BULLETIN BOARD

A Newsletter of the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
Summer 2008
Volume 26, Number 1

Update on Federal Funding and the Digital Transition

The National Library Service (NLS) budget request for an increase of $19,100,000 each year for four years to expedite the transition of the audio books program from analog to digital was not approved. When the omnibus domestic spending bill was signed into law on December 26, 2007, it included a budget increase for NLS of $12,500,000 each year for six years, rather than the requested $19,100,000 each year. For Wisconsin patrons, this means that the beginning of the transition to digital books and players has been delayed until this winter, and the change to digital will likely be completed in 2014 instead of 2012. Eventually we will provide a free player to every registered user, but those who don't want to wait have the option of purchasing a compatible device for downloading the NLS digital audio books.

In addition to the Victor Reader Stream, two more devices can now be used to read downloadable audio materials from NLS: (1) The LevelStar Icon is a portable device for the visually impaired that gives you access to all of your contacts, documents, and media on the go. Icon, with its 40 GB hard drive, can store thousands of documents and audio files. Icon users are now able to download NLS books directly using the Icon's powerful web browser and its wireless connection, and play and navigate them using Icon's Bookshelf. To learn more about the Icon and its support for NLS content, please visit www.levelstar.com, or call 1-800-315-2305, or send email to info@levelstar.com; (2) American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.'s Braille Plus Mobile Manager is a hand held, accessible tool that combines entertainment and productivity into one device small enough to easily fit into a pocket or purse. With its large hard drive, the Braille Plus stores dozens of books at a time, and with its built-in web browser, the user can download and read any of the NLS DTB collection without having to use a computer at all. For complete information about the Braille Plus, please see www.aph.org/tech/pda_info.htm. Current owners of these devices are just a free software upgrade away from adding the ability to download and read NLS talking books and magazines.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

VSVH now ABLE, Inc. Volunteer Services for the Visually Handicapped will now be known as ABLE, Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement, Inc. Though a new name and a new look, the mission of providing alternative ways for people with print disabilities to read will continue. As they have been doing for 43 years, ABLE volunteers will continue working in cooperation with the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to record and braille requested books. ABLE also has begun a new cooperative venture with WRLBPH developing a local ABLE Channel on NFB Newsline® to provide up-to-date information about what is happening in Milwaukee, in Wisconsin, and in the blindness community. If you would like to talk with ABLE directly, feel free to phone 414-286-3039.

Retired Reader Advisor Catherine Hewitt is our newest Library Ambassador. New Librarian Meredith Vnuk wishes Cathy well at her April retirement party, and expresses our delight that she will continue to promote the National Library Service as one of Wisconsin's Library Ambassadors. Library Ambassadors advocate for Talking Books by visiting residential facilities, adult day cares, vision support groups or other institutions that would benefit from a visit by a Talking Book reader, to demonstrate the machine and answer questions about the service. Ambassadors may also be asked to represent the Regional Library at exhibits. If you are interested in helping the Regional Library, please phone us at 1-800-242-8822 or email us at lbph@milwaukee.gov.

Our updated 2008 Audio-described Videocassette Catalog is available for shipping. Audio-described videos contain a second audio soundtrack where a narrator describes the action during gaps between dialog. They can be played in any VCR. If you would like one, please phone the Regional Library at 800-242-8822 and we will ship you one.

In November 2007 the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library awarded $10,000 to MPL to purchase Playaway collections for every branch library. For those who have not yet had a chance to experiment with them, the new audio books are branded as "Playaway" and are produced by Findaway World, LLC. Playaway combines pre-loaded digital content and a player into one compact device. It's simple to operate and it's highly portable. The benefit this format provides for libraries is its accessibility to those who lack their own personal CD players, computers, and technological savvy to use downloadable formats. The new collection debuted on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. At Milwaukee Neighborhood Libraries, the Playaway collection was introduced as a floating collection, and each location received an initial collection of six to eight new audio books. The MPL Central and Center Street Library's collections of Playaway units are not part of the floating collection at this time. Playaway audiobooks have a loan period of seven days, and are holdable.

