Celebrating one million books in the Bookshare collection
Bookshare officially has over one million books in the core collection! That’s a lot of reading, far more than any one person could read in their lifetime. Even our Bookshare power users, who read up to a hundred books a month, would not come close. So why celebrate one million books?
Changing Lives through Information Access
Books open new worlds. They shift our perspectives, feed our curiosity, and empower us to build knowledge and connections. During our Books Beloved campaign, we asked members of the Bookshare community to share books that impacted their lives. From The Secret Garden and Flowers for Algernon to The Giver and A Wrinkle in Time, books have left a lasting impact on the Bookshare community. Histories, mysteries, memoirs, and self-help texts – the diversity of beloved books only further serves to underscore the impact that access to such a wide range of books can have on a person’s life.
“The childhood stories I could never read and only heard others talk about finally came alive. Because of Capti and Bookshare, I can discuss stories I love and build friendships. I no longer have to be the one outside the circle.”
– Justin Novello, Bookshare member
The Right to Read
At Benetech, we believe that access to information is a human right. No person should be limited in their pursuit of knowledge by an inaccessible format. Whether you want to read up on ancient Egyptian art, study for your driver’s test, or read every single Agatha Christie mystery cover to cover, we are here to eliminate access barriers.
Bookshare users have read Bookshare books to become high school valedictorians, participate in book clubs, pursue engineering degrees, and advance their careers.
“From textbooks to research materials to novels, Bookshare is an essential tool for students. I only wish it was available when I was in college.”
– Jolene Nemeth, Vocational Rehabilitation Technologist and Bookshare member
Thank You for One Million
Bookshare’s growth in 20 years has been tremendous, and we are grateful to the entire community that has helped the collection grow from the beginning to where it is now:
- the dedicated volunteer community that catalyzed Bookshare’s initial growth and continues to contribute to the collection;
- the 1000+ publishers who regularly donate new titles to Bookshare, often making them available on the same day that they are released to the public;
- our technology partners who work with us to ensure that people can read books on any device;
- our hardworking staff, who are constantly working to improve the Bookshare platform and make it easier for everyone to use and find the books they need;
- our network of global partners and global outreach team who help ensure that the Bookshare collection is accessible to people all across the globe, and not just in the United States;
- the many individual donors and institutional funders whose generosity makes Bookshare possible.
And to you, our community of readers, thank you for choosing Bookshare to read in ways that work for you. Within the one million books, we hope you find the one that changes your life, shifts your perspective, sparks a new passion, helps you master a challenging concept, or empowers you to pursue a new career.
What Bookshare book is your one-in-a-million? Let us know in the comments. If you are still searching for that great read, get started on Bookshare’s browse page, which has specially curated collections to enable you to explore by interest, age, and genre.
For years, I’d been looking for the book “O Ye Jigs and Julips”. I’m so glad it’s finally here-on Bookshare. A delightful read for adults and children alike, especially if you church background is Anglican or Episcopal.
Duncan Holmes
Fredericksburg, TX
O my lord! I can’t believe there’s 1,000,000 books in the collection already! That just blows my mind! Asking which my 1 in a million book find is, is a extremely hard to answer! First, I’ll say this much. Thanks to you guys, I’m able to explore my wide array of interests, at little to no cost. Without you guys, my parents couldn’t afford or find books. An adult book that my parents looked into getting for me was going to cost around $500 and that’s just a starting price! With Bookshare, my parents gladly pay the $50 a year. Because they see just how much value and just ingeneral I get out of it! I think that Unzipped, the 1st book in the Chrissy McMullen series is one of my favorites. I love this series, because it’s so similar to the Stephanie Plum series, which is another series I injoy! I love being able to discuss books with my Mom. We read some of same series, including Stephanie Plum. We can talk about them, thanks to Bookshare. I recommended the Chrissy McMullen series by Lois Greiman to her, got her the 1st book for Christmas, and we were able to talk about it. Thank you for giving me access to reading material that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible for me, helping me out with my education, and inriching my life! Thank you also for giving me a way to read to my 2 nieces! I’m very greatful that I have the ability to read to them, just like my Mom used to read to me and my 2 brothers when we were little.
I can so relate to your saying that Bookshare allows you to download avast number of diverse books. I do myself. I have a book about the year 1000 and one about four ancient urban centers.
Life is a Gift: A Memoir by Tammy Duckworth gave me empathy for cultures and situations outside of my experience. However, many Bookshare books could qualify as one in a million. It’s especially gratifying to recommend books to friends and read them at the same time they’re available to others.
Every Day Is a Gift: A memoir by Tammy Duckworth gave me empathy for people whose cultures and experiences were different from mine. However, there are many one in a million books in the collection. Bookshare also enables me to recommend books to friends and read them when they first come out.
I even cannot pick that one-in-a-million book 🙂 I just noticed that my book preferences change in different periods of my life. When I was a student, I did read stories by A. C. Doyle and A. Christie and thought that they are my favs forever. I still like it, but now I am focused on modern literature more.