Talking Book News Bulletin
Fall 2018
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Director's Report
Greetings! Here is the latest news:
Printed version of this newsletter: Those of you who only read the printed version of this newsletter may be wondering why you have not received one since the beginning of 2018. Technical issues prevented us from distributing a printed version of the Spring and Summer issues of the newsletter. Those issues of the newsletter are available on the toll-free information line, on our website and were distributed via email to those who prefer to receive the newsletter by email.
If you would like a print version of either the Spring or Summer 2018 newsletter, please call 1-800-252-9605 and ask a reader consultant to send you a copy. If you would like to start receiving the newsletter by email, ask the reader consultant to update your account. Be sure to provide us with a valid email address.
Thanks for your patience during the transition to the new automation system: We’d like to thank all of you for your patience while we brought up our new automation system. Now that we have a few months under our belts, we’ve been working out routines and learning what we can and cannot do with the system. The migration of data from one system to the other went more smoothly than we anticipated, and while there are still issues to be worked out, the overall transition has been successful. We still have two major modules to bring up, so we’ll be working on those over the next few months.
The online public access catalog is coming soon: Some of you have been asking about the online public access catalog (OPAC, for short). This is one of the two modules that we will be working on over the next few months. The OPAC will allow patrons to do a number of activities that now require either a telephone call or an email request to a reader consultant. Patrons will need a login and password to use the OPAC. Information on how to get your login and password will be available soon. Among the things that patrons will be able to do are order or renew books, see current loans and due dates, request address and other account changes, and see reading histories (has-hads). We hope to bring up the OPAC in January 2019. When the OPAC is ready to debut, we will put an announcement on the TBP blog (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/texastalkingbooks/), the toll-free information line (1-866-388-6397), and the Find Books section of TBP’s web page (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/bibliographies/bibindex.html).
Please return your books as you finish them: If you receive more than one book at a time, please return each book as soon as you finish reading it. Books may take a week or more to reach the Circulation department. Once a book is received, it may take up to three days for the next book to go out in the mail to you. Then, that book may take a week or more to be delivered to your home. If you put all your books in the mail at once, you could be waiting quite a while before the next group of books finally are delivered to you! By putting your books in the mail as you finish them, you hopefully have a book to read while waiting for the next book to arrive.
Until next time,
Ava Smith
Director, Talking Book Program
Texas Talking Books will be closed for these holidays
Thursday - Friday, Nov. 22-23 ~ Thanksgiving Holiday
Monday – Wednesday, Dec. 24-26 ~ Christmas Holiday
Monday, Dec. 31 - Tuesday, Jan. 1 ~ New Year’s Day
Monday, Jan. 21 ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Of course, you can leave a voicemail message or send e-mail on a holiday.
Disability News
The 2019 Braille calendars have arrived. Each patron may order up to two calendars. For patrons who want a large print calendar, the reference center staff will send a list of organizations that sell or provide large print calendars. For more information and to request a copy of the application, contact the Disability Information & Referral Center: 800-252-9605 (toll free in Texas), 512-463-5458 or tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov.
Call the Disability Information and Referral Center toll-free at 1-800-252-9605 for information
about disabilities and health conditions.
2019 TBP Book Club Titles Announced!
Texas Talking Book patrons, please join us in 2019 for our book club discussions. Our book club meetings are hosted via toll-free conference call, so all you need is a telephone to participate. To RSVP call the Talking Book Program at 1-800-252-9605 or email us at tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov. Please indicate if you would like us to mail you the digital cartridge or if you prefer to download it from BARD. All dates are subject to change.
Jan. 31, 2019 - AMERICAN WOLF: A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL AND OBSESSION IN THE WEST, by Nate Blakeslee (DB 89975)
Examination of the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, focusing on biologist Rick McIntyre and matriarch wolf O-Six. Discusses the impact of wolves on the Yellowstone ecosystem, O-Six’s celebrity in the early days of social media, and the sentiment of area hunters and ranchers. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
March 26, 2019 - LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, by Celeste Ng (DB 89018)
Elena Richardson and her family lead an orderly existence in Shaker Heights, Ohio, until Mia and her daughter rent a house from them. When a neighbor tries to adopt a baby, Elena and Mia end up on opposing sides of the custody battle. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
May 23, 2019 - GOD SAVE TEXAS: A JOURNEY INTO THE SOUL OF THE LONE STAR STATE, by Lawrence Wright (DB 90876)
July 23, 2019 - ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE, by Gail Honeymoon (DB 87829)
Oct. 3, 2019 - THE NORTH WATER, by Ian McGuire (DB 85324)
Dec. 3, 2019 - MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, by Elizabeth Strout (DB 83379)
The TBP Poetry Contest Deadline has been extended until Dec. 31!
The poetry contest will run from now until Dec. 31. You must be a current/active TBP patron and submit a release form. Poems should be original work, can be on any subject or topic and do not have to rhyme. Poems cannot contain any violence, strong language or sexual content. The winners will be featured in the TBP Newsletter and their poems will be recorded in the TBP Volunteer Recording Studio, uploaded to the TBP website and featured on the TSLAC Facebook page. For more information, go to TexasTalkingBooks.org under the TBP News link and click on TBP Poetry contest or call 512-463-5452.
Submit typed, hand written or Brailled poem and release form to:
Talking Book Program
c/o Public Awareness Coordinator
PO Box 12927
Austin, TX 78711-2927
Or email to: TBPinfo@tsl.texas.gov
Subject Line: 2018 TBP Poetry Contest
Deadline is October 31, 2018
Helpful contacts information for the Talking Book Program
- To order books or report a problem with your machine: 1-800-252-9605
- To request an application or ask about enrollment: 1-800-252-9605
- To access the toll-free information line: 1-866-388-6397
- To contact the Disability Information and Referral Center: 1-800-252-9605
- To contact the Public Awareness Office: 1-512-463-5452 or 1-800-252-9605
- To send email to anyone in the Talking Book Program: tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov
- To ask for assistance using BARD or to make changes to your account: 1-800-252-9605 or tbp.bard@tsl.texas.gov
- To ask a librarian for reading advice or reference assistance: 1-800-252-9605 or tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov
- To access the TBP blog: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/texastalkingbooks/
- To see the TBP book club schedule: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/tbpbookclub/index.html
End of Texas Talking Book News
Fall 2018
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