Talking Book News Bulletin
Spring 2016

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Director's Report
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Book Club Reminder
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Large Print Recently Added


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National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped

Director's Report

Greetings! Here is the latest news:

Nomination of a new Librarian of Congress: As many of you know, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is a division of the Library of Congress. James H. Billington, who had been Librarian of Congress since 1987, retired at the end of September 2015. President Barack Obama recently nominated Dr. Carla D. Hayden to become the 14th Librarian of Congress. If confirmed, Dr. Hayden would become the first woman, the first African-American, and only the third librarian to head the institution in its 216-year history. She began her professional career at the Chicago Public Library, and in 1993, she was appointed director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the country’s oldest public libraries. Among her many honors are being named “National Librarian of the Year” by Library Journal, serving as the president of the American Library Association, and being appointed as a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board. Dr. Hayden’s confirmation hearing has not been scheduled at the time of this writing.

Reader Consultant position to be posted: We will be posting a vacant Reader Consultant position in the near future and are interested in applicants with visual disabilities. At a minimum, applicants must be able to work in the call center here in Austin, have excellent computer skills, have good interpersonal skills and a desire to serve people, and have a general knowledge of literature and reading interests.  Because this position requires talking to patrons on the telephone while simultaneously using a computer, extensive experience with screen readers and other adaptive technologies is a necessity.  Applicants who are proficient in Braille and who are successfully using BARD will be given preference in interviewing.  If you would like more information, please contact Stacey Hathaway-Bell, Manager of Reader Services, at 1-800-252-9605 or 1-512-463-5458.

NLS’s future technology plans: The biennial meeting of NLS network librarians recently was held in San Francisco, California, hosted by NLS sub-regional librarian Jane Glasby. The librarians got a preview of what NLS services may look like in approximately 5-7 years. NLS is planning to move all its technology operations into the Cloud, which will include a significant upgrade of BARD and building a new digital talking book machine that will allow books and magazines to be downloaded directly to it via Wi-Fi technology. In the meantime, NLS is acquiring more commercially-recorded audio books for BARD, as well as steadily moving toward having all of its analog tape recordings converted to digital recordings and uploaded to BARD. For those who read Braille, NLS plans to actively pursue the acquisition of refreshable Braille displays that can be loaned to qualified patrons like the reading machines currently are loaned.

Update on the new automation system: The automation project has been temporarily halted, and we hope to restart work later in the year. Among issues to be considered are those NLS technology plans that were canvassed in San Francisco. Staff is looking at the new plans and will make appropriate adjustments to the project’s functional requirements and timeline. Before restarting, we will have to resubmit the project for approval to the statewide agencies that oversee technology projects. Look for updates on the project in future issues of this newsletter.

More spring cleaning: Thanks to everyone who recently returned the older yellow cassette players and the record players. If you still have one that you are not using, please return it so we can reconcile our inventory records. Please remember that these older machines are still federal property, and we are still held accountable for them on our inventories. Please be sure that you are using the correct address when returning a machine. The address is 4400B Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78756; if you still have the original box that the machine was shipped in, this address is on that box. Note that we are not able to send you a replacement shipping box, but we can send you a mailing address label. If you need help returning your machine to TBP, please call 1-800-252-9605 and ask a reader consultant for assistance.

Helpful contact information for the Talking Book Program:


Until next time,
Ava Smith, Director, Talking Book Program

 

Call the Disability Information and Referral Center toll-free at 1-800-252-9605 for information
about disabilities and health conditions.

BARD Related Websites and Email Discussion Lists

Although our BARD support team is always happy to assist patrons with any BARD-related question or concern, TBP patrons who use the BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) service to download books and magazines may also find the following websites and email discussion lists useful.

BARD Support is an e-mail-based list to which all program participants have the option of subscribing.  This is a closed, one-way list to which NLS will occasionally post information of interest to the BARD community. 

To subscribe to the NLS BARD support list, open the subscription page at: https://updates.loc.gov/accounts/USLOC/subscriber/new?topic_id=USLOC_119&origin=http://www.loc.gov/rss/

Enter your e-mail address and select the Submit button. This will bring you to a confirmation page where you’ll be required to confirm your e-mail address and choose your delivery preferences. Finally, select the Submit button to subscribe to the list.

BARD Talk is an online resource and email community that provides BARD users a forum to discuss BARD. It has no official affiliation with NLS or TBP, but is owned and moderated by BARD users. To subscribe to the BARD Talk Yahoo Groups list or check out their FAQ or Quick Start Guide, go to: http://www.bardtalk.com/

DB Review is an email-based community that provides book reviews created by list members. Books reviewed are part of the digital talking book collection of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress. It has no official affiliation with NLS or TBP, but is owned and moderated by BARD users You can subscribe using the online form at this website: http://db-review.net/mailman/listinfo/db-review_db-review.net

 DARS News

If you are a client of DARS (Division for Blind Services or Division for Rehab Services) you should be contacted by your counselor in the next few months about changes to your service. The Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) is being restructured as of September 1, 2016. Services will shift to Independent Living Centers, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. The Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC) will have more information on this important change in the coming months.

