Prairie Trails Memorandum
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
Spring 2002
Kathy Schreiber, Educational Materials Coordinator, Editor
Notes from the Director, Dan Boyd
We would like to invite you to help us provide this program to more citizens of South Dakota. As active users of this program, you know first hand, how much the talking book program may have changed your life. It is not unusual for staff to hear of someone going years without being able to read a book or magazine, because no one ever told them about the talking book program. We know the most successful campaigns - political, social, etc. - start with one person spreading the word. Some of you tell us that you have recommended the services to friends and family, we appreciate your personal endorsement of the service. The Library of Congress estimates that at least 1.4% of the U.S. population is eligible to use the talking book program. South Dakota's population is estimated to be 754,844 which means that 10,568 people in South Dakota are eligible to use the SD Braille & Talking Book Library.

Please be our ambassadors and tell your friends, family, colleagues, and fellow South Dakotans about the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library. Encourage them to sign up for this free service if they are not able to read regular print because of blindness or a visual impairment that prevents seeing the printed page or a physical disability that prevents holding a book or turning the pages.

Remember that this service is available in every state, and we can supply you with contact information if your loved one lives outside of South Dakota.

If you are interested in helping the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library reach every eligible South Dakotan, share our toll free telephone number with your friends and family members who wish to sign-up for service. The toll free telephone number is 1-800-423-6665.

A book is a present you can open again and again!!


Library News
The past couple of months have been very busy for everyone here at the BTBL. We have had some staff changes and added new faces. Frank Sack has become very proficient in his main duties of cassette rewinding and inspection. Bonnie Olson is learning her new duties as Equipment Coordinator and Reader Advisor (G - O).

And as many of you know Jerry Wagner has retired from his position as Reader Advisor. He was ushered into the world of retirement with a wonderful celebration here at the library.

We will be profiling new staff in the coming issues to allow them to introduce themselves, please as you enlist them to assist you in your needs, welcome them.

Remember as you use and enjoy your books, share your delight with family and friends who could benefit from the use of our services. Our toll free number allows information to be requested at no cost.


RFB&D Goes Digital
September 3, 2002 will long be remembered by many visually impaired and learning disabled students as the day that Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) released its inaugural collection of 6,000 digitally recorded educational titles, ranging from Harry Potter to Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis. This collection will be added to the 91,000 accessible textbooks already in the RFB&D library. Without a doubt, this is the largest collection of its kind in the world.

This new collection is different from other accessible reading materials because they are recorded in human voice by volunteers who are experts in the subject areas they read. RFB&D's books are not scanned digitally to be played back in synthetic speech, which can often distort or mispronounce scientific, foreign and complex terminologies.

To listen to RFB&D's AudioPlus textbooks, students need a portable CD player equipped to play RFB&D's books or a standard multimedia computer equipped with a CD-ROM drive and specialized software. Playback hardware and software will be available through RFB&D for nonprofit sale.

There are many advantages to the RFB&D's digitally recorded textbooks on CD. They allow instant access to any page, chapter or subheading in a book with the touch of a button - there is no need to fast-forward through and count embedded beep tones as is done with books recorded on analog cassette tape. The CDs hold more than 40 hours of recorded material. Therefore, the contents of a standard textbook, which requires eight to 12 RFB&D cassettes, will now fit onto a single CD. Portability, ease of navigation and bookmarking capabilities make digitally recorded textbooks from RFB&D more effective study tools for students with print disabilities.

Contact: RFB&D by phone - 866-RFBD-585 (732-3585) or visit their website - www.rfbd.org.


A conversation does not have to be long to be significant.


