Memorandum
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
March 1999
Editor: Karen Knudsen
Patrons of the SD Braille & Talking Book Library
This MEMORANDUM will be our means of communication to our patrons. If you have any questions or comments you would like to address, or have this memorandum in large print or Braille, please contact Karen Knudsen.

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR.KAREN KNUDSEN
Here's hoping that each and everyone of you had a beautiful holiday season and I hope you will have many more. The next holiday is Martin Luther King Day which is on the 18th of January this year. Although it isn't officially a holiday, I still like Valentine's Day. Maybe the reason why I like it so much is because it is close to my birthday, and that way I get double of everything, just as some do at Christmas with their birthdays at that time of the year.

I know that I am supposed to start with something witty or more interesting so I have a few things I would like to share with you.

SMILE!!!
  • Smile and forget to ever grow old.
  • Smile to make your day worthwhile.
  • Smile, it's the sweetest story ever told.
  • Smile; enjoy your world of glory.
  • Smile at the dawn of a new day.
  • Smile and tell yourself a story.
  • Smile; it will always repay.
  • Smile to greet your neighbor.
  • Smile at a day of rain.
  • Smile at a day of labor.
  • Smile to forget the stride of pain.
  • Smile and look to the future.
  • Smile to pursue and never beg wile.
  • Smile and the world will smile with you.

FINAL THOUGHT: BE CAREFUL
  • Be careful of your thoughts
    For you thoughts become your words.
  • Be careful of your habits
    For your habits become your character.
  • Be careful of your words
    For your words become your actions.
  • Be careful of your character
    For your character becomes your destiny.
  • Be careful of your actions
    For your actions become your habits.
    • Author unknown

The most completely lost of all days is the one on which we have not laughed.

There will be more on the surveys in the next Memorandum. Thank you for taking the time to respond during the busy holiday season. Stay in or stay warm now until spring.


SKI FOR LIGHT
The 20th Annual Black Hills Regional Ski for Light will be held on January 24-28, 1999 in Deadwood and nearby Dear Mountain. Approximately 100 blind, visually impaired, and physically disabled people are expected to take part in this year's event. The program involves 4 days and 5 nights of recreation and fun. There will be cross country skiing for the blind and visually impaired and down hill ski activities for the physically disabled. Each participant will have a sighted guide or assistant to help them with the activities. There will be special events during the week including: wine and cheese party at Deer Mountain, sleigh rides and dog slide rides at Deer Mountain, talent night and awards banquet. Cost of the program is $160 per person that includes the following: 5 nights lodging(double), all noon meals, equipment rentals & trail fees, and 1-2 evening meals. Stipends are available from Ski for Light for those who are not able to pay the entire cost. For more information or an application form contact Ski for Light at PO Box 3707 Rapid City SD 57709 or call 605-341-3626.


TAPE MINISTRIES NW
Has more than 600 Christian oriented books and other reading material on cassette tape to lend to the blind and disabled. All of the Library's lending is done by mail, free of charge. To request a large print or taped listing of the library's selections and for information on their lending policies, call 206-243-7377, or write to Tape Ministries NW, 122 SW 150th St., Burien WA. 98166


DO YOU WONDER
How much it costs to provide your library service? The C1 cassette player is valued at $256 and cassette books cost $5.54. Braille book average at least $100 each. A flex disc magazine subscription averages $30.40 per year. The Library of Congress estimates that talking books services costs about $225 per person annually. This amount includes $44 million "Free Matter for the Blind" postal subsidy and the $40 million spent by state, county, and city governments to provide services.


AFB NOMINATION
The American Foundation for the Blind is inviting nominations for its 1999 Access Awards. In line with its mission to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives, AFB will publicly recognize and honor individuals, corporations, and organizations with Access Awards who have made a significant contribution to the guarantee of these freedoms.

The AFB Access Awards will be presented at a reception at AFB's 1999 Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute, which will be held in Washington, DC, March 4-6, 1999.

The AFB--the agency to which Helen Keller devoted more than 30 years of her life--is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives. AFB is headquartered in New York City and maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and a Governmental Relations Office in Washington, DC.


