BULLETIN BOARD

A Newsletter of the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
Winter 2004
Volume 21, Number 3

Regional Library Now a FreeSpot

The Wisconsin Regional Library is now a FreeSpot-patrons can visit with their Internet-capable wireless devices and connect to the Internet for free using WiFi technology. This fast internet access is just one of the changes that will be made to the Library this year. In preparation for the transition to the digital system implementation that will begin in 2008, the Wisconsin Regional Library is being reorganized physically for more efficient service to our patrons. (As was mentioned in a previous edition of the newsletter, the National Library Service is in the midst of a full-scale transition from analog audio cassettes to digital talking books, a project that will involve converting approximately 30,000 titles (about 10 percent of NLS' collection from analog tape recordings to master digital recordings, and developing a digital playback device to replace the four-track tape player that has been in service for nearly three decades). Please disregard the confusion you may encounter if you visit the library during 2004.

Announcements:

Independence First, The Resource For People With Disabilities, 600 West Virginia Street, Milwaukee, has released its Milwaukee County Calendar of workshops for 2004. All sessions will be held from 10:00 AM to noon on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Contact Phillip Corona (414) 291-7520 ext. 8377 TTY/Voice for calendar and registration information.

A new magazine is now available from the NLS MSCE Quality Assurance Program--"Vital Speeches of the Day". Vital Speeches is a biweekly periodical, typically 30-35 print pages in length, with no advertising. Each recorded issue covers two to three sides and is housed on one cassette. Each issue features 8-10 speeches by individuals "who have attained leadership in the fields of economics, politics, education, sociology, government, criminology, finance, business, taxation, health, law, labor, etc."

3 titles on CD have been added to the Regional Library collection: CD 1, Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible"; CD 2, Luis Valdez's play, "Zoot Suit"; and CD 3, Trish Hinojosa's children's poetry, "Cada Nino / Every Child: a Bilingual Album for Kids". These will circulate for 8 weeks. If our patrons express an interest, further title spoken word albums will be added.

Booklist: Mysteries in the Manner of Elizabeth George

Many of us have enjoyed Elizabeth George's mysteries about Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers-either on PBS's Mystery or in book form. Here are similar writers you might enjoy:

Butler, Gwendolyn. Coffin on Murder Street. American actress Nell Casey, in London appearing in a theatre festival-run by Inspector Coffin's lover--appeals to the police when she feels her son is in danger. His teddy bear was stolen and buried in their yard under a marker with her son's name on it. Then the boy disappears. Was he kidnapped? Did his mother arrange it as a publicity stunt? Did a just-released-from-prison pederast have anything to do with it? RC 35815

Crais, Robert. Demolition Angel. Carol Starkey is a member of the Los Angeles police force who is still shaken three years after her partner and lover David Boudreaux was killed by a bomb. When another member of the force is blown up, Carol investigates and thinks she has discovered the culprit--a mysterious madman known as Mr. Red. When she encounters Mr. Red over the Internet, he denies any connection to the crimes and vows to find the real culprit himself to clear his name. This author is a great friend of Elizabeth George's and one of her favorites to read. RC 50262

Crombie, Deborah. All shall be well. Jasmine Dent, knowing her days are numbered by cancer, asks her friend Meg Bellamy to help her die before her condition gets too bad. Relieved when Jasmine changes her mind, Meg feels betrayed when Jasmine dies that night. Jasmine's neighbor, Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, is also puzzled. Will reclusive Jasmine's long-running journal explain whether her death was natural, or suicide, or even murder? RC 38691

Dexter, Colin. The Dead of Jericho. At a party, Inspector Morse meets Anne Scott, an attractive woman with whom he is immediately smitten. While in her hometown of Jericho, Morse decides to look her up, but he is too late. Anne is dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. Morse refuses to believe this and launches his own investigation to find the killer. RC 14823

Fyfield, Frances. A Question of Guilt. Crown Prosecution lawyer Helen West and police detective Geoffrey Bailey must work together to try to tie Eileen Cartwright to the murder of her lawyer's wife. RCW 583

Hill, Reginald. Ruling Passion. Police Sergeant Peter Pascoe and his girl, invited to spend a weekend with old friends in a village in Northern England, arrive to find three dead at the cottage. Only the host is missing. Some strong language. RC 11786

James, P.D. A Taste for Death. Adam Dalgiesh and his assistant are confounded with the murder of a minister of the Crown in the vestry of St. Matthew's Church. RC 23933

Parker, T. Jefferson. The Blue Hour. Tim Hess, retired police detective, is down but not out. Stricken with cancer, he returns to the force to help solve a series of murders. Hess is paired with the young, beautiful, pretentious Merci Rayborn. They are on the trail of a serial killer called the Purse Snatcher, thus named because his calling card is the bloody purse of his victim. Through the investigation and his relationship with Rayborn, Hess is renewed and he reevaluates his outlook on life. This author is one of Elizabeth George's favorites. RC 49184

Robinson, Peter. The Hanging Valley. The recent murder of a young man visiting from Canada takes Inspector Banks back five years to the murder of a private detective investigating yet an earlier murder of a young girl and a woman's disappearance at the same time. Before finding the truth about the young man's murder, Banks must travel to Canada to try and find the woman gone missing earlier. RC 36869

Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills. This novel and its sequels revolve around a DI who is gassed in WWI and is responsible for the execution of a deserter. Ian Rutledge is a tortured man, who lives with the persona of Hamish in his head now that the war is over. RCW 584

BULLETIN BOARD is published four times a year by the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped. It is available in large print, Braille, and audio-cassette 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://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wrlbph/index.html (website)
http://wmbph.mpl.org/opac (on-line catalog)

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

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:52:02 AM