Monthly Archives: May 2019

Talking Book Program Team Attends NLS Conference

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Posted on behalf of Jaclyn Owusu, Public Awareness Coordinator for TBP

Earlier this month, TBP hosted the National Library Service Southern/Western Libraries Serving the Blind & Physically Impaired Conference in San Antonio. The three-day conference featured TBP staffers Saidah Ochoa, Laura Jean Norris, John Berkeland and Todd Rusch presenting information to the 70 attendees from around the country about our outreach to Spanish speaking users, our YA books collections and our new Duplication on Demand service.

On Wednesday night, author and blogger Lisa Fain, known for her cookbooks and her blog, The Homesick Texan (link goes to The Homesick Texan website), was a featured speaker. She discussed how she used libraries to do research on her books. During the evening author reception, Craig York, who recorded her cookbook in our studio for the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), gave a brief reading from one of her cookbooks.

Enjoy some photos and a video from the conference!

Photograph of Author Lisas Fisa Fain and Talking Book Program Director Ava Smith
Author Lisa Fain and Talking Book Program Director Ava Smith
Cover Image of the Lisa Fain book QUESO!
Cover Image of the Lisa Fain book QUESO!
Kathleen Walls Holding Up the Homesick Texan's Family Table book
Talking Book Program Reader Services Librarian Kathleen Walls Holding Up the Homesick Texan’s Family Table book
TBP Director Ava Smith, Karen Keninger, NLS, Lisa Fain, author and Mark Smith, Director and Librarian, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
TBP Director Ava Smith, Karen Keninger, NLS, Lisa Fain, author and Mark Smith, Director and Librarian, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Craig York reading an excerpt from Lisa Fain’s cookbook.

ALA’s Most Challenged Books for 2018

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Celebrate your freedom to read!

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom records all challenges or attempts to ban books.

The titles below are the books that have been challenged the most during 2018 in the Talking Book Program’s collection. For more information on why these books were challenged, visit ALA Frequently Challenged Books for 2018.

GEORGE by Alex Gino DB 82273

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

  • ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS DB 49974
  • CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE WRATH OF THE WICKED WEDGIE WOMAN DR 04013
  • CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, BOOKS 9-12 DB 87027

HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas DB 87441

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher DB 70544

Skippyjon Jones Series by Judith Byron Schachner

  • SKIPPYJON JONES– LOST IN SPICE DBC 0669

ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie DB 65403, BR 21549, BRC 00585

THIS DAY IN JUNE by Gayle E. Pitman DB 85949

TWO BOYS KISSING by David Levithan DB 78286, BR 20465