Bookshare FAQ about the NIMAC

1. What is NIMAC-sourced material and is it available through Bookshare™?
2. How can U.S. K-12 educational agencies access NIMAC-sourced books from Bookshare?
3. What if the NIMAC-sourced textbook I want is not in Bookshare?
4. What is your turn around time for converting NIMAS files?
5. How can I get a NIMAC-sourced book for a qualified student if I don’t work for a U.S. K-12 educational agency?
6. What if you don’t want the NIMAC-sourced book for a qualifying K-12 student, but want it for someone who has a qualifying print disability under U.S. copyright law?
7. How do I get NIMAC books from Bookshare?
8. How does my state name Bookshare as an Authorized User?
9. Which states have already named Bookshare as an Authorized User?
10. Can students in private schools or home schooling access NIMAC-sourced books?
11. Can college students with print disabilities use NIMAC-sourced books?
12. Can Bookshare scan textbooks that are not eligible for placement in the NIMAC?
13. What textbooks are in the NIMAC?

1 What is NIMAC-sourced material and is it available through Bookshare™?

“NIMAC-sourced books” are digital books produced from publisher files deposited in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center (NIMAC), a national repository. Bookshare converts these books from the NIMAS format (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) to student-ready DAISY and BRF formats before placing them in the Bookshare library. Accessing these books is different than other Bookshare media because of the terms of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) that established the NIMAC. As a result, these books are subject to the terms of the NIMAC’s Limitation of Use Agreement.

There are two key points to remember about accessing Bookshare’s NIMAC-sourced books:

• They are only available for U.S. K-12 students with print disabilities as defined in the Chafee Amendment to copyright law, AND who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) issued by a public education agency.
• Only teachers and staff members of U.S. K-12 education agencies can download these books. To ensure that Bookshare complies with the above limitations, students, parents, transcribers, and non-student Individual Members cannot download these books.

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2 How can U.S. K-12 educational agencies access NIMAC-sourced books from Bookshare?

U.S. K-12 educational agencies (State Education Agencies, Local Education Agencies, school districts, public and private schools) can follow these steps to access Bookshare's NIMAC-sourced books:

1. Your agency needs to have an organizational membership with Bookshare and a signed Bookshare Organizational Agreement on file. Learn about Bookshare memberships or sign up your organization.
2. Each student who will be reading NIMAC-sourced books must be included on your roster of eligible students. Each such student must be certified on the roster as having an IEP (Individual Education Plan) issued by a public education agency- this is a NIMAC requirement.

If you have already completed these requirements and are still unable to download NIMAC-sourced books, or if you are a staff or faculty member of a private K-12 school, contact us to request access.

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3 What if the NIMAC-sourced textbook I want is not in Bookshare?

Please see the Quick Guide to Requesting a NIMAC Textbook through Bookshare.

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4 What is your turn around time for converting NIMAS files?

Bookshare can convert NIMAS files and place them in the library within one to two weeks, on average. If you don’t see your file in Bookshare after two weeks, or if you have questions about how to access it, please contact Bookshare.

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5 How can I get a NIMAC-sourced book for a qualified student if I don’t work for a U.S. K-12 educational agency?

You will need to find someone who does work for the K-12 school that serves the student, because that school or agency is responsible for downloading the book. This process also applies to home-schooled students. If the student does not have an IEP issued by a public education agency, it is not possible to make these books available to that student. If the school responsible for downloading your student’s book is having difficulty meeting your request, please contact us, and Bookshare will contact the school to help with the process.

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6 What if you don’t want the NIMAC-sourced book for a qualifying K-12 student, but want it for someone who has a qualifying print disability under U.S. copyright law?

You are not legally allowed to download the NIMAC-sourced book from Bookshare, but you can scan it yourself, request that a Bookshare Volunteer scan it, or find a volunteer to scan it for you. Textbooks that are scanned and contributed to the collection are available for download by Bookshare Members without the restrictions applied to NIMAC-sourced books. Depending on the level of difficulty of the text, Bookshare Volunteers may be able to help. However, complex K-12 textbooks are probably too difficult for Volunteers who don’t have access to the print version of the book. Unfortunately, Bookshare cannot put a priority on using staff or contractors to duplicate a K-12 textbook that is already available as a NIMAC-sourced book in the Bookshare library.

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7 How do I get NIMAC books from Bookshare?

With Bookshare’s new ‘one-step’ search, U.S K-12 schools with Bookshare memberships interested in the availability of NIMAC textbooks can visit Bookshare and search both Bookshare and the NIMAC simultaneously. The new search results display whether or not the book is in Bookshare or in the NIMAC and provide information on the process for obtaining the book on a state-by-state basis in accordance with the terms of the NIMAC Limitation of Use Agreement. When a book is available in the NIMAC but not yet in Bookshare, the search results help the educator obtain the book according to the process appropriate for that state.

