 Indiana Voices is continuously striving to produce and release new titles as quickly as possible. One of the primary goals of our program here at the Indiana State Library is to provide diverse selections that will appeal to people with a variety of reading interests. We are currently working on books that cover such topics as the history of aviation, criminal justice, Indiana sports, biography, historical fiction, and contemporary literature.
Here are some of the most recent additions, all of which are now available, to our Indiana Voices collection:
Brewster’s Millions by George Barr McCutcheon (IDB00086)
Montgomery Brewster stands to gain a multimillion dollar inheritance if only he can spend an initial amount of money during the designated time period. It seems easy at first, but with all the rules of how he must spend the money and what he can spend it on, he finds getting rid of the cash may not be quite as easy as he imagined. Readers should enjoy this lighthearted tale set at the turn of the 20th century that was the basis for the 1945 film as well as the 1985 remake.
Dundy County Babe by Elsieferne V. Stout (IDB00093)
What was it like growing up in southwestern Nebraska during the earlier part of the last century? The author here shares the challenges she faced as a poor child in this isolated part of the country dealing with the struggles of pioneer farm life as well as constant verbal and emotional abuse which served to shatter her spirit. This story serves as a record of how life was “back then” but also shows how one can overcome life’s trials to attain one’s dreams.
Frail by Joan Frances Turner (IDB00092)
Amy is a “frail,” a term used to describe someone who is solely human in this “post-zombie” world. It’s a world filled with both ex-zombie and ex-humans who still have one undeniable force – hunger. Amy, however, is anything but frail in this story of a tough heroine that is trying to make her way through the chaos of this dystopian future where she is doing all she can to survive amidst the secrets of a reality that may cost her own humanity.
Adventures of Alexia: A Lake Maxinkuckee Girl 1885 by Marcia P. Adams (IDB00091)
Travel back in time to 1885 to share the life of ten-year-old Alexia as she enjoys the four seasons of that year. You will experience the simple pleasures of the day such as train travel, frontier cooking, buggy rides, and holiday pageants as you follow the exploits of this young girl, her family, and friends in this historical tale set in northern Indiana.
Racing Can Be Murder edited by Brenda Robertson Stewarts and Tony Perona (IDB00090)
Here are 19 stories of mystery and mayhem that are all centered around the most famous racetrack in the world- the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These mystery yarns include a deadly catered race party and a historical airplane race adventure. These are stories that really capture the feel of this famous race landmark and the community around it while spinning some great mysteries as well.
Large Print News
We have recently received a large shipment of several bestselling young adult series. These include the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie, the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu, the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth, the House of Night series by P.C. Cast, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordian. These exciting reads can be enjoyed by all ages!
Best Books of Spring and Summer
Here are some of the bestselling books from the first half of 2014 that are now available from Talking Books:
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (DB 78079, LP 19222)
Charleston, 1803. Eleven-year-old Sarah Grimké is given a ten-year-old slave girl named Handful as a gift. They become close friends and are both punished when Handful learns to read. Sarah grows up to become an abolitionist, and Handful retains her independent spirit. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller. 2014.
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) (DB 78834)
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. As Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes: the novelist had just completed a manuscript featuring poison-pen portraits of almost everyone he knows. Sequel to The Cuckoo’s Calling (DB 76784, LP 19150). Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
The Good Spy by Kai Bird (DB 78823, LP 19340)
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird's portrait of Robert Ames, one of the most influential operatives in CIA history. Provides a history of twentieth-century conflict in the Middle East, and an hour-by-hour account of the 1983 Beirut embassy bombing that killed Ames. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
One More Thing and Other Stories by B.J. Novak (DB 78397)
Sixty-four short stories by writer and actor best known for the television series The Office. In "Romance, Chapter One" two friends discuss their romantic prospects. "If I Had a Nickel" contemplates the economics of being paid five cents for every time a cup of coffee is spilled. Strong language. Bestseller. 2014.
I’ve Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark (DB 78644, LP 19304)
Five years ago someone killed Dr. Greg Moran while he pushed his three-year-old son on a park swing. Now his widow Laurie begins production of a reality television show on the twenty-year-old murder of a socialite, not realizing the two terrifying, unsolved cases will soon merge. Some violence. Bestseller. 2014.
The Rosie Project by Graham Simsion (DB 78150, BR 20455)
Socially stunted geneticist Don Tillman embarks on an endeavor he calls the Wife Project. As he quantifies the qualities of a perfect wife, he encounters Rosie, who seeks Don's help in identifying her real father. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2013.
The Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle (DB 78861, LP 19389)
Master sleuth Sam Levitt eats, drinks, and romances his way through the South of France, even as he investigates a case of deadly intrigue among the Riviera's jet set. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
Note that many of these books will become available in Braille in the coming months.
 2014 marked another successful year of our summer reading program for children and young adults, ages 4 – 18. Our themes this year were “Spark a Reaction” and “Fizz, Boom, Read!” and focused on science and technology. We had 44 participants who read over 450 Braille, audio, and large print books. After we complete our final tallies we will be distributing prizes, including 3 iPod Touches, in the coming weeks.
