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In an ongoing effort to improve the BARD downloading
experience, the National Library Service (NLS) has recently released BARD
Express. BARD Express is a free, Windows-based application that simplifies the process
of searching for, downloading and transferring books from BARD to a flash
drive for use in their digital talking book players. With BARD Express there is
no searching for downloaded books in random folders on your computer, no more
unzipping files and no more copying and pasting books onto your flash drives;
BARD Express manages all of these tasks for you.
BARD Express is available to any Talking Book patron who
has an active BARD account with the library. Patrons can apply for a free BARD
account online at https://nlsbard.loc.gov; if
patrons are unsure of their log in information for a current BARD account they
can contact the library by email at tbbl@library.in.gov or by
phone at 1-800-622-4970.
More information about BARD Express, including a user guide
and a link to download the program, is available from the BARD main page under
the Additional Links heading. It will only work on Windows based PCs and will
work with a variety of screen readers, including Window eyes, NVDA and Jaws.
In addition to BARD Express, patrons can continue to
utilize their BARD Mobile apps for listening to books on the go. BARD Mobile is
available for use on iOS devices (iPhones, iPads, iPods), Android devices and
select Kindle devices. Additional information on BARD Mobile can also be found
on the BARD website under the Additional Links heading.
The library will once again be sponsoring a summer reading
program for our young patrons ages 4-18 from May 29th to July 31st. Our theme
this year will be “Build a Better World.” Any audio, braille, or large print
book borrowed from the library between May 26th and July 28th will count
towards the reader’s total. This includes braille and audio books downloaded
through the BARD website or mobile app. Prizes will be awarded to all participants.
Each eligible reader will be contacted regarding the program, including information
about changes being made this year. Look for more details on our website in
coming weeks, including printable applications and reading lists.
This is a reminder that the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing (BEP) is still distributing free currency readers to residents of the
US who are blind or visually impaired. For information on this program, click here.
If you have already received a currency reader and suspect
it is malfunctioning, BEP has staff available to help troubleshoot the problem.
You can call them directly at 1-844-815-9388.
Name: Sarah
Cudahy
Age: 34
Current
and/or previous occupation: Executive Director, Indiana
Education Employment Relations Board
Number
of years as a narrator: Two
Favorite
types of books to read / narrate: Historical fiction.
Reasons
for volunteering as an Indiana Voices narrator: Sarah
interned at the Indiana Educational Resource Center, a statewide library for
school-age students who are blind or visually impaired, in 2003 and 2004. This internship, and her grandfather’s (an
avid reader) impaired vision, inspired Sarah to help the blind and visually
impaired obtain access to reading materials.
Now that spring has sprung, it is a great time to dive into
some books about nature and the outdoors.
"The
Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict
the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals--and Other Forgotten Skills" by
Tristan Gooley (DB 83474, BR 21333)
Professional navigator and travel company executive shares
the tips and tricks he has learned over his twenty years of experience about
orienting yourself in both urban and rural environments using nature's clues.
Includes information on using your senses, identifying landmarks big and small
and ways different environments affect indicators. 2014
"Sightlines:
A Conversation with the Natural World" by Kathleen Jamie (DB
77525, BR 20298)
Fourteen essays explore connections within the natural
world. In "Pathologies" the author reflects on her mother's death and
examines the role of diseases in our lives. "Three Ways of Looking at St
Kilda" details three trips the author took to the island off the coast of
Scotland. 2012.
"Nature
as Spiritual Practice" by Steven Chase (DB 75081)
Author examines the spiritual side of nature and offers
exercises that the reader can practice to connect with the physical world.
Discusses earth's influence on Christian identity and combines the themes of
classical spiritual teachings with nature writing. Also explores the
"green beatitudes." 2011.
"The
National Parks: America's Best Idea"
by
Dayton Duncan (DB 69796)
Companion to Ken Burns' PBS documentary outlines the
history of the U.S. national park system. Discusses preservationists including
Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Ansel Adams and the visions and political
battles that evolved as the park system grew. Includes interviews with Native
Americans, writers and park rangers. 2009.
"No
Shortage of Good Days" by John Gierach (DB 75290)
Essays on the sport of fly-fishing by Fly Rod and Reel
columnist and author of Still Life with Brook Trout (DB 61832). Describes
traveling to Baja California, the Smoky Mountains, Canada, Wyoming and other
locations. Reminisces about salmon fishing, poaching and finding the perfect
spot. 2011.
"A
Terrible Beauty: The Wilderness of American Literature" by Jonah Raskin (DB 81887)
English professor examines American literature that
explores the theme of nature and the environment, covering the time from the
Colonial period to the twentieth century. Includes surveys of Cotton Mather,
William Faulkner, Thomas Jefferson, Washington Irving, Lewis and Clark, Henry
David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Willa Cather and more. 2014
"Horn
of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari" by
Robert Chester Ruark (DB 81018)
Ruark's account of the African safari he took with his wife
in the 1950s. For this, his first safari, newspaperman Ruark booked famed
big-game hunter Harry Selby as his guide, and experienced the danger and
adventure of the African wilderness. Some violence. 1953.