Mary's Desk
The following are titles added to our South Dakota collection. These were titles requested by our patrons or are on South Dakota history.
  • SD003484 "Stagecoach Station: Virginia City" By Hank Mitchum
    Will Indians or the wild Montana land claim the drifter and the lady? Grant Jordan was a drifter, Ex-rebel, loner, a sometimes buffalo hunter, his gun and horse his only companions. Then he rescued Gwen Quinn from Indians attacking her stagecoach in Virginia City, Montana. Gwen was stubborn as she was beautiful, was determined to carry vital supplies to her father's mine despite Indian ambushes and the harsh Western terrain. Jordan felt he must protect Gwen and risk his life to prevent a ruthless army captain from murdering a peaceful tribe of Crow Indians. With growing love, Jordan and Gwen set out across the unforgiving land.
    ***The Library has 25 of the "Stagecoach Station" series. If you would like additional titles please call us.
  • SD003487 "The Beaufort Sisters" By Beverly Cleary
    This novel stretches from 1935 to the present day and tells the story of four sisters, the beautiful and willful daughters of Lucas Beaufort, the richest man in Kansas City. The theme is about the dangers, as well as the pleasures of being rich. The lovers and marriages of Nina, Margaret, Sally and Prue, each independent-minded yet at the same time does eventually affects the lives of the others and of their parents Lucas and Edith who, loving their daughters too possessively create their own problems for them.
  • SD003489 "Camp Fires: The exploits of Ben Arnold (Connor) By Lewis F. Crawford
    The story of the West must be written largely from human experience. Documents and reports are useful; but vital moving history must come from the lives and actions of men. This book is the story of the times, in which a certain man lived and died. It is history, no attempt has been made to edit out even the harshest things that went to make up the pioneer civilization of which he was not an unworthy part.
  • SD003490 "The Shirt Front" By Charity Blackstock
    As England races toward World War II, 17-year-old Victoria Katona plunges into a love affair more ardent than her most passionate dreams and more dangerous. The moment Victoria meets the striking Italian journalist Zoltan; she is drawn to him with all the trust of her young years. Zoltan convinces her to run away with him where she will be safe from the war. But he is the head of a ruthless group sworn to Aryan supremacy and has a darker fate planted for Victoria. Only the astute intervention of an untidy woman saves Victoria from abduction and death.
  • SD003491 "Croutons on a Cow Pie" By Baxter Black
    This book is a collection of humorous cowboy poetry.
Audio Yellow Pages
Audio Yellow Pages are now available anywhere in the USA. Voice Access Communications introduces the Audio Yellow Pages; a free voice activated service for the blind and visually impaired.

Now you can gain access to over 10 million businesses in the United States by dialing one toll-free number, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Just dial 888-654-1236 and enter pass code 4544. Follow the easy audio instructions to locate virtually any business in any zip code.

Voice Access uses the newest voice recognition technology to create the Audio Yellow Pages. Never again will you have to pay a telephone directory services to find a business phone number. Unlike other directories, the Audio Yellow Pages locates businesses in your specified zip code, and then expands the search to include listings up to 15 miles away to ensure you get a lot of choices.

For more information contact Carl Schmitt at 800-214-4842.


OPAC
The Braille & Talking Book Library is pleased to announce the new upgraded Web-Opac.

Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) at talkbook.sdstatelibrary.com

Computer users, take note. If you have Internet access, you may search the entire collection of recorded books and described videos 24 hours a day.

You will be able to search in five different ways: by author of the book, by title, by a specific word in title, by subject, or by narrator. You may limit your search to a specific format (such as cassette books or described videos). After you enter your search and click on the OK button, the computer will display a list of all of the books matching your search criteria.

There has been couple new features added to the Web site, including improved catalog search capabilities as well as access to individual customer information, such as books currently checked out and pending book orders.

If you have allowed someone else to have your password to order books on your behalf in the past, and you do not want this person to have access to any of your account information in the future, you might want to change your password, just contact us at 1-800-423-6665.

We hope that you will enjoy the enhancements that we have made to the Web catalog and ordering system. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions for additional improvement.


Braille Instruction
The Web site BrailleJail.net provides do-it-yourself courses in braille for people with and without visual impairments. All courses, ranging from slate-and-stylus, peg slate, Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille, are available in two formats: image format for those who can see and text format for those who use a screen reader. Experienced braille users are on-hand 24 hours a day, and all services are free of charge.

The name "Braillejail" came from the students in this Braille course decided to call the tutor a Warden, her guide dog the guard dog and the classroom "Braille Jail" because of her strict and high standards. Since then, the name has stuck.


Every moment you are angry, you lose a minute of happiness.


