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Talking Book News Bulletin, Spring 2004
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| Photo at right: Mr. Cylke (seated left) observes volunteers Kerry Pivonka (monitoring) and Diana Dorman (in the recording booth narrating The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer) using the new digital recording equipment as TBP Audio Production Administrator Miles Lewis looks on. |  |
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Photo at left: (From left to right) Ava M. Smith, TBP Director, Peggy Rudd, State Librarian, Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC), Frank Kurt Cylke, Director NLS, Jean Moss, NLS Digital Projects Coordinator and Ed Seidenberg, Assistant State Librarian TSLAC pose for a picture after meeting to discuss the progress of the new digital recording studio project in Texas. |
The statewide Texas Reading Club (organized by the Texas State Library and Archives) is inviting TBP patrons in grades K-12 (and all young people in Texas) to join up for a fun summer of reading! Materials read through TBP will count towards the total number of books read for the program. Interested TBP patrons should contact their local public library to discover what exciting activities are planned in your area. Patrons may also contact TBP for information on how to get involved. Start your reading engines and get ready to read up a storm this summer!
Do you have trouble locating information online? Texas TBP is participating in an experimental online information and virtual reference service designed specifically for the visually impaired. Info Eyes is a trial service and is available between March and July 2004. This free service can assist you with finding information on the Internet and in periodical databases. To find out more contact TBP at 800-252-9605 or www.infoeyes.org.
Thanks to everyone who has recently sent in donations to TBP. If you have been considering making a donation but haven't yet, we want you to know that your donations and bequests enable us to support the program. Memorial gifts can be a wonderful way to remember someone who benefited from the program. Remember that your donations to the Talking Book Program are tax deductible. Please make out checks to: "Texas State Library-Talking Book Program" and send them to the attention of our director, Ava Smith.
Our Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC) houses information
and materials on disabilities and health conditions, related organizations,
publications, products, and adaptive technology. The DIRC provides
free reference services for anyone with a disability-related question.
You do not have to be a registered patron of the Talking Book Program
to use the services of the DIRC. Call us with your questions on
disability issues at 800-252-9605. We can help!
Voice of the Diabetic is
a quarterly magazine published by the National Federation of the
Blind/Diabetes Action Network that contains personal, candid stories
written by diabetics, friends, health care professionals and others
who share experiences and expertise on diabetes and its complications.
Emphasizing the importance of good diabetes control, proper diet,
and independence, this upbeat outreach publication shows diabetics
that they have options regardless of the side effects of diabetes.
You can access it online at www.nfb.org/voice.htm
or subscriptions are available on tape, in Braille or large print
from NFB's Voice of the Diabetic, 1412 I-70 Drive SW, Suite C, Columbia,
MO 65203,Telephone: (573) 875-8911, Fax: (573) 875-8902,E-mail:
ebryant@socket.net
The new Diabetes Resources 2004-2005 is now available from NFB.
You can access it online at www.nfb.org/diabres.htm
or you may purchase copies for $5 on cassette, in Braille or large
print from NFB, Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore,
MD, 21230-4998, 410-659-9314.
Hank the Cowdog: The case of the Saddle House Robbery by John R. Erickson. There's a new dog on the ranch and Hank is none too thrilled about it. And if that's not enough, there's a saddle thief on the loose!
Breaking Even by Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez. A coming of age novel about an eighteen year-old who leaves his tiny West Texas town to search for his father. "The novel evokes the spirit of the Southwest and the tension of its mixed cultures but in a lighthearted way."-Booklist
Some helpful hints to ensure that books in a series are read in
chronological order:
-Ask for a list of the series, or the order in which the books should
be read. Request the first book in a series; when this book is received,
call TBP and have the second book placed on your request list.
-Then, when you receive the second book, order the third, etc. It
is best not to place all books in a series on your request list
at one time because our automated system mails out titles based
on availability, not by series order. As always, be sure to return
each title as you finish reading it so that it may be sent to another
patron.
In addition to the books that you personally request, our automated system is also able to randomly select books for you based on general reading interests. Categories such as Mystery, Western, Romance, History, and Adventure can be selected. Talk with your consultant about how many books you should receive. When each of these automatically selected titles checks back in to us, we then replace it with another from the same category. Please call us if you are interested in adding Automatic-Selection or to update your catalog selections.
The Talking Book Program, like most state agencies,
will be closed on the following days for holidays:
5/31/04 (Memorial Day)
9/6/04 (Labor Day)
Don't forget that you can always leave us a voice message if you
call after-hours or when our office is closed.
Newsline is a free service that provides audio versions of dozens of daily newspapers (including some Texas papers) to eligible blind and disabled readers who cannot read regular newsprint. This service was created by The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and is available to anyone who is registered with the Talking Book Program (TBP) who has access to a standard touchtone telephone. To begin the registration process or to find out more information, please call TBP at 1-800-252-9605 or visit http://www.nfb.org/newsline1.htm.
Thanks to the volunteers from the Campfire USA-Balcones Council for helping us on February 10 stuff 150 TBP outreach packets for use at the annual Texas Optometric Conference on February 20-21 in Austin. We appreciate our volunteers!
Equipment. Talking Book cassette players are just like any mechanical device—they break down from time to time. You'll get the best service from your equipment if you:
Before returning a piece of equipment, please call or write to let us know you are returning it and to request a replacement. It's a good idea to keep the box your player comes in so you can use it to return equipment if it breaks down.
Loan Period. The normal loan period for braille, large print, or cassette books is 45 days. Please call or write if you need to keep the book longer. Returning books promptly and keeping a list of book requests on file with us will keep a steady flow of reading material in your mailbox.
Broken Books. To let us know you have had a problem with a book, please mark a large "X" on the return label on the left side of our address.
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.state.tx.us
 
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