From radio waves to audiobooks, sound connects us. Reading is reading, whether you read with your ears, your eyes, or your hands. Here are three books for Talking Book Program patrons to learn more.
From the library:
RADIO: FROM MARCONI TO THE SPACE AGE (BR 07871)
RADIO SOUND EFFECTS: WHO DID IT, AND HOW, IN THE ERA OF LIVE BROADCASTING (DB 42273)
THROUGH SLANTED WINDOWS: A JOURNEY INTO RADIO (DBC 12786)
Presidential history, now accessible to all Texans. Explore biographies and more through the Talking Book Program in audio, braille, and large print formats.
From the library:
IN THE LINE OF FIRE: PRESIDENTS’ LIVES AT STAKE (DB 53198) (BT 03572)
LINCOLN: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION (DB 86399)
RESIDENCE: INSIDE THE PRIVATE WORLD OF THE WHITE HOUSE (DB 82761) (LB 08567)
Today is National Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. Protect your heart and feed your mind with free audiobooks from the Talking Book Program.
From the library:
EIGHT STEPS TO A HEALTHY HEART: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO HEART DISEASE PREVENTION AND RECOVERY FROM HEART ATTACK AND BYPASS SURGERY (DB 35218)
END OF HEART DISEASE: THE EAT TO LIVE PLAN TO PREVENT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE (DB 86314)
THRIVING WITH HEART DISEASE: A UNIQUE PROGRAM FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY; LIVE HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, LONGER (DB 56642)
Knowledge is power. The Texas Talking Book Program provides accessible books on cancer awareness and health.
From the library:
COMPLETE CANCER SURVIVAL GUIDE (DB 50023)
ONE HUNDRED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CANCER SYMPTOMS AND CANCER TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS (DB 71104) (BR 18930)
SURVIVING AFTER CANCER: LIVING THE NEW NORMAL (DB 73769) (BR 18745)
Celebrate Black voices with the Talking Book Program’s collection of books and magazines in audio, braille, and large print. The collection features Black writers, leaders, and changemakers.
From the library:
AND NOT AFRAID TO DARE: STORIES OF TEN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN (BR 11905)
KING: A LIFE (DB 115189) (BR 25331)
SOUTH TO AMERICA (DB 106806) (LB 13589)
January is Braille Literacy Month! Braille opens the door to independence, education, and the joy of reading. At the Texas Talking Book Program (TBP), we’re proud to provide braille books and magazines that make stories accessible to Texans of all ages.
From the library:
ALL ABOUT BRAILLE: READING BY TOUCH; TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION (BR 15653)
BRAILLE: INTO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM (DB 50969) (BR 13188)
WORLD AT HIS FINGERTIPS: A STORY ABOUT LOUIS BRAILLE (DB 69606)
Do you want to learn to play an instrument? NLS has your back. All you need to do is find an instrument. We have instructions on how to learn to play many instruments as well as music scores for all levels of proficiency. We have music-oriented magazines and the NLS Music Section has a blog! We have almost anything a music enthusiast could want.
This is intended for those patrons wanting to learn an instrument. So, if you’ve been playing for years, check out the NLS Music Section (detailed below) for more information.