Mark your calendar
FOCUS ON SUCCESS II
  • When: March 3 - 5, 2003
  • Where: Pierre, SD
  • Who: Everyone is welcome!
Individuals who are blind or visually impaired, parents, family members, students, teachers, professionals in education, rehabilitation and independent living.

The program will address options for education, vocational rehabilitation and adult services for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
    Featured Speakers
  • Carl Augusto President/CEO of the American Foundation of the Blind
  • Paige Berry & Maureen McGowan Helen Keller National Center
  • Janie Humphries & Betsy Burnham American Printing House
  • Susan LaVenture & Doug Halverson National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired
  • Joanne Wilson Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration
Additional details and registration information will be available in December.
    Sponsored by:
  • National Federation of the Blind of SD
  • SD Association of the Blind
  • SD Braille and Talking Book Library
  • SD School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
  • SD Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired
  • Dakota Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation
If you have any questions or are interested in more information, please contact:
  • Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired at 605-773-4644 or 1-800-265-9684
  • SD School for the Blind and Visually Impaired at 605-626-2580 or 1-888-275-3816
  • Braille and Talking Book Library at 605-773-3131 or 1-800-423-6665

Judy's Desk
The latest DVS's added to our collection are listed regularly in this newsletter, to request a complete DVS listing please call 1-800-423-6665.
  • Dvs 00278 "The Big Trees"
    In the early 1900's, maverick lumber baron James Fallon (Kirk Douglas) schemes to turn California's giant redwoods into his personal fortune. But a congregation of Quakers, led by the lovely but straitlaced Sister Alicia (Eve Miller), are determined to save from destruction. When Fallon finds himself the target of a lethal gang of claim jumpers, he forms an uneasy alliance with the Quakers - an alliance that soon sparks a spectacular showdown. Douglas is a natural as the smooth-talking, self-serving lumber baron in this action-packed, fist-flying, gun-battling western.
  • Dvs 00279 "A Beautiful Mind"
    Based on the life and experiences of schizophrenic, MIT mathematician and genius John Nash, this 2001 universal pictures release won academy awards for "best picture" and "best director" for Ron Howard. Russell Crowe gives an Oscar-nominated performance as the enigmatic John Nash, while Jennifer Connelly won an Oscar for "best supporting actress" as his long-suffering wife Alicia. Beginning with Nash's early days as an MIT student, this film follows his fascinating life to its ultimate triumph-- winning the Nobel Prize for economics. Universal home video, rated PG-13.
  • Dvs00280 "Jurassic Park"
    In Universal pictures' third Jurassic Park blockbuster, the dinosaur dodging continues for Sam Neill, who returns as Dr. Alan Grant. This time around, parents Paul and Amanda Kirby -- played by William h. Macy and Tea Leoni -- convince him to help them search for their son on the remote island of Isla Sorna, where unexpected inhabitants include a population of very fierce dinosaurs. Universal home video, rated PG-13.
  • Dvs 00281 "Shrek"
    From Dreamworks SKG comes Shrek -- the delightful animated blockbuster that garnered the inaugural academy award for "best animated feature." This comic-romantic tale follows a reclusive, but loveable Aagre (voiced by Mike Myers) and a chatterbox Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) as they go on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) from a tyrannical midget lord. The voices of John Lithgow and Vincent Cassel also are featured. Dreamworks / Universal home video, rated PG.
  • Dvs 00282 "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
    Based on J.K. Rowlings' best-seller novel of the same name, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from Warner Brothers went on to become one of the highest-grossing and most popular films of all time. This fantasy follows the adventures of young Harry Potter -- played by Daniel Radcliffe -- who is rescued from his neglectful aunt and uncle, and goes on to prove his worth while attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Richard Harris, Maggie Smith and John Cleese also star. Warner home video, rated PG.
Catch the Bug
Earlier this year, the American Foundation for the Blind launched the Braille Bug, an interactive web site created to teach children about braille and to encourage literacy among children. It offers children (grades 3-6) a variety of information on braille , pictures and descriptions of assistive technology and biographies of Helen Keller and Louis Braille. This learning experience also uses online games and activities to involve the user. Children who are blind or visually impaired can enjoy the activities right along with their sighted friends but will need special software and/or hardware on their computers. The Braille Bug is based on AFB's popular "Braille Trail" packet for teachers. For more information visit their website at: www.afb.org/braillebug


The best antiques are old friends.


