BULLETIN BOARD

A Newsletter of the Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
Winter 2008
Volume 25, Number 3

Update on Digital Talking Books

During the past few months, we have heard from hundreds of talking book readers who are concerned about the conversion from talking books on cassette tapes to the new digital talking books, a process that was scheduled to start sometime in the last half of 2008.

The majority of our talking books, and all of the machines to play them, are produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress. These materials are then distributed to the national network of cooperating libraries, for loan to registered customers with print disabilities in Wisconsin.

Since we rely on NLS for most of our talking books and all playback equipment, how long the conversion takes will depend on sufficient funding for the Library of Congress, which is funded by the federal government. When the conversion plan was developed, we expected the conversion process to start in 2008 and to be complete by the end of 2012. Both recording formats will be produced throughout the transition, and for several years afterwards.

It now appears that the amount of funding that will be made available for the conversion in 2008 will be only about 65% of what was requested by NLS, so the conversion will be spread out over several more years than we had originally hoped, unless additional federal funding is provided later. The first digital talking book players will go to military veterans, so we need our former servicemen and women to fill out the attached survey.

For now, the talking book program will continue as it has in the past, with recorded books and magazines available on cassette. Since the cassette players are no longer being made, we may develop waiting lists for cassette players over the next few years. Our volunteers are trying to repair more players that are returned from customers, but it is not clear whether we will be able to keep up with demand, so please be patient with us if you need a replacement player. We will ship one as soon as possible.

You can help by taking good care of your cassette player, and by keeping food and beverages at a safe distance from the equipment. Also, if you have a talking book cassette player that you are not using, please return it to us so that it can be loaned to another reader.

Current patrons who use both a personal computer and a Victor Stream Reader may register to download the NLS digital talking books and magazines at their website, https://www.nlstalkingbooks.org/dtb/DownloadPilot.html.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. federal Department of Education has made a major five-year award of $32 million to Bookshare.org. This funding is to fully support all schools and students with qualifying print disabilities in the United States, K-12 and post-secondary, with free access to the entire Bookshare.org collection of accessible electronic books and to software for reading those books. Bookshare.org will add more than 100,000 new educational books and materials to the existing collection of over 34,000 titles. Bookshare.org is expected to provide millions of books to students through this new program over the next five years, at a tenth or less of the historical cost of providing these services.

RESOURCES

The Regional Library has free Braille calendars available for distribution. Inexpensive large print calendars are available from the Wisconsin Council of the Blind, 1-800-783-5213. For a complete list of organizations that produce calendars in braille, print/braille, or large print, phone or email the Regional Library.

TV Guide listings are available on Newsline. To register to receive them over the phone or via email, phone the Regional Library at 1-800-242-8822.

"Se habla Espaņol." The Regional Library has fluent Spanish speakers on staff to help our Spanish-speaking patrons.

2007 Additions to Our Wisconsin Recorded Book Collection: an Accessible Book List

Apps, Jerry. Country Ways and Country Days: from weathervanes and tractors to auctions and outhouses--remembering rural life. Childhood anecdotes of farm life in Wisconsin's Chain o'Lakes region in the mid-20th century. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 721

Bebris, Carrie. Pride and Prescience, or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged: a Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery. Mr. & Mrs. Darcy, the joyous newlyweds from "Pride and Prejudice", have not even left for their honeymoon when they find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving one of their wedding guests. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 625

Callanan, Liam. All Saints: a novel. 40ish Emily has seen three husbands, dozens of friends, and hundreds of high school students come and go. Though her popular, occasionally irreverent church history course is rich with stories of long-dead saints, Emily uneasily discovers that it’s her own tumultuous life that fascinates certain students most. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 719

Eckstein, Neil T. Norton’s Folly: Norwegian Immigrants and Yankee Neighbors on the Wisconsin Frontier, 1849-1857. A historical saga of the Neenah settlement, and the hardy Norwegian immigrants who arrived in Wisconsin in the first half of the 19th century. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 810

Hamilton, Jane. When Madeline was Young. When Aaron MacIver’s beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers brain damage in a bike accident, she is left with the intellectual powers of a six-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care for Madeline with deep tenderness and devotion as they raise two children of their own. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 710

Kearns, Mary. Holy Hill: Its History. A short history of the shrine to St. Mary Help of Christians, maintained by the Roman Catholic Discalced Carmelite Friars at their basilica at Holy Hill in Erin, Washington County, Wisconsin. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 1

Lynch, Chris. Whitechurch. Describes the stresses in the triangular relationship of two aimless teenage boys and a girl living in a small town. For junior and senior high readers. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 754

Murray, Catherine T. Recipes of a Lifetime: a Collection from Readers. Cherished recipes submitted by the readers of the Wisconsin State Journal. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 356

Nelscott, Kris. Smoke-Filled Rooms: a Smokey Dalton Mystery. Smokey Dalton has resurfaced in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention, protecting a young boy who knows the true identities of the assassins of Dr. Martin Luther King. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 687

Powers, Jessica. Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers. A book of Christian poetry by a Wisconsin Discalced Carmelite nun, Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 743

Soto, Gary. Buried Onions. When 19-year-old Eddie drops out of college, he struggles to find a place for himself as a Mexican-American living in a violence-infested neighborhood of Fresno, California. For senior high and adult readers. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 755

Tracy, P.J. Live Bait: Monkeewrench; 2. An investigation of two brutal homicides threatens to uncover a series of horrendous secrets, some buried within the heart of the Minneapolis Police Department itself, blurring the lines between heroes and villains. Grace MacBride's cold-case-solving software may find the missing link - but at a terrible price. Minnesota Book Award. Taped by ABLE, Inc. RCW 697

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://wmbph.mpl.org/opac (on-line public access catalog)

In preparation for digitalization, we need to update our patron records. Veterans and students will receive the new digital machines first. Having your email address permits us to notify you quickly of important news. Please take the time to complete this survey and return it either by mail or email. Thank you.

Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped Survey of Readers

Name	_____________________________________________________
E-mail	_____________________________________________________
Telephone	_____________________________________________________
Birthdate	_____________________________________________________
Contact Name & Telephone	_____________________________________________________
Gender:	Male [___] Female [___]
Are you a veteran of the United States Armed Forces?	Yes [___] No [___]
Are you a student?	Yes [___] No [___]

Thank you for completing this survey.

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

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