Digital Text, Scanning, and Copyright Law
Digital Text
Digital text is all around us, and enriches our abilities to access information (e.g., Web site resources and library databases) and communicate with one another (e.g., e-mail and word processing). Digital text is "malleable," and can be transformed into other types of media (Rose & Meyer, 1996). For instance, text in digital form can be converted into:
- Braille
- Synthesized speech
- Digital audio books
- Large print
Imagine how text in digital formats might transform learning experiences for students. Digital text provides support for students with learning and reading disabilities; enables individuals who read at beginner literacy levels to access text; and supports the preferences of a wide range of students. For example, text-to-speech can be used by students who have specific learning disabilities in reading, and can support students who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by focusing on the text, and drawing the students' attention to it. Other students who do not have identified disabilities utilize the technology simply because they are engaged by it.
In addition to e-mail and prepared word processing documents, digital text can be accessed by purchasing electronic textbooks, downloading from the World Wide Web, and scanning existing print materials into electronic files.
Electronic Textbooks
Commercial resources are available online from which textbooks in digital format can be downloaded. At netLibrary [www.netlibrary.com], users can browse an e-book online, check out and read an e-book online, or download and read an e-book offline. The collection includes popular titles, trade books, and college textbooks in digital format. Interestingly, netLibrary detects if you are logging in from a university server and reconfigures its home page to offer customized resources. WizeUp Digital Textbooks [www.wizeup.com] works with leading publishing companies to create digitally enhanced versions of college textbooks. Interactive features of their textbooks include search tools, and the ability to import notes and hyperlinks. Allyn & Bacon Interactive Edition [www.abacon.com/interactive] combines textbook and multimedia, including video, audio, Web links, and other activities on CD-ROM. National Academy Press [www.nap.edu] offers over 1500 research and primary source materials.
E-Text Collections on the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is host to a growing number of "electronic books" in the form of e-books and e-text. Additionally, Web-based collections and digital libraries are provided by many libraries, universities, and educational organizations, allowing access to a wide variety of resources, from children's books to government documents.
Bookshare.org
Bookshare.org enables book scans to be shared, thereby leveraging the collections of thousands of individuals who regularly scan books, eliminating significant duplication of effort. Bookshare.org takes advantage of a special exemption in the U.S. copyright law that permits the reproduction of publications into specialized formats for persons with disabilities. For books that are in the public domain, membership is not required. For books that are copyrighted, an annual membership fee is charged.
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Converting Traditional Print to Digital Format
If a specific book or text is not available on the Web, readers can create a digital version of the traditional print copy using a scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. This can be laborious, but advances in scanning technology have improved the process, and made the necessary hardware and software more affordable.
Scanner types include:
- Flatbed (scans text from books)
- Single page (receives individual pages that are fed through)
- Handheld (is passed over text repeatedly)
- Self-feeding (scans multiple pages/double-sided)
When scanning text, the computer creates a picture of the text, which must then be converted to digital text through the use of OCR software. OCR software looks at the pattern of dots in the picture of the text, and "recognizes" the letters. Once the recognition process is finished, the pattern of dots is converted to digital text. Users can then have the text spoken back in a synthetic voice or saved to a computer.
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Copyright and Fair Use
In 1996, Congress passed a copyright exemption that eliminated
the need to receive permission from publishers before reproducing text in digital
format for the use of individuals who have disabilities. For more information
about copyright exemptions, refer to the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office:
www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/copyright.html
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