Prairie Trails Memorandum
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
Spring 2004, Volume 2, Issue 4
Editor: Bonnie Olson
Notes from the Director, Dan Boyd
Library Happenings

The South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library has been selected as the host library for the 2004 National Conference of Libraries for the Blind. This conference being held in Rapid City will bring together over 300 library directors and staff. During this week long conference the first week of May, discussions will be held on a variety of topics.

Those attending will receive updates from The Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped. Updates will be presented by the Materials Development Division on playback equipment, collection development and quality assurance for books. The Network Services Division will include updates on consumer relations, Braille and large print music collection and the reference collection.

There will also be sessions on national outreach initiatives and Native American Service Patterns.

A large portion of time will be spent discussing the next generation of talking books. Within a few years new books will be in a digital format. This will mean a new type of player and a new type of book. Discussions will take place on the NLS digital effort, digital talking book production systems, a digital talking book production demonstration and current digital initiatives at NLS.

With funding assistance from the Department of Corrections (DOC) and Services to the Blind & Visually Impaired (SBVI) we were able to purchase a new Braille embosser for the South Dakota Penitentiary Braille Unit. The Braillo 200 will emboss 325 single side sheets or 600 interpoint sheets per hour. It is our plan to purchase a second Braillo 200 with end of the year funds in May or June.

We have also purchased tactile graphics hardware and software. This purchase will cut graphics production time by almost two thirds.

The South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library was also successful in getting the legislature to pass and the Governor to sign a bill requiring textbook publishers to provide upon request an electronic file for any textbooks sold in South Dakota.

With the purchase of the new Braille embossers, the graphics package, the publisher file legislation and some changes we are making in the procedures used to produce Braille textbooks we will be able to complete more Braille textbooks.


WebOPAC's Frequently Asked Questions
Patrons now have access to our full holdings catalog in one place at any time. The web site is available to our patrons twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In order to use the web site, you must have access to a computer with an Internet connection. Patrons may check the WebOPAC for books by author, title, subject, narrator, series or annotation. The online catalog may be reached by the following URL (web address): www.sdstatelibrary.com/talkbook . The site can be read by most available Internet web browsers. Frequently asked questions about our online catalog are as follows:
  • Do I need to have a User ID and Password in order to search the online catalog?
    No you do not, anyone may search the catalog, however, if you wish to actually order the books or obtain access to the person's patron information section, you do need to have a user ID and Password.
  • Whom should I contact if I am experiencing problems with the web site?
    If you are experiencing problems with the web site, please contact the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library at 1-800-423-6665.
  • How will I know if the book is available?
    Once you have submitted your search topic, the results page will be displayed. The availability column indicates whether there are copies available or if the are all checked out.
  • What happens if I lose or forget my User ID and/or Password?
    Patrons will need to call their Reader Advisor at the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library to obtain this information.
  • What do I do if my User ID and Password will not grant me access to the system?
    Try to log into the system again, making sure to use lower case. If you are still unable to log into the system, contact your Reader Advisor.
  • Is there a way to see what I currently have checked out from the library?
    Patrons may see what they currently have checked out, on reserve, on request lists and has recently been sent to you by accessing your patron information section of the web site. This section also allows you to see what preferences and exclusions are listed on our database. If you would like changes made please contact your Reader Advisor.
  • When will I receive a book that I have requested?
    Materials that are marked "Shipped" in the patron information section will go into the mail on the next business day. Books that are marked "Reserved" will go into the mail as soon as a copy becomes available. Books that are marked "Requested" will be put on your list and sent at a later time in the future.