BRAILLE COOKBOOK
Visually impaired cooks have braille translations of cooking directions available for about 5 different Betty Crocker and Gold Metal products, thanks to the combined efforts of the National Braille Press and General Mills. The two-volume braille translation also includes simple recipes for such products as Bisquick, Betty Crocker potatoes, Hamburger and Tuna Helper, Suddenly Salad and Betty Crocker cakes, muffins, dessert bars and brownies. The books can be ordered through the National Braille Press. Cost is $15. Portions of the book, for people with partial sight, are available free by calling 1-800-328-6787.


MAIL ORDER CATALOGS ON CASSETTE
Home Readers offers audiocassettes of popular mail order catalogs such as Avon, Lands End, Wireless, etc. Catalog copy prices range from $2 to $5. Call (913) 893-6939 for information.


TRAVELER WITH DISABILITIES
Continental Airlines wants to provide quality service for its customers with disabilities. In order to improve the service and sensitivity of its employees, Continental produced a training video, Welcoming Customers with Disabilities. It addresses barriers faced by individuals with mobility impairments when flying. The video will be used to train front line staff all over the country.

Other selected resources of information and assistance for travelers with disabilities are:
  • AccessAbility Travel: 1-800-610-5640
  • Flying Wheels Tours: 1-800-535-6790
  • Accessible Journeys: 1-800-846-4537 or Internet: www.disabilitytravel.com

MORE TIPS FOR BETTER SERVICE
Call When:
  • A temporary suspension of service is needed due to illness, vacation, or other circumstances.
  • You're getting too many books, too few, or not enough. Your service profile can be adjusted as desired. Don't refuse mail as this results in service interruption.
  • You have an overdue notice. Call for a renewal of the book(s).
  • You have a question about playback equipment. Don't attempt to repair cassette or record players. When service is cancelled, return all equipment to the library. Save packing materials.
  • Please don't put notes in books because with all the books that are returned, they can easily become separated from the sender.
  • Provide your Reader Advisor with as much information as possible about your preferences.
  • Promptly return any books that you do not care to read.
  • Inform your Reader Advisor if books stop coming so they can replenish your record.
  • Consider broadening your reading interests if you enjoy reading several books a week.

IF YOU LIKE
  • JUDE DEVERAUX
    Try these authors: Jennifer Blake, Catherine Coulter, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Elizabeth Lowell, Judith McNaught, Karen Robards, Kathleen Woodiwiss.
  • KEN FOLLETT
    Try these authors: Ted Allbeury, Eric Ambler, Evelyn Anthony, Len Deighton, Nelson DeMille, Frederick Forsyth, John Gardner, Bill Granger, Jack Higgins, John LeCarre, Rober Littell, Robert Ludlum, Charles McCarry, Lawrence Sanders, Martin Cruz Smith, Ross Thomas, Trevanian

From the Desk of the Library Director, Dan Boyd
WHAT ELSE CAN YOUR LIBRARY DO FOR YOU?
Portions of this article are taken from the Montana Talking Book Library Newsletter.

What do you think of when you hear our name, the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library? Most people who receive our services think of books on tape, large print books, or books in braille.

After reading the article in the Montana Talking Book Library Newsletter I started to think about all the services we provide to our library patrons. Here are a few of those other services:
  • We keep an updated listing of available resources for patron referrals. This includes agencies for low vision services, disabilities, consumer organizations, social security and other needed resources.
  • We identify and relay to our patrons, product information that may be of service to them. Although we do not endorse or sell any of these products, we have catalogs and information sent to us periodically and we want to pass this information on to our patrons.
  • Have you ever wanted to read a book that someone told you about, but all you could remember was the word "miracle" in the title? Don't be baffled! Our new computer system helps us perform different catalog searches. If the book has been recorded we should be able to find it for you.
  • We provide textbooks in alternative formats to all students who can not read standard print.
  • We provide training for braillists. This training includes braille code, Nemeth code (math braille), braille formatting, and computer braille translation.
  • We provide training to university students. This training is available to all education students and includes information on vision, available resources, technology, equal access to information, and equal education opportunities.
  • We provide a Summer Reading Program for all children ages 7 - 15 who can not read standard print. Materials for this program are available in braille or recorded on cassettes.
  • We maintain braille production facilities at the SD State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls and at the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton. The Federal Prison Camp in Yankton is also home to our talking book recording studios.
  • We provide the reading of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the Rapid City Journal daily on Radio Talking Book from our studios at the Library.