Upcoming Book Club Meeting Reminder

The next Book Club meeting will be a discussion of
The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion
on Thursday, July 21 at 7:00 p.m. Central time.
To make a reservation, please call 1-800-252-9605, or send an email to tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov.

The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion
Socially stunted geneticist Don Tillman embarks on an endeavor he calls the Wife Project. As he quantifies the qualities of a perfect wife, he encounters Rosie, who seeks Don's help in identifying her real father. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.  Bestseller.  2013. 
BR 20455; DB 78150

Texas Talking Books will be closed for these holidays

Monday, February 15, 2016 ~ Presidents’ Day
Monday, May 30, 2016 ~ Memorial Day

Of course, you can leave a voicemail message or send e-mail on a holiday.

Large Print Titles Recently Added to the TBP Collection

Western Fiction
WAR COMES TO THE BIG BEND by Zane Grey, LB 08327
REGULATOR by Ethan Wolfe, LB 08320             
LEGEND OF CALEB YORK by Mickey Spillane, LB 08304    

Mystery Fiction
CRITICAL MASS by Sara Paretsky, LB 08283              
I WAS HERE by Gayle Forman, LB 08298                
DIE AGAIN by Tess Gerritsen, LB 08415                  
LADY FROM ZAGREB by Philip Kerr, LB 08349            
TRICKY TWENTY-TWO by Janet Evanovich, LB 08402
MURDER AT THE BREAKERS by Alyssa Maxwell, LB 08355     
GAME OF MIRRORS by Andrea Camilleri, LB 08414            
NIGHT SISTER by Jennifer McMahon, LB 08418      
DEADLY ASSETS: A BADGE OF HONOR NOVEL by W.E.B. Griffin, LB 08285

Historical Fiction
STAR FOR MRS. BLAKE by April Smith, LB 08411   
MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES by Alice Hoffman, LB 08427
GOLDEN LION by Wilbur A. Smith, LB 08404            
ARCHITECT'S APPRENTICE by Elif Shafak, LB 08425

Romance Fiction
BIG SKY SECRETS by Linda Lael Miller, LB 08409
CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs, LB 08412
LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP by Nina George, LB 08351
BOURBON KINGS by J.R. Ward, LB 08334
TEXAS PREY by Barb Han, LB 08284
COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas, LB 08391
LOPSIDED CHRISTMAS CAKE by Wanda E. Brunstetter, LB 08407
STARLIGHT ON WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs, LB 08413
SEA GARDEN BY Marcia Willett, LB 08426

Suspense Fiction
SOMETIMES THE WOLF by Urban Waite, LB 08419
HAVANA STORM by Clive Cussler, LB 08403

General Fiction
RUMOR by Elin Hilderbrand, LB 08354
LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS by Catherine Ryan Hyde, LB 08428 
SUMMER'S END by Mary Alice Monroe, LB 08429

Best Selling Non-Fiction
HALLUCINATIONS BY Oliver W. Sacks, LB 08449      
FLASH BOYS: A WALL STREET REVOLT by Michael Lewis, LB 08439
BILLION DOLLAR SPY: A TRUE STORY OF COLD WAR ESPIONAGE AND BETRAYAL by David E. Hoffman, LB 08433
BETTER THAN BEFORE: THE HABITS OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES by Gretchen Rubin, LB 08278
BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates, LB 08280 
CHASER: UNLOCKING THE GENIUS OF THE DOG WHO KNOWS A THOUSAND WORDS by John Pilley, LB 08444

Biography and Memoir
MAEVE'S TIMES: IN HER OWN WORDS by Maeve Binchy, LB 08437
MAKE 'EM LAUGH by Debbie Reynolds, LB 08371
DESTINY AND POWER: THE AMERICAN ODYSSEY OF GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH by Jon Meacham, LB 08369

Religious Non-Fiction
WAITING ON GOD by CHARLES STANELY, LB 08435
FIELDS OF BLOOD: RELIGION AND THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE by Karen Armstrong, LB 8436

General Non-Fiction
NO BETTER FRIEND: ONE MAN ONE DOG, AND THEIR EXTRAORDINARY STORY by Robert Weintraub, LB 08310
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR: THE PATH TO A BETTER WAY OF DEATH by Katy Butler, LB 08361
BUSTER: THE MILITARY DOG WHO SAVED A THOUSAND LIVES by Will Barrow, LB 08431       
GEOGRAPHY OF GENIUS: A SEARCH FOR THE WORLD'S MOST CREATIVE PLACES, FROM ANCIENT ATHENS TO SILICON VALLEY by Eric Weiner, LB 08432

 

Talking Book Program
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
PO Box 12927
Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas)
512-463-5458 (in Austin)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov

 

Page last modified: June 2, 2016