South Dakota Collection
The following titles are recent additions to the South Dakota collection.
  • SD003666 "Last Stand at Papago Wells", by Louis L'Amour
    Logan Cates was a man without illusion, without wealth, place, or destination. In the eighteen years since his parents died of cholera when he was fourteen, he had driven a freight wagon, punched cows, and hunted buffalo.
  • SD003667 "Milo Talon", by Louis L'Amour
    To Milo Talon there is nothing finer than drifting the far, lonesome country. But times are lean, and Talon hires out for a job that suddenly has him hog-tied to trouble. He is hunting for the long-hidden secret to a fortune in gold.
  • SD003668 "Buckskin Run", by Louis L'Amour
    Eight short stories by one of the world's foremost frontier writers, originally published between 1947 and 1952. Interspersed among the stories are brief historic notes.
  • SD003669 "The Cherokee Trail", by Louis L'Amour
    Mary Breydon, a spirited widow from Virginia, travels to Colorado during the Civil War to run an isolated stage station.
  • SD003670 "Reilly's Luck", by Louis L'Amour
    On a cold, snowy night when Val Darrant was four years old, he was hustled away on a buckboard to be abandoned. But he did not die; he met Willy Reilly -- a gentleman, a gambler and the best rifle shot in the West.
  • SD003671 "Bowdrie", by Louis L'Amour
    Collection of stories featuring Texas Ranger Chick Bowdrie. This book brings to life the western frontier and recreates the bold pioneer spirit that helped establish America.
  • SD003672 "The Lonesome Gods", by Louis L'Amour
    Sweeping novel of the southern California frontier set in pre-Civil War times tells the story of Johannes Verne, a young orphan raised in part by the mysterious Indians of the desert.
  • SD003673 "The Iron Marshall", by Louis L'Amour
    Tom Shanaghy was iron-tough, but he was no lawman. Back in New York, he'd been the strong-arm for an infamous Irish gang. But when he jumped a westbound train to escape a deadly street war, fate sent him to a small Kansas town on the brink of its own violent battle. The townspeople were sorely in need of a marshal, and they convinced Shanaghy to pin on the badge. Now he must wade into the fight of his life, one that will show him just how tough this new land really is.
  • SD003674 "Radigan", by Louis L'Amour
    One spread was all there was room for, and it belonged to Radigan. But when beautiful Angelina Foley came up from Texas with three thousand head of cattle, an outfit of hardcase gunhands, and an old Spanish grant to Radigan's land, he knew he was in for the fight of his life.
  • SD003675 "Sitka", by Louis L'Amour
    Jean LaBarge, hardened by a childhood in the dangerous Susquehanna Swamp and by rough-and-ready adventures in the West, now faces the dangers of Russian-owned Alaska, where the Russian American Company will stop at nothing to protect its interests from the encroaching Americans.
  • SD003676 "Brionne", by Louis L'Amour
    Major James Brionne brought Dave Allard to trial for murder, but just before the hanging, Dave swore his brothers would take revenge. Four years later the Allard Boys return to settle the score. They murder his wife, destroy his home, and leave Brionne nothing but the charred ruins of his past to haunt him.
  • SD003677 "Down the Long Hills", by Louis L'Amour
    Golden Spur Award winning book. When Indians massacre a party of settlers heading west, seven-year-old Hardy Collins and his three-year-old sister are left alone with only a horse and a knife with which to face the hardships of the wilderness.
  • SD003678 "The Walking Drum", by Louis L'Amour
    In twelfth century Brittany, young Mathurin Kerbouchard, escaping from the evil baron who has slain Mathurin's mother and plundered their estate, is forced into gallery slavery. From castle to slave galley, from sword-racked battlefields to a princesses secret chamber, and ultimately, to the impregnable fortress of the Valley of Assassins, it is an adventure of an ancient world.
  • SD003679 "Jubal Sackett", by Louis L'Amour
    Continues the popular saga of the Sackett clan. This latest installment features Jubal Sackett, a wily, homespun 17th-century hero who set off to traverse the vast, unexplored North American hinter-land. Jubal befriends Keokotah, a proud Kickapoo brave.
  • SD003680 "Ride the River", by Louis L'Amour
    Fabulous Echo Sackett, aunt of the Sackett brothers and an exceptional woman for the 1840s, is called back to Tennessee mountain country to claim the family inheritance. There she runs into a crew of greedy killers.
  • SD003681 "Mustang Man", by Louis L'Amour
    The tough cowboy is tenderhearted about ladies in distress, so he takes time to rescue a woman even when being chased by a posse. But then he has to shoot his way out of her clutches.
  • SD003682 "Passing' Through", by Louis L'Amour
    Mr. Passin', a drifter and a stranger in town, kills a mean-spirited man in self defense. The man's brothers leave Mr. Passin' strangling in a noose, but an Indian woman and boy whom he once befriended rescue him. Vengeance then becomes the name of the game.