Maggie Ansty, Editor
317-232-3684 or 1-800-622-4970
e-mail: tbbl@library.in.gov
http://www.in.gov/library/tbbl.htm
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Volume XL No. 1
One of our librarians, Laura Williams, is a member of the
National Library Service’s Collection Development Advisory Group. They will be
having their biennial meeting in Washington, D.C. in May and we want to make
sure your thoughts about the Talking Book and Braille program are discussed
during that meeting.
The Collection Development Advisory Group is made up of 12
people, which includes 3 representatives from consumer organizations (eg. NFB,
ACB, and the Blinded Veterans), 4 library patrons from around the country, and
5 librarians; the group gives suggestions to NLS regarding the process by which
titles are selected for the program.
Suggestions can range from the general, such as book
length, to the specific. For example, during the 2015 meeting the group
suggested that length should not be a limiting factor when selecting braille
titles for the library. NLS agreed and as a result longer books such as George
R.R. Martin’s "Game of Thrones" series and "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell are now
available in braille. The group can also recommend that NLS add books on
certain subjects. In 2015 their recommendations included more historical
mysteries and westerns, as well as books about wedding planning and protection
against identity theft. Further, recommendations can be made by the committee
regarding the Magazine on Cartridge program, the BARD website and Mobile App,
narration, Talking Book Topics and any other component of the National Library
Service.
Ideas and suggestions from readers are key factors in the
success of the program and are thoroughly discussed in the committee’s
deliberations. Thank you to those who have already shared their input! Please
continue to submit your suggestions throughout the spring. Laura can be reached
at 1-800-622-4970 or lawilliams1@library.in.gov.
Applications are still being accepted for the 2017
Technology Grant from the Indiana State Library Foundation. The purpose of this
grant is to provide monetary reimbursement toward the purchase of an assistive
technology device of the grant recipient’s choosing. Applications will be
accepted until the money allotted for the year has been awarded. For more
information, including application instructions, please visit our website at http://www.in.gov/library/5442.htm.
Over the last year, the National Library Service (NLS) has added
several new audio magazines to their direct magazine program. The new offerings
include: AARP the Magazine, Audubon, Cowboys and Indians, National
Geographic Traveler, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Smithsonian and Southern
Living. These magazines will be sent directly to your house on a digital
cartridge; they must be returned regularly in order to stay active in the
magazine program.
Additionally, Cooks Illustrated, O: The Oprah Magazine and Popular
Science are now available in braille.
To order these or for a complete listing of available
magazines, please contact the library.
Quick Tip:
Using Bookshelf Mode to Listen to Magazines
If you subscribe to more than one magazine from the
library, chances are more than one magazine is being sent on each cartridge. In
this case, it is necessary to put your player in “Bookshelf Mode” in order to
listen to all of the magazines on the cartridge. To do this, follow these
steps:
1. Turn
the player on and put your magazine cartridge in the player. If there is more
than one magazine on the cartridge your player should announce how many there
are.
2. If
there is more than one book, hold down the square, green play/stop button.
After a few seconds your player will beep and say, “bookshelf mode”. Release
the play/stop button.
3. You
can now use the fast forward and rewind arrows to go through the magazines on
the cartridge. When it reads the title you want to listen to, press the
play/stop button again. Your magazine should start playing.
4. Repeat
these steps for each additional magazine on the cartridge.
Indiana Voices, the program that allows our library to
produce books about Indiana or by Indiana authors, has recorded some great books
this year. Please contact the library about ordering these books or about
signing up to receiving Indiana Voices books regularly.
"America’s
Deadliest Twister: The Tri-State Tornado of 1925" (IDB00134) by Geoff Partlow
The tri-state tornado of 1925 hugged the ground for 219
miles, generated wind speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour and killed 695
people. Drawing on survivor interviews, public records and newspaper archives,
"America's Deadliest Twister" offers a
detailed account of the storm, but more importantly, it describes life in the
region at that time as well as the tornado's lasting cultural impact.
"Murder
in C Major" (IDB00137) by Sara Hoskinson
Frommer
The Oliver Civic Symphony is just another small-town
orchestra, a gathering spot for local amateur musicians. It has weekly
rehearsals, punch and cookies, colorful gossip and murder. Joan Spencer, with
the help of policeman Fred Lundquist, soon uncovers a daring melody that only a
murderous virtuoso could perform.
"A
Laugh a Day Keeps the Blues Away: Humorous Stories from People with Low Vision,
Blindness and Deaf Blindness" (IDB00139) by Rita Thomas Kersh
A
Laugh a Day Keeps the Blues Away relates personal stories of
real people who happen to have a vision loss or a hearing-vision loss and can
find humor in their condition.
Talking Books will be closed on the following days in 2017:
Friday, April 14, 2017
Monday, May 29, 2017
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Monday, September 4, 2017
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Monday, October 9, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
Monday, December 25, 2017
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library Hours:
Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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