Summer Reading News
The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library culminated their summer reading program with the awards presentation in Pierre at the Visitor's Center on Saturday, August 24, 2002. State Librarian Suzanne Miller and Ray Christensen, Secretary of the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs presented plaques to the first and second place winners. District 5-SE Lion's Club was represented by Gary Watzel who presented $50.00 savings bonds to the participant who read the most Braille and recorded books overall. The winners were also given a tour of the Braille and Talking Book Library and were treated to ice cream and story time by Pam Chamberlain, Children's Services Coordinator for the State Library.

"Join The Winner's Circle" was the theme of the program coordinated by Mary Sjerven (Reader Advisor/Children's Services), with 68 students between the ages of 7 to 15 participating. The number of book reports returned determined the winners in three age categories. Participants read in recorded or Braille book format. The program ran from June 10 through July 19, 2002. Over 250 book reports were returned or oral book reports were given. The students were encouraged to select their own books.


Spooks Galore
Halloween is here, and we've got some ghostly recommendations to help you get in the mood for the holiday and all those goblins that will be coming our way:
    Ghostly Happenings in the West
  • Louis L'Amour's "The Haunted Mesa" (RC26016)
  • "Skinwalkers" by Tony Hillerman (RC25396)
  • "Someone Else's Ghost" by Margaret Buffie (RC41437)
  • "Prophet Annie" by Ellen Recknor (RC52609)
    Humorous tale of how 22-year-old Annie happened to marry 76-year-old Jonas and how his ghost caused her some wild adventures back in 1881.
    Classics to Revisit
  • Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" (RC21679)
  • "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (RC16731)
  • "Best Ghost and Horror Stories" by Bram Stoker (RC46255)
  • Perhaps something by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe?
    • "The Complete Stories" (RC44929)
    • "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" (RC21734)
  • W. W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw and Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre (RC46641)
  • The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton (RC18484)
  • Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories (RC46737)
  • Victorian Ghost Stories (RC35421)
    Thirty-five tales about interactions between the living and the dead, by classic authors such as Henry James, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and R. L. Stevenson.
    English novels that feature haunted houses in Great Britain
  • "The Haunting of Lamb House" by Joan Aiken, (RC36315)
  • "Holy Terror" by Josephine Boyle (RC41540)
  • "The Black Swan" by Philippa Carr (RC32389)
  • "The Cavalier Case" by Antonia Fraser (RC33243)
  • Barbara Michaels' "Greygallows" (RC44023)
  • Lynn Kurland's "Stardust of Yesterday" (RC48145)
    Genevieve Buchanan inherits a quirky English castle complete with a charming ghost with a bag of tricks.
  • Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity Series, beginning with "Aunt Dimity's Death" (RC49384)
    An American woman who lives in a small English town and solves all sorts of mysteries with the help of her late aunt's ghost.
    Young at Heart
  • "Spooky Stories for a Dark and Stormy Night" (RC40444)
    Short and scary stories about deserted old houses, howling ghosts, and powerful witches from places such as Africa, Russia, and Norway. They include "Bedtime Snacks", about a monster's attempts to eat a little boy; "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", about a headless horseman; and "The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches", about a witch who finds her magic powers
  • "Even More Short and Shivery" (RC045766)
    In this companion to Short and Shivery: Thirty Chilling Tales (RC 30728), San Souci relates thirty more international tales of demons and ghosts. Perfect for storytellers and sleepovers.
Boo from the Crew !!!


National Library of Medicine
The National Library of Medicine maintains a free, confidential, and regularly updated source for health information, medical research, and other items of interest. The Web address is www.Medlineplus.gov.


