What is Bookshare?

Bookshare.org is a repository of books in digital format for eligible students. Eligible students are those who are unable to read standard print because of a visual impairment, physical impairment, or learning disability, such as Dyslexia.

• Who Qualifies? 
• Understanding Who is Eligible (2:51 min video)    
• Getting Started with Bookshare (.pdf)       

When to use Bookshare:

Use Bookshare to ensure that eligible students who use assistive technology to read have timely access to copyrighted materials in the format they need.

• Teachers use Bookshare to provide books to students who need a digital version of novels or text books for school.

• Parents can also help students access any book they like through an Individual Membership.

• Bookshare or Learning Ally: Which service works best for my students?
  

HIAT can help MCPS staff and families with Bookshare. 

How to get books from Bookshare:

There are three easy options for getting MCPS teachers and students started with Bookshare. During Distance Learning Option B: Teacher Guided is recommended.

• A: Teacher Supported--Teachers download books and provide them to students through Google Classroom.
• B: Teacher Guided--Teachers provide students with a login to Bookshare Web Reader. Students are limited to books on their reading list.
• C: Individual--Parents obtain an Individual Membership so that students can find and download books for themselves.

This Comparison chart can help you decide which options to use.

How to read books from Bookshare:

In MCPS, most students use one of the following tools to read books from Bookshare:

• Read&Write for Google is a Chrome Extension that works with Google docs and epub files, both of which  can be downloaded from Bookshare. Students can use Read&Write for Google with Options A, B, or C. 
• Bookshare Web Reader is a web-based viewer and reader that is accessed through Bookshare.org.