Maggie Ansty, Editor
317-232-3684 or 1-800-622-4970
e-mail: tbbl@library.in.gov
http://www.in.gov/library/tbbl.htm
|
Volume XXXVII No. 2
 Please join us for the 9th annual Indiana Vision Expo on Saturday, September 27th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Indiana State Library. Note the time change as this year we will be ending one hour earlier than in the past. Our keynote speaker this year is motivational speaker Craig MacFarlane, “The World’s Most Celebrated Blind Athlete,” and author of the recent book “Craig MacFarlane Hasn’t Heard of You Either!” Craig will be speaking at 10:30, followed by an 11:45 presentation on the latest advancements in the treatment of eye disease by low vision specialists Dr. Richard Windsor and Dr. Laura Windsor of the Low Vision Centers of Indiana.
The Expo will also feature our usual wide variety of vendors and non-profit agencies that provide the latest in adaptive technology, independent living aids, and other resources for all ages. CJ’s Sweet Creations will again be selling lunch items and desserts. Admission is free. This year’s event will be held in conjunction with the annual Foundation Fighting Blindness Indy VisionWalk, which will be held on the downtown canal adjoining the State Library at 9:30 a.m., prior to the start of the Expo. More information on the 2014 Indy Vision Walk can be found at www.fightblindness.org/indianapolisvisionwalk.
Earlier this summer, the National Library Service held their biennial conference in Oklahoma City. The theme of this year’s conference was “New Frontiers!” with many presentations focusing on new technologies and programs aimed at improving the reading experience of our patrons. Topics covered included programs that have already been implemented in libraries nationwide as well as ideas being planned in the future. Here are a few updates from the conference:
Commercial Audio Books—NLS has entered into agreements with commercial publishers to make their audio books available to NLS library patrons. The idea behind this venture is to satisfy patron demand for a large selection of materials more quickly than NLS has been able to record them in the past. Many patrons may have already benefited from this NLS initiative as these unrated, commercial recordings are already part of both the BARD collection and the library’s physical collection of digital books. Please note that these unrated books may contain strong language, violence, and descriptions of sex.
BARD Development—NLS has moved forward with adding locally recorded materials to BARD. The first libraries invited to submit books to BARD have completed the pilot phase and are now beginning to add their books. Books submitted as a part of this project will be distinguishable by their prefix, which will be DBC. There are currently 21 locally recorded books available through BARD, which includes books from about 10 Talking Book libraries from around the country. Books from the Indiana Voices program will be added to BARD as soon as this project is further expanded.
In the next year NLS also plans on further improving the BARD experience for users by improving the search function, using cloud computing services to speed downloads, and by improving the Braille functionality. Work on a BARD app for Android devices is ongoing.
 Make the most of your BARD Mobile app
Since the BARD app was released last September, we have had 295 patrons download the app onto 464 iOS mobile devices; nationwide, over 13,000 people have downloaded the app. The app has made downloading and reading audio and Braille books easier than ever before. To make sure you are making the most of your app, here are some easy suggestions to help you to improve your reading experience:
Set your app to play in the background—Enable your books to continue playing in the BARD app even while you surf the internet or send text messages to your family and friends. To do this simply open the app, go to the “settings” tab, go to audio settings, and turn on the “Background Playback” feature.
Use your device’s timer app to stop your book—One useful feature missing from the app is the sleep button that has been so popular on the digital players. Until this feature is added to the app, you can achieve a similar result by using the timer on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. Open the clock app of your phone and chose the timer tab. On the timer page, set how long you want to keep reading and then chose the “when timer ends” option. Scroll to the bottom and choose “stop playing” and then hit “set”. Start your timer and when the time elapses, your book will stop.
To read more about the features of the BARD mobile app, you can access the BARD Mobile User Guide anytime from the bookshelf tab of your app, under ‘Help’.
1. When you receive your digital player, please keep the original box; this box will be needed later if you need to return your player for any reason. If you are sent a replacement player, please do not return your old player in the new box. The serial number of the player matches the number on the outside of the box, so they should stay together. If you do lose the original box though, you can return your player in any box you might have around the house; simply address it to the Talking Book and Braille Library and write “Free Matter for the Blind” where postage would go. When you return a player, it is also helpful to include a note so that we can quickly send you a replacement player or cancel your books if needed.
2. Please do not write on the containers, cartridges, boxes, machines, or any other items that need to be returned to the library. All of our items are re-used and sent to other patrons after you return them. If you need to write a note, please write on the mailing card or enclose a note in the container. Also, please do not remove any labels or barcodes from the outside of the containers.
3. If you are not interested in receiving magazines, please call us to cancel your subscriptions. This will allow magazines to circulate to interested patrons more quickly. Also note that you will stop receiving magazines if you do not return previous issues.
Talking Books will be closed on the following holidays in 2014:
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Friday, December 26, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
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.
|
