Jim Fruchterman gets a kick out of figuring new ways to do things that might make the world a better place. The Switzerland-based Schwab Foundation noted these qualities when this year they named Mr. Fruchterman, a Californian, one of the world's 10 most outstanding social entrepreneurs.

His first social entrepreneurism came in the mid-1980s with the formation of a nonprofit company, Arkenstone Inc. Its purpose was to sell and distribute Mr. Fruchterman's OpenBook software. By using a scanner, computer and the OpenBook software, people whose vision or cognitive disabilities rendered reading a chore or impossible were able to read mail, magazines, homework and books.

This year, Mr. Fruchterman's latest innovative idea became a reality, and word can't spread fast enough.

The idea came to him when his teenage son used Napster, the now-defunct music-sharing service.

People who are blind, visually impaired, dyslexic or otherwise unable to read print with ease have been using Mr. Fruchterman's OpenBook or Kurzweil Educational Systems software to make books accessible via computers.

Once scanned and translated, the text that was inaccessible can be read and manipulated electronically. It can be interpreted via synthesized speech, a refreshable braille display, enlarged font, or combinations of highlighting and contrast that render print friendlier to the reader with learning disabilities.

But it takes time to scan an entire book. So what if people scanning books could share those files with others? And, if the community of those sharing the books were controlled, Mr. Fruchterman knew there would be no legal concerns. (A 1996 change in U.S. copyright law says that books can be produced in any alternative format if the format is specifically intended for use by individuals with print-related disabilities.)

In February, Bookshare.org was launched. More than 11,000 titles are available, from best sellers to classics to how-to and romance. The collection is growing daily.

On the Bookshare.org site, members or visitors can browse by category, title or author, or use the simple search function to locate a particular book. Books are downloaded in a compressed or "packed" form, and then "unpacked" with software available only to Bookshare members.

Once unpacked, the book can be read at the computer - using the monitor, synthesized speech, braille display or whatever combination of tools is effective - or the book can be transferred for portable reading to a notetaker, sent to a braille embosser for hardcopy braille, or to a printer for large print or other specially formatted printout.

Three safety nets prevent any easy violation of the copyright ruling.

First, to be a member, individuals must provide proof of disability (usually a doctor-signed statement). Next, all copyrighted books are available in only two formats, both requiring specific software that only people with print disabilities would have access to.

Finally, all files are encrypted and must be unpacked with the Bookshare.org "unpack" application. To become a member costs $50 a year, plus a one-time $25 setup fee. Go to www.bookshare.org.

Typically, book lovers who can't read the conventional version have had to wait up to a year for books to become available in audio or other formats, if at all. With Bookshare.org, books can become available for download within weeks.

Contact Deborah Kendrick by phone: 673-4474; fax: 321-6430; e-mail:dkkendrick@earthlink.net.