Scourby Awards
Earlier this year, the American Foundation for the Blind presented the 16th annual Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award to Kimberley Schraf, Bob Askey, George Holmes and Dale Carter. Here are the winners:
  • Fiction: RC 50897 "Bee Season" by Myla Goldberg.
    Narrated by Kimberly Schraf. Bestseller about the slow disintegration of a family.
  • Nonfiction: RC 51912 "Life is so Good" by George Dawson.
    Narrated by Bob Askey. Memoirs of a 101-year-old African American man from the South.
  • Poetry: RC 52409 "Broadview Anthology of Victorian Poetry and Poetic Theory."
    Narrated by George Holmes. Lifetime Achievement Award to Dale Carter. One book narrated by her is RC 13256 "Whipple's Castle" by Thomas Williams. Small town New England life in the 30's and 40's.

Braille Appliance Controls
This service of the Whirlpool Corporation offers braille overlays for the controls of all the company's models of washers, dryers, dishwashers and microwaves.

Whirlpool also provides its appliance use and care guides in braille, large print, and on cassette. To request information contact www.whirlpool.com.


NCI National Help Desk Launched
The National Captioning Institute (NCI) has announced that it will launch the NCI National Help Desk, a free service available beginning July 4th by email, telephone, TTY and postal mail. The first of its kind in the United States, the NCI National Help Desk will assist individual consumers with questions and concerns about captioning.

Presented with generous support from Microsoft Corporation, the NCI National Help Desk is designed to provide information on topics such as the availability of captioned programming, how to resolve problems with displaying captions, accessibility of closed captions with digital cable and high-definition television, and the availability of closed-captions in Spanish and DVDs and home videos. The service will also accommodate consumer questions about described video, a service that provides an audio description of the visual elements of video programming for people who are blind or have low vision.

The NCI National Help Desk's web site is located at www.ncihelpdesk.org , and can also be reached through NCI's web site www.ncicap.org. Faxed inquiries can be sent to 703- 917-9878. Telephone and TTY access is available at 703-917-7686. Inquiries may also be mailed to: NCI , 1900 Gallows Road, Suite 3000, Vienna VA 22182.


Catalogs, Cookbooks, Magazines on Tape
Home Readers has a wide variety of audio catalogs for Christmas shopping, and now offers more than 100 cookbook titles and some magazines on cassette. The following is a list of the free catalogs available from Home Readers:
  • Avon
  • Blair for Men and Women
  • Lands' End
  • Chadwick of Boston
  • The Popcorn Factory
  • Schwans Foods
  • Figis Food and Gifts
  • Spices Etc.
  • Home Market Place
  • Collectors Music
  • Audio Editions books on cassette
  • Radio Spirits
  • Lodes Tones Theatre
  • Drs. Foster and Smith Pet products
  • Puritan Pride Vitamins
  • Vermont Country Store
  • Walter Drake
  • Miles Kimball
  • San Francisco Music Box
  • Kathy's Korner
To receive a complete listing of its publications, contact Home Readers, 604 W. Hulett, Edgerton, K. S 66021; 877-814-7323 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central time, weekdays.


Holiday Closings
Here is a listing of the holidays the BTBL will not be open. Please place your book orders to allow for closures.
Veterans Day, November 11
Thanksgiving, November 28
Christmas, December 25
New Years, January 1

A cat's purr: Most effective stress medicine known.


Get Caught Reading
You may be aware of the "Get Caught Reading" campaign that many celebrities have participated in to promote reading. The two newest celebrities in the Association of American Publishers' (AAP) campaign are Eric Weihenmayer and Patty Duke. AAP and the American Printing House for the Blind have joined together in the nationwide public service campaign to promote the joy of reading and braille literacy. To order the Weihenmayer and Duke posters, visit "Free Stuff" at the AFB Bookstore website: www.afb.org.


Prairie Trails Memorandum The Prairie Trails Memorandum, is published quarterly, it is our means of communication with our patrons. The Prairie Trails Memorandum is available in Braille, Cassette or on a diskette upon request and is also posted on our website.

If you wish to request this newsletter in an alternative format, please contact the Braille and Talking Book Library at 1-800-423-6665.

If you have any questions or comments that you would like to share with us about the library program, please contact us.

Write to: South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library
800 Governors Drive,Pierre, SD 57501

E-mail: talkbkreq@state.sd.us

Call: 1-800-423-6665

The Braille & Talking Book Library does not endorse any product or service listed in this newsletter.