BLINDSKILLS, INC.
If you are looking for a source of accessible information about techniques visually impaired and blind people use to manage their home and community lives, we have the answer. DIALOGUE, a World of Ideas for Visually Impaired People of All Ages, is a quarterly journal available in braille, 18-point large print, on IBM-compatible diskette, and 4-track audio cassette. Topics include: technology, cooking, coping with sight loss, gardening, organizing, parenting, recreating, traveling, writing, and many other activities. The annual subscription/donation rate is $28 for legally blind readers.

For information, contact Blindskills, Inc., PO Box 5181, Salem, Or. 97304-0181 or call 1-800-860-4224. Ask for a sample copy in a format of your choice or subscribe by using MasterCard of Visa. If you have questions about products or services please call the toll-free number 1-800-860-4224 or visit our Website at www.blindskills.com. Our e-mail address is info@blindskills.com.


OPTICAL DIMENSIONS
Is a newsletter which has been designed to provide travel information and resources for blind and visually impaired individuals. It includes information on books, travel opportunities, national and local opportunities, and materials which are readily accessible.

Some if the group travel scheduled for 1999 are:
  • Washington DC: Cherry Blossoms & Presidents 4/5-4/12
  • Little Italy & Gourmet Dining in New York 5/20-5/25
  • The Gold Coast of Historic Long Island, Early September
  • Treasures of Hawaii in Mid October
The cost of the newsletter, which is published quarterly, is $12 per year.

Please contact: Campanian Enterprises, Inc. Box 167 Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Telephone 513-524-4846 or E-Mail campania@one.net or visit their website at www.campanian.org


UPDATED MAGAZINE LIST
For the first time, NLS will offer some of its recorded magazines on cassette. New cassette magazines include Cricket(on one cassette with National Geographic World), Seventeen, Spider, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and Young Adult Magazine of the Month, all children's and young adult magazines. NLS now also produces Asimov's Science Fiction in cassette format. The presence of a title for adults among the first group of magazines converted to cassette will provide NLS with additional planning information about subscription growth and cassette machine usage.

New flexible disc magazines include Computer Life, Diabetes Forecast, Discover. Eating Well, Health and Nutrition Newsletters (The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter--Health After Fifty Nutrition Action Healthletter, Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing and Healthline), The New York Times Book Review, People, and Working Woman.

If you would like to receive a complete listing of available magazines, please call your reader advisor for a current magazine list or refer to the July August 1997 issue of Talking Book Topics for a list of titles.


BOOKBROWSER: GUIDE FOR AVID READERS
website link: www.bookbrowser.com (note: now affiliated with Barnes and Noble - 02/2006)

Created by an Indiana librarian, this web site offers a collection of fiction reading lists arranged by genre, location, and series. There are also links to other book related sources.


ARTICLES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
website link: www.assistivemedia.org.

Assistive Media, a non-profit entity, produces on line audio recordings of literary works for persons with visual limitations. March selections list several less than-an-hour pieces from the The New Yorker magazine and Wired. Check the Web Site for further info.


GREAT GREETINGS
website link: www.bluemountain.com

Are you looking for that perfect card to send a friend or relative on their birthday? Does someone you miss need a cheerful word that only you can give? There is a free Internet site that puts imaginative messaging right at your fingertips. Blue Mountain Arts offers on-line animated greeting cards for all sentiments and occasions. From birthdays to baby showers, from vacations to "glad you're back", these cards offer a fun way to keep in touch with your on-line friends, Animated dancing penguins, swirling colors, and music accompany your heartfelt regards. Featured cards reflect the month's seasonal greetings.