| 1. BARD Main Page – Find Music Books and Scores |
| 2. Select “Music Collection.” |
| a. Instrument Instruction Materials |
| i. Scroll down to “Browse by subject.” |
| ii. In the dropdown menu to the right, scroll down and select “Instructional”, then select the “Go” button to the right. |
| iii. Results will come up for the instructional materials for all instruments. This will be a mix of instrument instruction as well as songs for beginners. |
| b. Instructions for playing music by ear |
| i. Type in the keyword search for “Flute by ear” and tap “Go.” |
| ii. Results will come up for the “Flute by ear materials.” This will be a mix of instrument instruction as well as songs for flute to be learned “by ear.” Just substitute one of the instruments listed below to find the specific one you want. |
| 1. Go to “Browse by Subject.” |
| a. Instrument Instruction Materials |
| i. In the dropdown menu of subjects below, scroll down and select “Instructional.” |
| ii. Results will come up for the instructional materials for all instruments. This will be a mix of instrument instruction as well as songs for beginners. |
| iii. Type Ctrl+F and a screen will pop up. Enter the instrument you want and hit enter. This will pull up all the musical instructional materials for that instrument. |
| b. Instructions for playing music by ear |
| i. Select “Browse by subject.” |
| ii. In the dropdown menu of subjects below, scroll down and select “instructional.” |
| iii. Results will come up for the instructional materials for all instruments. This will be a mix of instrument instruction as well as songs for beginners. |
| iv. Type Ctrl+F and a screen will pop up. Type “By ear” into the filter field and select the “Ok” button. |
| c. Song Instructions for playing a specific instrument by ear |
| i. Select “Browse by Series.” |
| ii. In the filter field type “Flute.” The series title “Flute by ear” should appear below in the results field. Select it. |
| iii. Results will include individual songs in the flute by ear series. |
| 1. Go to “Get Books” tab. |
| 2. Select “Search Music.” |
| a. Browse Instrument Instruction Materials |
| i. Type in the keyword search “For the visually impaired” and tap “Go.” |
| ii. Results will come up for all the “Introduction to” materials for various different instruments by Bill Brown. |
| b. Instructions for a specific instrument |
| i. Type in a title search for “Intro to the flute” or “Flute for the visually impaired” and select the “Go” button. |
| ii. Results will come up with the instructions for the flute. Just substitute one of the instruments listed below to find the specific one you want. |
| c. Instructions for playing music by ear |
| i. Type in the keyword search for “By ear” and tap “Go.” |
| ii. Results will come up for all the “By ear materials.” This will be a mix of instrument instruction as well as songs for either piano or guitar to be learned “by ear.” |
| d. Instructions for playing a specific instrument by ear |
| i. Type in “Guitar by ear” or substitute “Guitar” for one of the instruments listed below. |
| ii. Results will come up for all the by ear materials for that specific instrument. |
Bill Brown: Mr. Brown made a series of introductory courses for the guitar and piano that were recorded with the visually impaired in mind. Currently there are “Intro to…” courses for over a dozen instruments as well as hundreds of “by ear” song lessons for several of these instruments.
Instruments: Five-string banjo, chromatic button chord accordion, drums, flute, guitar (bass, flamenco, and lead), harmonica, mandolin, penny whistle, piano, piano by ear, saxophone (alto, tenor, and soprano), ukulele (baritone and soprano), and violin.
…By Ear Series: Many instruments have a “by ear” series that includes basic instruction as well as instruction for specific songs. Do a series search for the name of your instrument and add “by ear.” For example: Flute by Ear.
Instruments: Banjo, bass guitar, flute, guitar (includes ukulele), harmonica, piano, and saxophone (alto, tenor, and soprano).
Belwin Orchestra Builder: This wonderful resource is for those who wish to teach someone else to play an instrument.
Instruments: Baritone, bassoon, cello, clarinet (alto and bass), drums, drums and bells, flute, horn, mellophone, oboe, piccolo, saxophone (alto, baritone, and tenor), string bass, trombone, trumpet (includes cornet), tuba, viola, and violin.
Another resource for braille music course materials is the Hadley School for the Blind.
Hadley Institute developed courses intended for adults who wish to learn braille music for themselves, to support braille music learners, and possibly pursue further training in teaching braille music or transcribing print music into braille. The courses are available in downloadable braille in BRF or in large print (LPM) in PDF. The braille and audio course materials are also available to download from the Music Collection on BARD in BRM or DBM.
Now you have the basics down or you’re already a virtuoso and you need music. That’s where the NLS Music Section comes into play.
The Music Section of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, has the largest music collection of its kind in the world, with more than 25,000 titles including braille and large print scores and recorded instructional materials about music and musicians.
Any person eligible for NLS services is also eligible for NLS music services. While patrons receive most NLS services through the network of cooperating libraries, NLS music materials circulate directly to patrons from the NLS headquarters in Washington, DC.
Patrons already registered with a cooperating network library should contact the NLS Music Section directly either via phone (800-424-8567 ext. 2) or via email (nlsm@loc.gov).
Six music magazines are available by direct-mail subscription to registered users. Subscriptions may be obtained through the local cooperating library or the NLS Music Section. Several are also available via download from BARD. The magazines are:
Braille Music Magazine: a monthly British publication containing articles and criticism from British classical music magazines. Hard-copy embossed issues are mailed to all subscribers.
