files]
by Joshua Hutchinson 16 Dec '04

16 Dec '04

----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Hart" <hart(a)pglaf.org> > > On Thu, 16 Dec 2004, Joshua Hutchinson wrote: > > > Another paragraph, though, indicates that PGCC is a subset of the World > > eBook Library Consortia, which I'm almost positive is not related directly > > to PG. > > > [quote] Project Gutenberg Consortia Center, promoting global literacy by > > multiplying intellectual properties though Internet library lending and > > increasing access to digital archives and repositories. Project Gutenberg > > Consortia Center is a branch of The World eBook Library Consortia. [/quote] > > This is probably something that obviously needs correction, if you can send > the exact location I will forward it so it can be corrected immediately. > As far as I know, there should be no reference to World eBook Library. > BTW, this is a different World Library than donated us the Shakespeare > files from which we made book #100. > On the main pgcc.net page in the lower right corner, in the green side bar area. There is a Project Gutenberg Consortia Center logo with the above text below it. > > Josh > > > > PS Oh, and I strongly disagree with the characterisation of pgcc.net as the > > "new PG" site, which no matter how you MEAN it sound, it will imply that it > > is the "replacement" for the OLD site (gutenberg.org) > > Sorry, that was quoted from someone else who used the term > "new site (gutenberg.org)" in reference to the location of > the Greenstone program, and I obviously should have made > that quotation clearly marked. > Fair enough and thanks for the clarification. Josh

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