The mission of the new AIR Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is to promote universal accessibility so that every blind and low-vision person in the world has access to digital information over the Internet and Worldwide Web. The foundation's executive director, Art Schreiber, announced that the organization's first offering will be free usage of a Web 2.0 accessible screen reader. The product is provided through an exclusive license in perpetuity granted to The AIR Foundation from Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of Internet and digital information accessibility software and services. The screen reader is called SA To Go and is powered by Serotek's award-winning System Access software which provides immediate text to speech, magnified visual, and Braille access to digital information presented through the Web or other means, while the user is directly connected to the Internet. The software does not remain resident on the user's computer when the connection to the Internet is interrupted or terminated. Users can obtain access to the free software by calling 877-369-0101 or visiting www.AccessibilityIsaRight.org.

ViewPlus has announced the release of the new IVEO Hands-on Learning System (v.2). IVEO is a multi-sensory learning system that makes teaching of visual concepts - diagrams, images and even art - more complete and interactive, while incorporating tools to better accommodate people with visual or learning disabilities. The IVEO system includes a touch-sensitive pad on which raised or embossed templates are placed. Students can touch the tactile pictures and diagrams on the pad while the software speaks descriptions of the objects being touched. Descriptions can include computer speech, recorded speech, sounds, music or even links to web pages or computer files that contain information about objects on the tactile template. ViewPlus Technologies, Inc. is a private firm that develops and manufactures hardware and software for people with sensory disabilities, including people who are blind, low-vision and learning disabled. For more information about ViewPlus and the IVEO Hands-on Learning System please visit the ViewPlus website, www.viewplus.com, email info@viewplus.com, or call 541-754-4002.

RESOURCES

To protect the security of our communities, each state has a homeland security and emergency services office that works with federal, state and local partners to prevent acts of terrorism, protect lives and safeguard property. Each state office works closely with both public and private sector stakeholders in a wide range of disciplines, including law enforcement, emergency medical and fire services, public works, agriculture, public health and safety, communications and transportation. To find information addressing the needs of people with disabilities in emergency situations in your state, visit the Department of Homeland Security Web site. The federal government's Disability Preparedness Web site is another useful source for practical information on how people with and without disabilities can prepare for an emergency. Regional Library users lacking internet access may phone 1-800-242-8822 for information.

Did you know that you can appeal a decision on your Social Security disability claim online? To be able to use this Internet process, a claimant must: 1) have applied for benefits; 2) have received a "Notice of Disapproved Claim", a "Notice of Reconsideration" or "Notice of Federal Reviewing Official Decision"; 3) disagree with the disability decision; and 4) live in the United States or one of its territories. Visit the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Web site to use this online appeal option. Visit the Benefits section of <DisabilityInfo.gov> for more information on the eligibility requirements for Social Security disability benefits. Again, Regional Library users lacking internet access may phone 1-800-242-8822 for information.

Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) promote the integration of long-term care information and referral services. These centers help consumers complete financial applications for Medicaid and obtain long-term supports and services. By serving all income groups and all disabilities, ADRCs assist a wide range of individuals, including family caregivers, in obtaining long-term supports and services in the most desirable and appropriate setting. Visit the ADRC Locator to find a center in your state. More resources for older Americans can be found in the Health section of DisabilityInfo.gov, or by phoning the Regional Library at 1-800-242-8822 for information.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jan Karon Readalikes

Chiaverini, Jennifer. The Quilter's Apprentice: a Novel. Sarah McClure can't find a job after she and her husband moved to the small town of Waterford, Pennsylvania. Then crotchety old Sylvia Compson asks Sarah to help organize her family estate and agrees to include quilting lessons as part of the salary. As they work, Sylvia gradually opens up to Sarah about her past. RCW 2242.