Contemporary Soundtrack: A Review of Pop, Jazz, Rock, and Country: a bimonthly NLS-compiled sampler of articles from national magazines. It is available to subscribers on cartridge and on BARD.
Musical Mainstream: an NLS-compiled sampler from national magazines. It contains current articles on classical music and music education. The quarterly publication is available in braille, ebraille, and audio. Audio is available to subscribers on cartridge and on BARD.
Popular Music Lead Sheets: an NLS-compiled collection of melodies, lyrics, and chords to popular songs ranging from oldies to recent hits. Published quarterly in braille, it is available on BARD.
Quarterly Music Magazine: a single issue of a complete music magazine chosen from among commercial popular and classical offerings. This audio publication is available to subscribers on cartridge and on BARD.
Sound and Vision: a monthly publication containing articles and reviews of music recordings and information about technological equipment. It is available to subscribers on cartridge and on BARD.
NLS Music Notes: The NLS Music Section blog, NLS Music Notes highlights the NLS music collection, presents newly added titles, profiles musicians who are blind or visually impaired, and features braille music transcribers and their work, along with a variety of related music topics and activities. New posts appear every Thursday.
Mental Health Awareness Month has been recognized in the U.S. since 1949. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, help is available.
Here are some resources:
Mental Health TX: https://mentalhealthtx.org/
Mental health and substance use services for families and people of all ages
Offers urgent and non-urgent services and provides information on the stigma surrounding mental health.
NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Health: www.nami.org/
Helpline (available 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Eastern), Monday – Friday): 800-950-6264
Text NAMI to 62640
NAMI Texas https://namitexas.org
Resource Line: 512-693-2000 (available 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Central), Monday – Friday)
Support and education for those with mental illness and those around them. Local affiliates in parts of the state.
National Suicide Prevention LifeLine: https://988lifeline.org
800-273-8255 or call/text 988
Available 24/7/365
Crisis Text Line: www.crisistextline.org
Text HOME to 741741. Text and chat available.
Turn To – Texas Health and Human Services Commission www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/prevention/turn
Information on finding support for yourself, your child, family and friends, or your community.
Contact the Disability Information and Referral Center for more resources: 800-252-9605 (toll free in Texas), 512-463-5458, or e-mail tbp.services@tsl.texas.gov
Caregiving is both a rewarding and complex situation for families.
Finding affordable and reliable caregivers can be difficult, so many spouses, partners, parents, adult children, and other family members care for their loved ones without paid assistance.
Texas Health and Human Services provides web sites and programs to assist families with this complicated endeavor.
HHS Caregiver Support and Resources: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/health/support-caregivers/caregiver-support-resources. Sections on this site include benefits, in-home care and personal attendant services, transportation and meals, and medication management.
HHS Strengthen the Care You Give: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/health/support-caregivers.Too many caregivers neglect their own physical and mental well-being while caring for their loved ones. This site provides information on caregiver self-care, training and planning, and support and resources.
Take Time Texas: https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/taketimetexas.Take Time Texas connects caregivers of children and caregivers of older adults to information and resources related to respite care.
HHS Turn To: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/health/prevention/turn-to.This site provides information about sources for support. Sections include support for yourself, for your child, for your friends and family, and for your community
Diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, nerve damage, eye problems, and kidney disease. Type 1 cannot be prevented, but Type 2 can be delayed or prevented by living a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight.
There is a wealth of information online about diabetes.
A good place to start is Medline Plus, a site that provides information for the public about health topics: https://medlineplus.gov/diabetes.html
Another resource is the Diabetes Information Clearinghouse from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes. The Clearinghouse includes all the basics about diabetes, plus topics such as tests and diagnosis, risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, healthy living with diabetes, and preventing diabetes problems. You can also e-mail the Clearinghouse at healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov, or call 800-860-8747, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. eastern time. In addition, the Clearinghouse features a page for National Diabetes Awareness Month: www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/national-diabetes-month
The American Diabetes Association also has a website with extensive information: https://diabetes.org. Sections on the site include life with diabetes, health and wellness, and food and nutrition. You can search for in-person and virtual diabetes education programs at https://diabetes.org/tools-resources/diabetes-education-programs and locate local American Diabetes Association chapters at https://diabetes.org/local/find-chapter. Contact the national office at 800-342-2383, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. eastern time, or e-mail askada@diabetes.org.