Indiana Insights │ Fall 2015

Indiana Insights Talking Book and Braille Library

Fall 2015

Volume XXXVIII No.3


New Grant Opportunity from the Indiana State Library Foundation

The Indiana State Library Foundation in collaboration with the Indiana State Library’s Talking Book & Braille Library is seeking applicants for a new grant supporting patrons with the purchase of assistive technology devices. The grants will provide monetary reimbursements in amounts ranging from $50 to $1,000 towards the purchase of an assistive technology device of the grant recipient’s choosing. These devices remove many barriers to education and employment for visually impaired individuals and may include: video magnifiers, optical character recognition systems, speech systems, etc.

Indiana State Library Foundation Chairman Robert Barcus stated, “The foundation is pleased to support visually impaired patrons in the purchase of much needed assistive technology devices. These devices not only make it possible for the visually impaired to experience the joy of books, they also provide access to a world of technology that can lead the way to independent living.”

“For years the Talking Books & Braille Library has served visually and physically impaired Hoosiers. The technologies grant program will further the State Library’s mission of serving all Indiana residents, leading and supporting the library community, and preserving Indiana history,” said State Librarian Jacob Speer. 

Grant requests may be submitted any time throughout the year. The requests will be reviewed by a committee and awarded on a quarterly basis until the funds allotted for the calendar year are expended. Grants will only be awarded to a particular individual or institution one time every three calendar years.

More information, including application instructions, can be found online at http://www.in.gov/library/5442.htm. Questions may be directed to us by email at tbbl@library.in.gov.

The Indiana State Library Foundation was established in 2011 with a mission to serve citizens of Indiana through the support, enhancement and promotion of activities of the Indiana State Library, their programs and collections and to aid in development of library related programs benefiting libraries throughout the state and the library profession.

To learn more about how you can help the Indiana State Library Foundation support the Talking Books program, contact donations@library.in.gov.


BARD Mobile Updates

The BARD Mobile app for Android devices, version 1.0.2, is now available at the Amazon Appstore for patrons who wish to install the app on a Kindle Fire device. Note that only second-generation Kindle Fire devices are equipped to run the BARD Mobile app. Version 1.0.2 is also available from the Google Play store for patrons with an Android device and contains several bug fixes. If you are having issues with the app on an Android device please update to the new version.  As with the previous version of the app, the update requires Android OS 4.1 or later.

For those with iOS devices, the BARD Mobile app version 1.1 is now available through the App Store. This updated version of the app includes the following features: built-in sleep timer, a new setting that keeps the device from sleeping while download is in progress, the option to add a book to your wish list directly from the details screen, enhanced braille search function, improved VoiceOver hints and labels, a new braille shortcut key, improved Magic Tap response, and works with iOS9.


Meet the Voices of Indiana Voices

Name: Nelson Goud

Current or previous occupation: Emeritus Professor – IUPUI (Psychology courses). I also served as an Army Captain and was stationed at Ft. Benjamin Harrison.

Number of years as a narrator: 2 ½ years – working on my 8th book.

Favorite types of books to read or narrate: Fiction and Non-fiction if it is good writing.

Reasons for Volunteering as an Indiana Voices narrator: I enjoy reading and would like to think that I am bringing some of the same to those who are challenged in the visual realm.

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Name: Connie Miner

Age: 73

Current or previous occupation: Retired after 33 years as a vice president with NCB-Commercial Credit Administration, most recently in “work out” of troubled loans.

Number of years as a narrator: 7 years

Favorite types of books to read / narrate: Historical fiction, Mystery and Humorous novels, Biographies

Reasons for volunteering as an Indiana Voices Narrator: I was concerned that I might be bored when I retired in March 2008 (while my husband still was working), and concurrently with that event, my mother died.  She had read for a similar program as Indiana Voices from 1979 to 1984, but I didn’t know the exact name for whom she had recorded.  When I called the State Library to find that info for her obituary, they told me they were starting a new series of recordings, and I asked if they asked if I would be interested – perfect timing and interest.


Maggie Ansty, Editor
317-232-3684 or 1-800-622-4970
e-mail: tbbl@library.in.gov
http://www.in.gov/library/tbbl.htm


Indiana Insights is a publication of the Talking Book and Braille Library, Indiana State Library.   Indiana Insights is also available online, in Braille, or on a digital cartridge upon request.  Any mention of products and services in the Indiana Insights newsletter is for information purposes only and does not imply endorsement.  This project is funded in part with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which administers the Library Services Technology act.

Holiday Book Requests

With the holiday season in full swing, it is time to start thinking about closures at the library and post office. The library will be closed on Thursday, December 24th, Friday, December 25th, and Friday, January 1st. As a result, there will be no incoming or outgoing mail on those days so your book deliveries may be interrupted.