  • SD003683 "Dutchman's Flat", by Louis L'Amour
    Collection of authentic stories of the Old West, some of which are set in Texas, New Mexico and California. Many deal with land, cattle and American Indians. In "Dutchman's Flat," the opening story, a posse searches for a man believed to have provoked a killing.
  • SD003684 "Treasure Mountain", by Louis L'Amour
    Tracking a trail that is twenty years old, the Sackett brothers are determined to find both their father and a million dollars in gold buried in the mountains. Also hot on the trail of the treasure is a group from New Orleans desperate enough to kill.
  • SD003685 "Last of the Breed", by Louis L'Amour
    A test pilot for experimental aircraft, U.S. Air Force Major Joe Makatozi is forced down over the Bering Sea by Russians. He must seek safety in the uncharted wilds of Siberia, pursued by Russian intelligence officer Colonel Zamatev and by a Yakut tracker.
  • SD003686 "Riding for the Brand", by Louis L'Amour
    Collection of stories about the frontier and the West. The author was inspired by stories of old-timers who recalled the fights, cattle rustlers, round-ups, camp cooks and drifting cowhands of their day. The author briefly introduces each story.
  • SD003687 "The Rider of the Rudy Hills", by Louis L'Amour
    These four frontier stories were subsequently expanded into novels. They include "The Rider of the Ruby Hills," "Showdown Trail," and "A Man Called Trent," which were later rewritten as "Where the Long Grass Blows," "The Tall Stranger," and "The Mountain Valley War," respectively.
  • SD003688 "The Tall Stranger", by Louis L'Amour
    Even though wagon scout Rock Bannon saves the wagon train from an Indian attack, the eastern settlers still refuse to heed his advice and prefer to follow the fast-talking Morton Harper. When Harper's evil intentions come to light, it is again Bannon who must save them.
  • SD003689 "Night Over the Solomons", by Louis L'Amour
    Six Stories of World War II adventure, set in Brazil, Siberia, and other points on the "outer fringes." Such soldier-or-fortune heroes as Mike Thorne, Steve Cowan and Turk Madden are featured.
  • SD003690 "Haunted Mesa", by Louis L'Amour
    A prominent inventor disappears while building a home atop No Man's Mesa in the Southwest. A friend of his receives a plea for help in the form of a diary. The investigation involves the supernatural when it leads to the mysterious disappearance centuries ago of a tribe of cliff dwellers.
  • SD003691 "West from Singapore", by Louis L'Amour
    Collection of short stories by the popular author known mostly for his Western novels. Written at the outbreak of World War II, these tales are set in the Pacific. The hero, Pongo Jim Mayo, is a sailor of fortune who is the master of a tramp freighter and sails up and down the islands in search of a living. All the stories are preceded by the author's explanatory notes.
  • SD003692 "Sackett Companion: Guide to the Sacketts", by Louis L'Amour
    Covering seventeen generations of the Sacketts, L'Amour presents the research that went into each novel. He writes of the sources, inspiration and his travel where "the Sacketts walk." He includes a glossary of characters and the novels in which they appear, as well as a family tree.
  • SD003693 "Istanbul Express", by T. Davis Bunn
    As the Iron Curtain descends across a battle-scarred Europe, American foreign policy races from crisis to crisis. With Stalin on the move to build a Russian empire there is only one hope: a strategy of containment to draw defense perimeter against Communist expansion. Jake and Sally Burnes are dispatched to an exotic new location outside the sphere of traditional American interests: Istanbul. With the Eastern Mediterranean in turmoil, Jake is to oversee a massive aid program.
  • SD003694 "The Pledge", by Jane Peart
    With the death of her father, Jo-Beth, her brother, and their mother, Johanna, move in with relatives in town. There, Johanna makes a living sewing her exquisite quilts, and Jo-Beth discovers a special friend; Wesley Rutherford. Wesley and Jo-Beth have a strong relationship which endures separation. Wes studies in Philadelphia to make a future for them. Then comes the Civil War which forces a decision that places Wesley at odds with friends and family. Can their love survive a war that will rend a nation in two?
  • SD003695 "Dreams of a Longing Heart", by Jane Peart
    In spring 1890, three eight-year-old girls leave over-crowded, bleak Greystone Orphanage near Boston and set out together on the "Orphan Train," heading West to adoptive homes. Along the way, the little girls - Shy, delicate Laurel; vivacious, mischievous Toddy; and kind, scholarly Kit - make a vow to be "forever friends." The story is told by Kit and their adventures along the way.
  • SD003696 "Roadside Geology of South Dakota", by John Paul Gries
