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Only Registered Users, such as "authorized entities" (as defined by the 1996 Chafee Amendment to the Copyright Law) and Ex Officio Trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind and their designees may register to download files. Complete the Authorization form to become a Registered User. Please return an original signed copy (no faxes or photocopies). We will mail a username and password to you.
The Repository currently houses braille and text files from print textbook publishers files. APH files in .BRF format can be read by any of the standard Braille translating programs (Duxbury, Ed-It PC, etc.) Some of the files that are being sent by other agencies are specifically for a certain Braille translator, such as Ed-It PC.
Publisher text files are in ASCII text, tagged formats and Microsoft Word. These files are ready for braille editing and translation.
In the future, other formats may be accepted as well. There is always a note in the Louis record indicating the file type. Complete list of file extensions types.
The Repository needs you! By continuing to add files, the Repository will increase in value to everyone. APH will pay nonprofit agencies that use certified transcribers $50 for any textbook file (below college level) copyrighted 1995 or later that is not already in the Repository. Our philosophy is that everyone gives a little, so everyone will get back a lot! Please consider sending us copies of your files for the Repository.
If you would like to submit files, the easiest way is to email each title as a zip file to resource@aph.org. Please include in your zip file: 1) the Braille files for the title, 2) a copy of the transcription's title page in a Word-readable format (e.g., .doc or .txt) and 3) a completed Louis title form (found at http://www.aph.org/intcomr900.doc).
You are also welcome to submit the Braille files, transcription title page, and Louis title form on CD or floppy disk by mailing them to: Resource Services, American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Ave., P.O. Box 6085, Louisville, KY 40206. To verify that we have received the files, you may call us at (502) 899-2338 or toll-free at 1-800-223-1839.
One textbook is often comprised of many files. To facilitate downloading, these files are zipped into one file. When you download one book and unzip it, you may end up with 40 or 50 files. The individual filenames do not match the zipped name. It would be wise to set up a separate folder for each book you download so that the individual files don't get mixed up. Keeping the books in separate folders will save you time and confusion in the long run.
Here is one suggestion: Before you click "Download File", make a note of the catalog number of the file. The catalog number is the same as the name of the zipped file. On your computer, create a folder that is named the same as the catalog number. Then when you download the file, save it to that directory. This will keep your files organized.
Due to technological restraints, only a few of the current Repository files contain graphics. Contributing agencies, however, are considering a model where the file is available from the Repository, and they will supply the graphics. If the agency is going to make graphics available, this will be noted in the Louis record.
Yes, the files are zipped. When you download the zipped file, save it someplace you can easily find it (such as the folder we suggested in question #4). Go to that folder and open the file like you would open any program or file in Windows 95 or 98 (double-click it). This should automatically open your zipping program (if your zipping program is Windows-based).
If you are using Winzip, after you double-click you will see a list of all the files that have been "unzipped" from the zipped file that you downloaded. You will need to select each file and then click on Extract. The files should then be available to be opened in a Braille translator such as Duxbury (if they're .BRF files) or a word processor (if they're .TXT or .DOC).
Note: You do not need a Zip drive to open zipped files.
One example is Winzip, and it can be found at http://www.winzip.com. Pkzip can be found at http://www.pkware.com/ and is available in both Windows and DOS formats.
You may only send the files to those who have a legitimate need for it as defined by our limitations of use policy. You may use either email or disks to send the files.
APH does not require that you report file usage. You may want to document file usage for your own records. We are counting on the Registered Users to make sure the files get to the appropriate alternate media producers. If violations are discovered, this policy will be changed.
You only need to download it once. There is no limit to the number of times it can be copied or distributed, as long as there is a legitimate need for the copies and the copies only go to the appropriate people (see limitations of use policy).
The Repository is a cooperative effort, with many agencies and publishers contributing files. If the file format is restricted to one "standardized" format, many potentially useful files would be eliminated. To best serve the field, APH has chosen to keep the formats diverse and allow for proliferation of these materials.
Downloads are tracked at APH by user ID. Many Trustees have an account that they use for public schools and another account that they use for non-public schools. We will give you a different username for each of those accounts and it will be up to you to use the appropriate ID and password each time you download. Each month we will submit a list of all the accounts that have downloaded files to our billing department. They will automatically deduct the funds from the appropriate quota account, or bill the appropriate institution.
