 Technology User Group - hands reading an electronic braille reader.
Technology User Group
The next two Technology User Group meetings will be held on:
- December 13: Wearables, including the Meta glasses.
- January 10: An overview of the Image Center.
All meetings begin at 10:00 a.m. EST and can be accessed by either calling in or via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 656 203 7293
Call in Number: 1-301-715-8592 Meeting ID: 656 203 7293#
One Tap Mobile: +13017158592,,6562037293#
eReader Update
Recently, NLS released an update for the NLS Humanware Braille eReader. If your unit did not automatically update, do the following:
- Make sure your eReader is plugged in or has at least 80% battery life remaining.
- Go to Settings, followed by Software Update, followed by Check for Update. If an update is available, press Enter (dot 8) when prompted to download.
- Wait for the software to download. You will then be prompted to Install Update Now.
- Press Enter (dot 8) when the eReader responds with OK.
This update process takes a few minutes, so please be patient.
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 Podcast - microphone on black background
Listen to the latest podcast!
Youth Highlights
Voices of Clay: Instruments of the Ancient Americas with Melissa Foss
Date: Saturday, November 15th Time: 11 AM–Noon Location: Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled 415 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201 Intended Audience: Children ages 12+ and adults Please register using the following registration link: https://forms.gle/7umTfqrE48yTwGyy8.
Calling all High School Students to Poetry Out Loud!
Do you have a knack for bringing words to life with the power of your voice? If so, the Maryland LBPD invites you to participate in the 2026 Poetry Out Loud Competition! Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program designed to engage high school students across the country in the study of great poetry through recitation competitions. Through this program, students not only master public speaking skills and build self-confidence but also gain knowledge about literary history and contemporary life. In honor of America's 250th anniversary in 2026, this year's Poetry Out Loud program will highlight poems that celebrate the rich tapestry of American history and culture. You will work with the LBPD Youth Librarian to select and practice reciting poems. A local competition will be held at LBPD, and the winner will advance to the regional competition. Prizes will be awarded, and recognition will ensue. Want to hear more about Poetry Out Loud? Leave your contact information by November 21st, using the following link: https://forms.gle/mLFaZkihEvExzTrs8.
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Magazine Highlight
Please contact the library to subscribe to this or any other magazines. The following magazine is also available on BARD.
American Indian
Featuring Native American art and culture, the magazine offers engaging stories that explore the rich histories of Indigenous nations and the modern challenges and achievements of Native peoples throughout the Americas. This magazine is available quarterly, via cartridge or BARD.
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My Talking Books Skill
The My Talking Books skill will be temporarily taken offline shortly after November 1. This means use of the skill will not be available until sometime after fiscal appropriations have been approved. If the skill is temporarily taken offline, be assured that user profiles will be retained and available for use when the skill is restored. Note that once the federal government resumes operations, access to the My Talking Books skill will be restored as soon as possible. However, please understand that it may take some time before access to the skill is fully restored. When the My Talking Books skill does become available, a notification will be sent out as a BARD alert message, as well as through the Patron Announce and BARD support lists. Service will be restored when the fiscal appropriations are restored.
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NLS patrons can complete this form to recommend books that are not in the collection. Before submitting a recommendation, please check the NLS Catalog, which includes books that are in process but not yet on BARD.
Recommendations are reviewed by the NLS Collection Development team for possible addition to the collection, and only those published within the past five years will be considered. More complex requests, like those for older books, series, or magazines, should be directed to your NLS Network Library.
No personal information is collected on this form, so NLS will not be able to contact patrons about their requests.
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 Collection Highlights
Grab a sweater and some pumpkin spice to cozy up with some fall fiction!
Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks: Pie-Jinks, Book 0.5, by Selina J. Eckert
DB 125990
When fate comes knocking, feed it pie! Pie witch Reese always played it safe - until she opened a magical bakery. But running a bakery is harder than she expected, and she finds herself one bad week away from going under. When the town announces a baking competition that could save her bakery's future, she jumps at the chance to rescue her dreams. But then two mischievous autumn sprites show up on her doorstep, demanding pie and determined to find a mate for their prince. With pressure building, Reese starts to question every choice she has ever made. Can she distract the sprites long enough to save her bakery? Or will her dreams turn into nothing more than an under-baked pie?
A Fall of Marigolds, by Susan Meissner
DB 88683
In 2011, Taryn is still mourning the loss of her husband in the 9/11 attacks. Newly released photos from that day send her searching for the scarf she briefly held. It leads to Clara, who works on Ellis Island and lost someone she loved in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
The Pumpkin Spice Café: Dream Harbor, Book 1, by Laurie Gilmore
DB 124704
When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes?
Trip to the Pumpkin Farm: Owl Diaries, Book 11, by Rebecca Elliott
DB 115708
Eva Wingdale and her class are excited about their trip to Poppy's Pumpkin Farm, where every year, there is one very large, extra special, Thank-you pumpkin. But on the second day of the visit, the owls find that the Thank-you Pumpkin has gone missing, and the farm animals are in an uproar. So Eva and the other owls turn detective to solve the mystery of the missing pumpkin. For grades K-3.
 Marylandia Updates
Kent Island: Land that Once was Eden, by Janet Freedman, narrated by Kay Alston
DBC 5331
A warm and personal account of Kent Island, portraying the author’s family and their lives on the island as farmers and fishermen, small-scale entrepreneurs, wives, and mothers. This is a story of family, place, and time before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge paved over a way of life with a six-lane highway. Kent Island proves itself to be a place with secrets still to be revealed, its author the best companion and guide for a boundless journey of discovery. A charming and loving tapestry of a book.
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