    South Dakota fills the landscape with geologic diversity, from the glaciated rolling prairies in the east, across the Missouri River, and west to the rugged Badlands, Wall and granitic dunes of the Black Hills. Written for the layperson and amply illustrated with photographs, maps, and diagrams, this book describes and interprets the rocks and landforms visible along the state highways and the geology tours of the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and many other points of interest.
  • SD003697 "Riders of the Pale Horse", by T. Davis Bunn
    They had heard rumors of a dangerous international smuggling operation - now they are embroiled in an ominous conspiracy that threatens to transform militant Islamic regimes into nuclear powers. A foreign service officer is dispatched to the Jordanian desert to monitor illegal trans-shipments from the former Soviet Union. A missionary delivering medical supplies in the Caucaus Mountains gets diverted through the war-torn border zone. The two are brought together in the midst of a deadly high stakes political and spiritual conflict.
  • SD003698 "Outlaw Mountain", by Judith A. Jance
    When an elderly woman was found murdered in the Arizona desert, Sheriff Joanna Brady looks to the woman's greedy relatives and mysterious boyfriend for more information.
  • SD003699 "Dead to Rights", by Judith A. Jance
    Joanna Brady, the widowed sheriff of Cochise county, feels some sympathy for Hal Morgan, whose wife was killed by a drunk driver - the trouble is, the driver herself has now been killed, and most folks think that Morgan did it.
  • SD003700 "Return to Harmony", by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn
    A quiet southern town called Harmony, the distant storm clouds of the first World War, and two girls who are best friends. Jodie Harland and Bethan Kearne had little in common before the plight of a homeless dog brought them together, from that day on they were best friends. But is seemed that faith itself drove a tragic wedge between them. It wasn't until the war in Europe that changed their friendship.
  • SD003701 "Like No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years that Changed America Forever", by Thomas Daschle
    Daschle offers a riveting account of his singular perspective on a time when the nation faced deadly and elusive external enemies and a level of domestic political contention rarely seen in American history. He is unflinching on his impression of key political figures and the result is an acutely perceptive assessment of how our government met and sometimes did not meet the challenges of a remarkable era.
  • SD003702 "Kings of Bethlehem", by Tim Jabert
    Two boys joined by destiny. One is Raemus, the son of a Roman soldier ordered by Herod to kill the innocence of Bethlehem. The other, Omri, the elder son, is spared while his brother is slain. Both are haunted by the terrible visions of that day. Meeting again as men in catacombs of Rome, one embraces a spiritual awakening; the other struggles to forgive. This novel is a fictional account of the great sacrifice that preceded the mission of Jesus Christ. A South Dakota author.
  • SD003703 "Wyoming Cattle Trails", by John K. Rollinson
    This book tells the history of the migration of Oregon-raised herds to mid-western markets in the 1800s. Individual accounts of the hardy individuals include the cowboys, the cook and pioneer cattlemen.
  • SD003704 "The Land They Possessed", by Mary Worthy Breneman
    The Wards were moving again. West, of course. Father always went west. As they stood on the carriage block in front of the Ipswich Hotel and the stable hand brought around the team, nine-year-old Michael tried to be calm and grown up. So begins the story of the Ward family's move to a new life near Eureka, Dakota Territory, in 1885. A South Dakota author.
  • SD003705 "South Dakota's Best Stories" from the South Dakota Magazine
    The "South Dakota Magazine" has a reputation as the premier collector of good stories and pictures about life in the Rushmore state. In the introduction, the magazines founder; Bernie Hunhoff, says he's come to realize that the stories have a value beyond mere entertainment. Hunhoff and his editorial cohorts condensed, combined and rewrote stories from the first 20 years of the magazine for this collection. Our history, humor, adventures, challenges and heartaches, are all bound together in this book. A South Dakota author.
  • SD003706 "A Certain Crossroad", by Emilie Loring
    1925 romance novel in which the mysterious return of a lost love saves a beautiful, headstrong heiress from tragedy in a new strange New England town. Was RC006515.
  • SD00707 "Another Homecoming", by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn
    She was one of a thousand weeping women that day. Martha clung to her husband, as he held her close, assuring her that he would be back soon. "But what if..." was the question she could not ask as Harry kissed her. She was thinking of her nine short weeks of marriage as the train whistle interrupted her thoughts while Harry boarded the train. There she stood with other weeping mothers, wives and children. Martha's last image of Harry's departure was of a train smothered in smoke and made blurry by tears, a train that had grown a thousand arms of its own.