Duncan, Jane. My Friends George and Tom. Janet Sandison comes home to a small fishing village in Scotland leaving behind 10 years of happiness with her husband Twice, whose death has brought to an end their life on the island of St. Jago in the West Indies. Before her lies a new career as a novelist and a return to her childhood friends, George and Tom. 2-track cassettes. RCW 3120.

Evans, Richard Paul. The Letter. A woman leaves a letter at the grave of Andrea Parkin, daughter of David and Mary Anne Parkin. As David comes to grips with the contents of the letter, he must also deal with Mary Anne's departure from his life. RC 44841.

Goudge, Elizabeth. A City of Bells. Mr. Jocelyn Irvin, a shell-shocked veteran of the Boer War, decides to leave home and move in with his grandfather, Canon Fordyce, in the English country town of Torminster. There he meets two orphans adopted by his grandparents and falls in love with an actress, Felicity Summers. RC 54388.

Guareschi, Giovanni. The Little World of Don Camillo. A small village in post-war Italy is the setting for the humorous ideological sparring between a priest and the Communist mayor. A satirical approach to the conflict between Christian and Communist-totalitarian dogmas. RC 15031.

Gulley, Philip. Signs and Wonders: a Harmony Novel. In the quiet town of Harmony, Quaker pastor Sam Gardner's wife, Barbara, wins a trip to the Caribbean and debates going without him. The women's circle gives matchmaking help to attractive, single Deena Morrison, and Dale Hinshaw hatches an implausible scheme to save sinners. RC 60560.

Kinkade, Thomas. Cape Light: Cape Light Novels, Book 1. First in a series of novels by the well-known landscape painter and his coauthor set in a Massachusetts community where everyone knows and cares deeply for one another. Introduces Jessica, recently returned; her sister, Emily, the mayor; the owners of the local eatery; and Reverend Ben, who counsels and consoles the residents. RC 56704.

Marshall, Catherine. Julie. Julie Wallace relates her family's ordeal in a flood-prone town in western Pennsylvania during the 1930s. Her father buys the weekly newspaper in a company town run by the ruthless owners of the local steel mill. As a reporter for the paper, Julie crusades against the steel barons and exposes a life-threatening dam they refuse to fortify. She also discovers the miseries and delights of first love. RC 21210.

Medlicott, Joan A. The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love. Three widowed roommates leave their Pennsylvania boardinghouse for the North Carolina mountains to look at a dilapidated farmhouse one of them has inherited. Against the wishes of their children and landlady, the women move in and soon find their lives dramatically changed--for the better. RC 51224.

Pym, Barbara. No Fond Return of Love. Not quite resigned to spinsterhood, Dulcie attends a conference where she meets fellow indexer Violet and the handsome literary editor Aylwin. Although everyone appears to take advantage of Dulcie's good nature, the unpresumptuous English heroine eventually finds her own happy ending. RC 20016.

Read, Miss. Village Diary. The headmistress of a school in a small English village relates developments in her life in rural England, especially the arrival of a retired male teacher and the villagers' hope for a romance. RC 32414.

Ross, Ann B. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind. Miss Julia, of Abbotsville, North Carolina, is just recovering from the shock of her husband's death, when Hazel Marie Puckett arrives on her doorstep with a nine-year-old boy. Mr. Springer might have left Miss Julia well off financially (which she is just beginning to enjoy), but he also left her with a stepson. RC 49141.

Wubbels, Lance. The Bridge over Flatwillow Creek. Minnesota, 1900s. Annie and Stuart's lives change the day that Stuart rescues her from drowning in Flatwillow Creek. Even though Annie's father insists that she marry the banker's son and Stuart is torn between a career in the ministry versus one in medicine, God's love shows them the way. RC 48307.

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)
1-414-286-3102 (FAX)
lbph@milwaukee.gov (e-mail)
http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/lbphinfo.html (website)
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 4/18/2008 8:18:21 AM