Mark your Calendars for the 2012 Vision Expo
By Maggie Ansty, Indiana Talking Books Supervisor
The seventh-annual Indiana Vision Expo will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Indiana State Library. The Indiana Vision Expo enables those with vision loss, as well as their families, friends and service providers to discover various resources and services that promote independent living. The Expo is once again partnering with the Indy VisionWalk, which will be held outside the State Library at the central canal prior to the start of the Vision Expo.
The Indiana State Library relies on dozens of volunteers who make the Indiana Vision Expo a great success every year. If you would like to be a volunteer at this unique event, please contact Daina Bohr, ISL Volunteer Coordinator, at islvolunteers@library.in.gov to request a volunteer application. 
By Daina Bohr, Volunteer Coordinator, Librarian
A volunteer appreciation reception was held on Friday April 20, 2012 was to honor the State Library's invaluable volunteers who recorded more than 3,000 volunteer hours in 2011. State Librarian Roberta L. Brooker spoke to the audience about the importance of volunteers to the State Library and in general.
"The State Library's relies on the exception work of our dedicated volunteers across the entire agency," said Brooker. "Whether preserving Indiana history or the producing reading materials for Hoosier with visual or physical limitations, our volunteers' unique blend of talents, and most of all their time, are invaluable to us."
Notable accomplishments by volunteers in 2011 include the work of the Daughters of the American Revolution who come in weekly to assist patrons and recruit new members. Another volunteer put in more than 300 hours processing the digitized book recordings that have been returned to the Talking Book and Braille Library. One group of volunteers created 33 Finding Aides, which assist patrons in their research of materials. Other volunteers even catalogued and specially packaged for thousands of delicate items.
By Ryan Simpson, Communications Specialist
The Indiana State Library offers volunteering options for those who prefer to donate their time from the comforts of home. Virtual volunteering is relatively simple and volunteers only need regular access to the internet and e-mail to be eligible.
One project that virtual volunteers are currently engaged with is the Talking Books and Braille Recording project, where they serve as audio reviewers. This project focuses on recording books and magazines that are not currently available in audio format. An audio reviewer is given a flash drive with WAV files that can be heard on your home computer. These volunteers serve as the final reviewer in the recording process and help assure both sound quality and accuracy by noting errors.
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Virtual volunteers are needed to support Indiana Talking Books
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