Idea: DIY book scanners - free textbooks

[Lavender Lilac]

While becoming increasingly frustrated with my inability to find my terribly expensive textbooks available online for download, I stumbled across this site:

http://www.diybookscanner.org/forum/index.php

They make their own book scanners. It looks REALLY complicated, though, and there is no way I could do this. Even just the kit to make the things costs like $600. Does anyone here think they could make something like this, for cheaper? And maybe be willing to sell them?

[takedrugs_killpeople]

i dont know but college textbooks are a fucking scam, someones gotta stop that shit sooner or later

[Spatula Tzar]

I've thought about this plenty. By far the fastest and easiest way to scan books is to cut off the binding, and run the loose sheets through a standard batch scanner. Of course this prevents the book from being returned, meaning you help everyone on the internet but yourself.

I'd like to see someone start a student group based on this. The members get together, and figure out which books they need for their courses. If multiple people need the same book, they buy one, splitting the cost. It will then be online for everyone in the future.

If the group somehow manages to get funding from the school, they could either buy/build a nondestructive scanner, or simply buy the books. The cut books could also be put in a three ring binder, and sold to recover some costs.

[Lavender Lilac]

Originally Posted by Spatula Tzar

I've thought about this plenty. By far the fastest and easiest way to scan books is to cut off the binding, and run the loose sheets through a standard batch scanner. Of course this prevents the book from being returned, meaning you help everyone on the internet but yourself.

I'd like to see someone start a student group based on this. The members get together, and figure out which books they need for their courses. If multiple people need the same book, they buy one, splitting the cost. It will then be online for everyone in the future.

If the group somehow manages to get funding from the school, they could either buy/build a nondestructive scanner, or simply buy the books. The cut books could also be put in a three ring binder, and sold to recover some costs.

There is no way they could get funding from the school, this actually sounds illegal. And if a student group were to start up in order to do this, I have a feeling they would quickly be shut down by the school, and possibly pursued by law enforcement.

[ThunderDownUnder]

Originally Posted by Spatula Tzar

It will then be online for everyone in the future.

This may work for some books at some universities in some countries, but sadly that wouldn't work in Australia on a 'wide scale'.

Here the universities release new books every single year to fuck people over, changing random little things and then the professors say 'Oh if you get this thing wrong you failzzzzzz'.

But, I suppose it would still be worth it, as doing it once a year for different courses would still save a lot of people money.

[Mutant Funk Drink]

One of the easier ways to "scan" a book is the set a high-quality camera on a tripod and matte lighting; take a picture every time you turn the pages, OCR, and PDF.

[Lanny]

Originally Posted by Spatula Tzar

I've thought about this plenty. By far the fastest and easiest way to scan books is to cut off the binding, and run the loose sheets through a standard batch scanner. Of course this prevents the book from being returned, meaning you help everyone on the internet but yourself.

I'd like to see someone start a student group based on this. The members get together, and figure out which books they need for their courses. If multiple people need the same book, they buy one, splitting the cost. It will then be online for everyone in the future.

If the group somehow manages to get funding from the school, they could either buy/build a nondestructive scanner, or simply buy the books. The cut books could also be put in a three ring binder, and sold to recover some costs.

This is actually a really good idea. Illegal, yes, but only in the same way as downloading music. Next time I have a textbook I can't sell back I'm totally going to do this. Anyone know any sites or anything that specifically host text books?