We encourage you to take a few moments and order extra books to have on hand during that time; please have all requests in before Friday, December 18th to ensure that your books have plenty of time to get to you. Since our mail goes out first thing in the morning, book requests made after Tuesday, December 22nd, will not be mailed until we re-open on Monday, December 28th.

The holiday season is a great time to think about signing up for BARD or downloading the BARD Mobile app (now available for iOS, Android, and Kindle devices). BARD will give you instant access to over 60,000 audio books, braille books, magazines, and music scores from the comfort of your home, even when the library is closed! For more information on BARD, please visit www.nlsbard.loc.gov or call us at 1-800-622-4970. If you are interested in signing up for BARD, please be aware that we will not be able to approve your BARD application on days the library is closed.


Overlooked Gems of 2015

Are you having trouble deciding what books to order during the holiday season? Why don’t you try one of these overlooked gems of 2015!

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (DB 81928)
Parisian bookseller Jean Perdu prescribes particular books to cure emotional ills, but he himself is haunted by his lost love, Manon. New neighbor Catherine convinces him to read a letter Manon left behind twenty years ago, setting him on a journey to make peace with his past. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel (DB 81033, BR 20735)
After her husband's sudden death ten years ago, Kate Waithman readies herself to walk down the aisle again. When she begins dreaming about her late husband, however, she wonders if she's ready to move on or if he is trying to tell her something important. Some descriptions of sex.

The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward (DB 80921)
Carla and her little brother live with their grandmother in Honduras, while their mother sends money from Texas. When Carla's grandmother dies, the children attempt to join their mother. Meanwhile, in Texas, Alice and her husband are desperate to become parents. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce (DB 81012, LP 19686)
Queenie, who wrote the letter to Harold in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (DB 76196, BR 20792), chronicles her side of the story, and describes the letter she did not send to Harold. She reflects on her life of the past twenty years and follows Harold's progress. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.   

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal (DB 82282, BR 21172)
Chef Eva Thorvald came by her love of food as the daughter of a chef and a sommelier. Her mother left and her father died, but cooking sustained her through an awkward childhood. She went on to become one of the hottest chefs in America. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2015.


Unified English Braille Materials Available

A reminder that the National Library Service will implement the Unified English Braille (UEB) code on January 4, 2016. Going forward all new braille titles added to the collection will be produced in UEB. The library has a four-page document titled Frequently Used UEB Symbols available to Braille patrons. Please call or email us at 1-800-622-4970 / tbbl@library.in.gov to request a copy of this document. The .brf file can be downloaded at http://www.loc.gov/nls/.


2016 Braille Calendar

We have a limited supply of 2016 braille calendars, sent to us by the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund, to give away. If you would like one, please contact us at 1-800-622-4970. 

NLS has also compiled a list of organizations that produce calendars in braille, print/braille, large print, or audio, which can be found at: http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/guides/calendars.html


Resources for Bibles and other Sacred Writings

Many patrons express interest in having their own copy of the Bible to keep, or in a wider variety of sacred writings than are currently available through NLS.  For those interested, NLS has put together an excellent reference guide at: http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/guides/bibles.html.

We often refer patrons to Braille Bibles International, which offers for free on digital cartridge the Authorized King James Version, the English Standard Version, and the New Living Translation.  They also offer the King James and the New King James, as well as a children’s Bible and other sacred materials, in braille free of charge. For a $15 donation, they provide the King James and New King James in large print. Braille Bibles International can be found at http://www.braillebibles.org/ or by calling 800-522-4253.


New Offerings from Indiana Voices

We have recently added several classic tales from well-known Hoosier authors to our collection. These titles are available on cartridge from the library and will also soon be available to download from BARD.

The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter (IDB00084, DBC04916)
The story of a young man who lives by collecting and selling medicinal herbs he has learned to harvest from the woods and how he uses this knowledge to free the woman he loves from oppression in Chicago. Originally published in 1911.

Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (IDB00089, DBC04915)
Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution Alice of Old Vincennes is the story of the orphan girl Alice Roussillon. In 1778 the French outpost of Vincennes, Indiana revolts against the British and swears allegiance to the American cause. Hoisting her hand-made American flag over the fort Alice provides the rallying symbol of the cause of liberty. The handsome Virginian Lt. Fitzhugh Beverly proves to be both a noble companion in arms as well as of the heart. Originally published in 1900.

The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson  (IDB00085, DBC04919)
This classic romantic thriller contains all the elements of a good mystery story: an isolated mansion inhabited by mysterious creatures, a handsome hero, duels, ghosts, and an old-fashioned shoot-out. Originally published in 1905.

The Hoosier Schoolboy by Edward Eggleston (IDB00110, DBC04916)
A 19th-century school in Indiana is the setting for this story of young Jack and his friends, their country life, games, and particular experiences. Originally published in 1883.