[dvdvol] dvd and CD volunteer instructions

[Aaron Cannon]

Thank you very much for your interest in helping us to distribute CD and 
DVDs.  This is an important and enjoyable part of  the work of Project 
Gutenberg.  Without this valuable service many people would not have access 
to the EBooks of PG.

Here's an overview of how the CD and DVD Project works.  We receive a 
request for either a CD, DVD or both as per the instructions at 
http://www.gutenberg.org/cdproject/ .  After we receive the request, we 
send a confirmation E-mail to let them know that their request has been 
received and to give them an idea of how long it will be before their discs 
are sent.  Requests can either come from the web form or directly to 
cd at pglaf.org.  If they come to cd at pglaf.org, they are generally entered 
into the web form by me so that the automated reply can be generated and so 
their request can be added to the database kept by the processing script.

Each request is then handed out to volunteers, generally in the order they 
were received (although I have been known to give priority status to 
teachers, libraries and people who make donations, but such actions are 
neither advertised nor consistent).  To some volunteers I send only 
requests from certain regions of the world, and others take requests from 
anywhere.  It all depends on the location of the person and what they are 
interested in helping with.  In the past I have sent out as few as ten or 
as many as 100 requests to a single volunteer, however, I have since 
reconsidered that position and am now going to encourage volunteers to take 
only what they feel they can mail in the next 72 hours.  The reason is that 
handing out huge numbers of requests can cause disparity in the queue 
because some volunteers can understandably take quite some time to get 
through a large stack of requests.

The CD we currently mail is the Project Gutenberg Best Of CD, Aug. 2003 
Ed., and the DVD is the PG Dec. 2003 Ed..  Please only burn on dvd-r 
discs.  The DVD+R format has proven to be less than reliable when it comes 
to compatibility with older drives.

We always try to send two discs with each request.  which two obviously 
depends on which they request.  If they request a CD, we send two CDs.  If 
they request a DVD, we send a CD and DVD.  And if they request two DVDs, 
then, you guessed it, they get two DVDs. :)  The discs are generally sent 
in simple paper sleeves in a 6" x 9" envelope with a folded insert printed 
on standard letter-sized paper.  To receive a copy of the insert in .rtf or 
word format, please E-mail me off list.

By always sending two discs, we not only give them an extra to give to a 
friend, but we also simplify things by keeping the weight of each envelope 
the same.  This makes it a lot easier when dealing with postage.  In the 
US, the packages all weigh in at just under 2 ounces.  This allows us to 
send them for $0.60 to anywhere in the US, $0.85 to Canada, and from 
between $1.55-1.70 to the rest of the world.  Postage rates when mailing 
from other countries will of course vary, but if you are paying 
substantially more than this for certain countries, you may want to leave 
those locations to volunteers in the US.

When mailing the discs from the US to other countries, you may be told by 
the post office that you are required to fill out customs forms.  This is 
not correct.  Customs forms are only required when mailing packages at or 
over a pound in weight or when the contents is dutiable.  Neither is the 
case for the discs we send.  If they persist, ask the employee to check the 
International Mail Manual or request to speak with the Postmaster.  In 
general, however, you shouldn't have much trouble.

It's also very important to shop around when buying supplies.  Prices can 
vary widely from vender to vender.  As a guideline, CDs should cost no more 
than $0.25 each and DVD-rs should cost no more than $0.50.  Anymore than 
this and it's not worth your money.  Remember that you will always save 
more when you buy in bulk.

If you are interested in being reimbursed for some or all of the expenses 
you incur, you must save and send us all receipts.  You can either send 
them as image files attached to E-mail messages or as photocopies by 
snailmail.  We will reimburse you via paypal, so you'll need an account there.

When you ask us to send you a batch of requests, they will come in the 
following format:

(mediatype)
E-mail
Name
Address
Address
Country

If the address is from the US, the country will be omitted.

The only other part of this which may require a bit of explaining is the 
mediatype field.  As mentioned previously, we always send two discs.
(cd) = 2 CDs
(dvd) = 1 DVD and 1 CD
(2 dvd) = 2 DVDs.

So, a standard request looks like the following:
(dvd)
cannona at fireantproductions.com
Aaron Cannon
521 N Fake ST. APT 111
Davenport IA 52803-1234

After you burn package and mail the requests, the only thing left to do is 
to notify the requesters that their discs have been mailed.  To receive the 
standard reply that we send, E-mail me off list.  Also, please make sure 
that you CC all E-mails which you send to cd at pglaf.org so we can keep records.

After that you can E-mail me to let me know that you've fulfilled your 
current batch and whether or not you would like more.


All in all, it's not terribly complicated.  However, if you do have any 
questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  Otherwise, to get started, drop 
me a line at cannona at fireantproductions.com and I'll send you a batch.

The information in these instructions will be changing soon due to the new 
automated system I am working on.  Most of the sending of confirmations and 
handing out of batches will be reduced to  a few mouse clicks.  However, 
the basics of mailing and package preparation will not change.  Stay tuned 
to this list for updates.

Thanks again for your interest and I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely
Aaron Cannon


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E-mail: cannona at fireantproductions.com
Skype: cannona
MSN Messenger: cannona at hotmail.com (Do not send E-mail to the hotmail address.)