BULLETIN BOARD

A Newsletter of the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
Spring 2007
Volume 24, Number 4

Get a Clue @ Your Library: Wisconsin's 2007 Summer Library Program

The Wisconsin Regional Library once more is working with the statewide Summer Reading Program being offered by libraries throughout Wisconsin. This year's theme is "Get a Clue @ Your Library." Children interested in taking part in the summer reading program may sign up at their local public libraries, but read materials from the Regional Library. Libraries may request Brailled copies of activities from the summer reading program manual by phoning Patricia Froelich at the Colorado State Library (303) 866-6908. The Regional Library has available a .jpeg file with the Braille equivalent of the following phrases: "Get a Clue @ Your Library" and "YNK - You Never Know @ Your Library" (the statewide program for young adults). Also available is a list of mysteries in alternative format. Children may request this list in large print, Braille, cassette tape or e-text format.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Regional Library wants to remind our patrons: (1) Please DON'T put notes in the green boxes. This is against federal law. Just phone us with your concerns at 1-800-242-8822. (2) Please DO put your name and address on all correspondence sent to us. If we receive a book order or note without attribution, we don't know whom to help.

Baen Books (www.baen.com), a publisher of science fiction, is providing books to blind, paralyzed, or dyslexic fans, or fans who are amputees, in electronic form free of charge. Baen Books is making this offer in recognition of all our disabled military veterans. Right now convalescing vets might welcome an exciting, fast-action tale to pass the time. Jim Baen, founder of Baen Books, who passed on June 28, 2006, decided to "provide each challenged reader with a permanent pass" to the regular e-publication of Baen's new books. Since 1999, Baen has published its new books as ebooks each month, in several formats, with no Digital Rights Management, through WebScriptions (www.webscriptions.net), for a small fee. Now, this service will be available at no cost to the disabled, who must apply for this privilege. Applications will be processed by ReadAssist (www.readassist.org), a volunteer group devoted to helping disabled readers find the books they want in the form they need. The application form has been set up by ReadAssist, and can be found through either WebScriptions or ReadAssist.

Milwaukee's Central Library is the location of the first Outpost booth for StoryCorps, a national project to instruct and inspire people to record each others' stories in sound. StoryCorps facilitators help interviewers figure out what questions to ask and handle all the technical aspects of recording the memories of family members. After the hour-long session, participants receive a copy of the interview on CD. With the participants' permission, another copy goes to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. A donation of $10 is suggested. StoryCorps will be recording in Central Library's Oriental Room from Jan. 25 to July 25, gathering over 250 interviews. To learn more about StoryCorps and how to interview a family member, log on to the StoryCorps Web site www.storycorps.net or call them toll free (24 hours a day, seven days a week) at (800) 850-4406.

RESOURCES

LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Their goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. LibriVox <http://librivox.org/> is a totally volunteer, open source, free content, public domain project.

ReadPlease is text-to-speech software for Windows-based operating systems. There is a free downloadable version at http://www.readplease.com/. ReadPlease will magnify and/or read aloud text from a webpage, email, or scanned document. It is intended for people with low vision, and is easy to use.

EnjoyReading is an online reading discussion group for the blind and visually impaired. The purpose of this electronic discussion group is to discuss reading experiences, both good and bad, with other blind and visually impaired users. Additionally, members may share new sources for accessible materials. To sign up, send an email to EnjoyReadingsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

BOOKLIST: New Books in the Wisconsin Collection. These titles are among many added to our collection during the past year:

Angel's Kite, by Alberto Blanco. A young boy makes a kite that mysteriously restores a long-missing bell to the town church. Bilingual in English and Spanish for kindergarten-grade 3. Americas Award Nominee. RCW 646

B is for Badger: a Wisconsin Alphabet, by Kathy-Jo Wargin. The intriguing facts and faces, history and places of Wisconsin are revealed to readers in this braille book filled with lyric rhymes. Preschool-grade 2. BRW 197

A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America, by Craig H. Werner. Emphasizing how musicians of all races draw on gospel, jazz and the blues, Werner celebrates how cultural tradition can embrace us all. Banta Award finalist for Outstanding Achievement by a Wisconsin Author. RCW 372

Cream City Chronicles: Stories of Milwaukee's Past, by John Gurda. Compilation of columns originally published in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. RCW 371

A Dangerous Road, by Kris Nelscott. While Memphis burns following the killing of Rev. King in April 1968, a boyhood friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., learns the truth about the violent death of his parents 20 years ago. Edgar Award Nominee. RCW 685

Dead Run, by P.J. Tracy. Monkeewrench founders Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky, along with Deputy Sharon Mueller, are driving from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where they believe a new serial killer is just warming up. When their car breaks down deep in the northern woods, the rest of the Monkeewrench crew strike out on a blind search to find them. RCW 696

Fire Within: A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin, by Kerry A. Trask. Uses diaries, letters, and newspaper articles to weave together personal viewpoints on wartime events, reflecting the impact of the Civil War on Wisconsin citizens at war and at home. Central to the account are the letters and diaries of a young Scottish immigrant enlisted in the 5th Wisconsin Volunteers, and the journal of Rosa Kellner, a teenage innkeeper in Manitowoc. RCW 324

Noodlehead, and Other Friends of the Family, by Tom Clark. Kenosha storyteller Tom Clark tells 6 favorite stories. Grades 3-6 and older interested readers. 2-track cassette. RCW 171

Shake Your "Tale" Feathers: Stories, Rhythm and Rhyme From Around the World, by Sadarri Saskill. The multi-lingual Kenosha teller shares 6 stories in English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole. Grades 2-4 and older interested readers. 2-track cassette. RCW 258

The Socksnatchers, by Lorna Balian. Whenever a sock disappears in the Perkins household, no one suspects the Socksnatchers who live in the cellar. Print/braille for kindergarten-grade 3. BRW 61

Speak, by Laurie H. Anderson. A traumatic event near the end of summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school. Junior & senior high readers. Michael J. Printz Award finalist. BRW 89

Stray Dogs, by John Ridley. In this noir thriller set in the Nevada desert, a gambler meets and plots a crime with a beautiful, seductive woman. RCW 286

The Turtle Warrior, by Mary Relindes Ellis. The story of the two Lucas brothers, their parents, and their Ojibwe neighbors, farmers in northern Wisconsin in the 1960s. Filled with family secrets and devastating abuse, their story culminates in an unexpected healing. Great Lakes Book Award. BRW 248 / RCW 580

BULLETIN BOARD is published four times a year by the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is available in large print, Braille, and audiocassette editions. The Wisconsin Regional Library makes no recommendations or endorsements concerning any products or services which may appear in this publication.

Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
813 West Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1436
1-414-286-3045 (in Milwaukee)
1-800-242-8822 (in Wisconsin)
1-414-286-3548 (TDD)
1-414-286-3102 (FAX)
lbph@milwaukee.gov (e-mail)
http://wmbph.mpl.org/opac (on-line public access catalog)

For questions about this information, contact Shiela A. Pollock (608) 224-5395

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:52:01 AM