Blind people will find the site very user friendly. Tab to the particular entry you want. If a birthday, tab to that entry, press enter, and a descriptive list appears. Tab through the list and make your choice. Once selected, the system will prompt you for other entries. At the conclusion, you have the option of reviewing your card.


NEW DESIGNS
The new $20 bill will include a low vision feature, as in the $50 and the $100 bill, already in circulation. New features will provide significant security against counterfeiting and a high contrast numeral to help millions with low vision--as well as anyone in a low-light environment.


HOMEWORK HELP
Information Please LLC has placed its popular reference works on the Internet. Their address is www.infoplease.com. Searches can be performed combining the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary and several almanacs or can be limited to one book at a time. In addition, the contents of the almanacs can be browsed through more than one hundred subject headings.

The Encyclopedia Britannica has a New World Wide Web navigation service that classifies, rates and reviews more than 125,000 Web sites. Information is organized in a simple subject tree ranging from art and literature to world geography and culture. Simple and advance searching capabilities are also provided, enabling users to quickly locate relevant and appropriate sites. Their address is http://eblast.com.


GLOW IN THE DARK GUIDE DOG HARNESS
The Nightlight harness handle has the ability to glow in the dark and when fully charged can be seen 500 feet away. It can receive a charge from streetlights of headlights, but works best when charged under a direct light for 3-5 minutes. There is also a Nightlight utility pouch made of sturdy canvas with a zippered pouch and covered with 2 reflective strips. For more information, contact: California Canes, 25611 Quail Run, Suite 123, Dana Point, CA 92629.


TALKING BOOK MARKER
Have you ever fallen asleep and lost your place in a talking book? Well, a reader in Montana invented the Talking Book Marker to solve the problem. The device plugs into the remote control jack of the cassette machine and has a switch that must be held down to keep the tape playing. If the reader falls asleep, the relaxation of the reader's grip releases the switch and the machine stops. The cost is $24.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.

Want to know more? Contact Jim Daily, 835 Emma Street, Butte, Mt 59701; phone (406) 782-2202.


READER ADVISOR INTERVIEW
Our interview this month will be with Jerry Wagner. Jerry was at the State Library in the 70s for 3 years and then left for awhile. He came back in the upper 80s and has been here ever since for a total of 14 years. He just recently started as a reader advisor in talking book.

Jerry has done a great number of interesting things with his life. We will start with the beginning. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and his folks moved to Wagner when he was in first grade. Sorry, but he is keeping his age confidential. By the way, he told me that his family is not related to the town founder.

He graduated from Wagner High School and attended Southern State Teachers College at Springfield. This was, of, course, before they turned it into a prison facility.

He then taught school for 23 years. Of these 23 years, he was a vocal and band instructor for 13 years, then 5 years as K-12 Librarian and 5 years as K-12 librarian and HS Band. He also belonged to the National Guard for 35 1/2 years as a cook. He loves to bake and if anyone wants a recipe, he has lots of very good ones.

Jerry is married and has one daughter who is in high school and 4 stepchildren and 6 grandchildren. He also sings in the folk choir at church, directs a traditional choir at church, plays in the Capitol City Band during the summer, gives music lessons, does some gardening, decorates their front lawn with many scenes for the different holidays.

I think he keeps busy enough with the above, but he also works a part-time job. I am getting tired just writing about all he has done. Anyway he is doing a super job and we of the Braille and Talking Book Library are glad he has joined us.

In the next newsletter, I will be talking to our new equipment operator, Kathy Schreiber, and then we will be doing some interviews with the other staff here.


FINAL REMINDER
Those of you who read the cassette editions of Reader's Digest and Newsweek have received letters from the American Printing House for the Blind regarding the renewal of your subscriptions. You must return the letter in the envelope that was provided in order to continue your subscription. Although the letter also requests a donation, you do not have to pay to continue your subscription. Each year, you will receive a renewal notice that must be returned if you wish to continue your subscription.