Educators from states that have named Bookshare as an Authorized User click “Request from NIMAC.” Bookshare then downloads and begins to process the book. The educator is notified when the conversion is complete; turnaround time is usually less than one week. Requests from educators in states that have not named Bookshare as an Authorized User are assisted in finding the Authorized User in their states to assign the book to Bookshare.

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8 How does my state name Bookshare as an Authorized User?

The state NIMAC coordinator needs to complete the new NIMAC coordination agreement and appoint Bookshare as an Authorized User. Would you like help locating your state NIMAC coordinator? Contact us and we'll help you find the right contact. NIMAC coordinators with questions are welcome to contact a Bookshare Education Program Manager directly .

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9 Which states have already named Bookshare as an Authorized User?

To date, CA, CO, IA, ID, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, ND, NH, NY, OR, PA , TN, VT, WA, Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have named Bookshare as one of their Authorized Users. If your state is not listed, please check back again, as we add new states regularly. Feel free to contact us at anytime.

1. What if I saw my title in the NIMAC but not in Bookshare?

   There are several possible reasons:

   1. The NIMAC has many supplementary materials in addition to textbooks. It’s possible that the title in the NIMAC might not be classified as a textbook. Bookshare’s search encompasses textbooks only. If the title is in the NIMAC but you don’t see it in Bookshare, please request the book through the Contact Us form on our website.
   2. Bookshare tracks which organizations have permission to access the NIMAC according to U.S. educational law. If your organization is qualified for NIMAC access, but you do not see the title, please contact Bookshare through the Contact Us form on our website and we’ll enable your access.
   3. It’s possible that the book was added to the NIMAC recently and is not yet in the Bookshare search. You could check again in a week and repeat your search. Or you could request the book through the Contact Us form on our website.
   4. It’s possible that the title is not in the NIMAC. Publishers place books in the NIMAC when the purchase contract between an educational agency and publisher requires a digital version of the textbook to be placed in the NIMAC.

2. What if I see my title in Bookshare, but I don’t get a link to “Request from NIMAC” in the download column?

   Bookshare tracks which organizations have permission to access the NIMAC as defined by U.S. educational law. If your organization is qualified for NIMAC access, such as a K-12 U.S. public school, but you do not see the request link, please contact Bookshare through the Contact Us form on our website and we’ll enable your access.

   Or, it could be that you don’t see the title because you have not logged in. Please log in and search again.

3. What if I see my title in Bookshare and the download column just says NIMAC?

   It could be that you are not logged in. Please log in and search again. If your membership or your organization is not one of the types of organizations allowed to use the NIMAC, you won’t see the download request. If your organization is qualified for NIMAC access, such as a K-12 U.S. public school, but you do not see the request link, please contact Bookshare through the Contact Us form on our website and we’ll enable your access.

4. I browsed the NIMAC collection on Bookshare and saw thousands of titles in the search results. Does Bookshare really have that many NIMAC books?

   The search results show a total of the textbooks in Bookshare and those that are still in the NIMAC.

5. What does “NIMAC:” mean in browsing or search result?

   It means Bookshare has the book, and it is a NIMAC book. Therefore only K-12 schools can download the book for a qualified student, i.e., one with a print disability and an IEP as defined above. If your school and student fit these criteria, please contact Bookshare through the Contact Us form on our website and we’ll enable your access.

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10 Can students in private schools or home schooling access NIMAC-sourced books?

To access NIMAC-sourced books, students in private schools or home school settings must have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) from a public K-12 education agency that states that the individual needs textbooks in accessible formats. A Sponsor from the K-12 school that is serving that student downloads the NIMAC-sourced books for the student. Parents cannot download NIMAC-sourced books.

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11 Can college students with print disabilities use NIMAC-sourced books?

Unfortunately, no. NIMAC and the content (NIMAS files) are part of an initiative mandated by the reauthorization of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004) and limited to K-12 students only. Only U.S. K-12 students who are Chafee-qualified and with IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) issued by public education agencies have access to the books, and only through U.S. K-12 school educators who can download the books from Bookshare for them.

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12 Can Bookshare scan textbooks that are not eligible for placement in the NIMAC?

(i.e. textbooks sold before July 19, 2006.)

Most textbooks have a very high level of formatting which makes textbook scanning and converting difficult and resource intensive. You can consider scanning the book at your school, and Bookshare will assist you with the scanning process. Bookshare can also ask the publisher for these files. Some publishers have provided books not covered by the NIMAC requirements in the spirit of social responsibility.

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13 What textbooks are in the NIMAC?

The effective date for the NIMAC was July 16, 2006. After that date, publishers are required to submit files to the NIMAC when the request is made in writing at the point of print book purchase. If you believe that files should have been submitted to the NIMAC but you aren't finding them there, you may want to verify with your purchasing department whether the purchasing contract included a requirement for NIMAS files. If your purchasing department did not include language about placing files in the NIMAC, you should check the NIMAC anyway. The NIMAC is also happy to help you follow up with publishers regarding required files that are not yet in the system.

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