New DVS Additions

Descriptive Video Service (DVS) carefully describes the visual elements of a movie such as the action, characters, locations, costumes and sets, without interfering with the dialogue or sound effects. Our collection consists of over 300 videos that are available for loan. The following videos were recently added to our collection. If you would like a complete listing of all the videos in our collection, contact your Reader Advisor at 1-800-423-6665.
  • DVS-00327 "Finding Nemo"
    This animated film from Pixar/Disney is the story of Nemo (Alexander Gould), a curious young clownfish who has been taken from his home in Australia's Great Barrier Reef and winds up in the office fish tank of a dentist in Sydney. It's up to his shy father, Marlin (Albert Brooks), and Marlin's friend Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to find him. Rated "G".
  • DVS-00328 "Seabiscuit"
    Based on Laura Hillbrand's bestseller, Seabiscuit tells the true story of an ungainly racehorse that captured the nation's heart during the Depression. Toby Maquire stars as hard-luck jockey Red Pollard. Also starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper. "Rated PG-13".
  • DVS-00329 "Matrix: Reloaded"
    The second installment of Matrix sees Neo (Keanu Reeves) racing to beat the machines before launching a final battle that pits the last remaining unplugged humans against them. Along the way, with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) by his side, Neo battles Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his clones. Rated "R".
  • DVS-00330 "Pirates of the Caribbean"
    The Curse of the Black Pearl. This blockbuster movie is a sweeping action-adventure story set in an era when villainous pirates scavenged the Caribbean seas. Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. "Rated PG-13".
  • DVS-00331 "Bruce Almighty"
    In this hit comedy, Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a TV news reporter whose human-interest stories don't interest him anymore. His girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston) loves him despite his negative take on the world. But when Bruce is fired, he asks once again why God has decided to give him so much grief. God (Morgan Freeman), however, is tired of hearing Bruce's complaints and offers Bruce his all-encompassing job for one week to show him how tough it is to run the world. "Rated PG-13".
  • DVS-00332 "Lewis & Clark" - Not Rated.
  • DVS-00333 "Bob the Builder" - Not Rated.
  • DVS-00334 "The Future of the Milky Way" - Not Rated.
  • DVS-00335 "Runaway Universe" - Not Rated.
  • DVS-00336 "Wuthering Heights" - Not Rated.
  • DVS-00337 "Clever Critters" - Not Rated.
All descriptive videos are on loan to patrons for one week. Please be kind and return the videos within that time frame so that others have a chance to receive them. Remember, you are responsible for videos that are on loan to you. If you experience any problems with the video or have questions about descriptive videos, please contact Judy at 1-800-423-6665.


Relax and Read at Your Library
The Braille and Talking Book Library will be holding its first annual reading event for adults August 23 through October 8, 2004. Relax and Read at your library is a reading contest for patrons age 19 and above. This is your opportunity to increase your reading and place yourself in a drawing to win a prize at the end of the contest. Information will be sent in the mail to all active patrons within this age group the week of August 2, 2004. Dates are subject to change as more information becomes available.


Holiday Closings
The Braille and Talking Book Library will be closed on the following holidays. Please place your book orders in advance so that you will have a plentiful amount of books on hand.
Memorial Day, May 31, 2004
Independence Day, July 5th, 2004


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.