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PRAIRIE TRAILS MEMORANDUM
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
Spring 2008, Volume 3, Issue 1
Editor: Karen Duenwald
pdf download
Notes from the Director, Dan BoydBraille and Talking Book Library
Spring 2008, Volume 3, Issue 1
Editor: Karen Duenwald
pdf download
Changes at the Library
In October of this year after 32 years I will be retiring from the South Dakota State Library, Braille & Talking Book Program. In the next two issues of this newsletter I am going to share a little history of the Braille & Talking Book Program.
Thirty four years ago when I was hired the SD State Library was located in an old grocery warehouse and the Braille & Talking Book Program was located across town in an old lumberyard building. The Braille & Talking Book Program building was cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The lighting was so bad that there were places in the stacks where a flashlight was needed to read the book numbers on the containers.
Thirty two years ago the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Program was also the talking book program for North Dakota. The agreement between the two states continued until 1995 when North Dakota established the newest braille & talking book program in the country.
When I was hired 32 years ago the majority of the audio books were on records recorded at 16 2/3 rpm and the newer part of the collection recorded at 8 1/3 rpm. This was also the beginning of the transition from records to cassettes. Beginning in the early 1970’s cassette books were recorded on two tracks 1 7/8 ips, this was soon followed by the new four tack cassette book recorded at 15/16 ips. This change allowed for six hours of recording on each standard 90 minute cassette tape. At this time the South Dakota program also held a braille book collection. This continued until 1973 when a decision was made to drop the braille collection and contract with Utah to provide braille service to South and North Dakota patrons.
There was no automation and it would take the Reader Advisors three to four hours each day to prepare about 250 – 300 patrons for service and then three to four hours to re-file the patron records after circulation. Pulling the requested books from the shelves was also a very time consuming job taking four or more hours each day to mail 300 – 400 cassette books.
In the early 1970’s discussions began on the building of a new SD State Library Building. The new building was completed in 1976 with federal funding through the Library Services and Construction Act.
In the next newsletter I will talk about the move to the new building and the enhancements that have been made to the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Program.
Two New Employees with SD B&TBL
Hi everyone. My name is Dakota Saukel, and I’m the new Reader Advisor for patrons with last names starting with “H” through “O”. I will also be the editor of the Prairie Trails Newsletter starting with the next issue. I started this position on February 25, and I have enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the job and getting to know all of you.
I was born and raised in Maryland, but in the last few years I’ve lived in several states, including Idaho, Kentucky, and now South Dakota. I’ve been in Pierre for the past two years, and I’m still not used to some of the differences here! Before starting this job with the Braille and Talking Book Library, I worked in the interlibrary loan department of the South Dakota State Library for a year and a half. I’m currently taking college classes part time, so that keeps me quite busy.
I’m really enjoying my job so far, and I look forward to getting to know you better and helping to meet your reading needs! Please feel free to give us a call if there are any questions or concerns you might have.
My name is Marcia Kaup. I am the new Reader Advisor for the patrons whose last names begin with “P” through “Z”.
I grew up in North Central Nebraska and moved to South Dakota in 1999. I have been employed by the state of South Dakota for 5 years. I have 5 children (3 boys 31, 28, 26 and 2 girls 24 & 18) all living in Nebraska. I also have 3 granddaughters which I can never see enough of!
I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you and will do my best to assist with you with your Braille and Talking Books needs. Feel free to call me anytime you need assistance!
Be Prepared - “ICE” your mobile phone
ICE, an acronym for “In Case of Emergency”, is entered into a mobile phone user’s address/contact book as the “In Case of Emergency” contact. Originally established as a nation-wide campaign in the UK, ICE allows paramedics or police to be able to contact a designated relative/next-of-kin in an emergency situation.A person designated as the ICE contact should be informed that they are a contact and be informed of all relevant information for treatment such as allergies to medicine.
More than 200 million mobile phones are in use today in the United States. Many people leave the home without indentification, but nearly everyone, including teenagers, carries a mobile phone with them.
Steps to ICE your phone:
- Open up your address book in your phone
- Create a new contact
- Contact name should be ICE
- Enter in Contact’s phone number
- Affix an ICE sticker to your phone.
Spring Cleaning
Please take this opportunity to look around the house and see if there are any books you have finished or if there are any extra machines that not been sent back to the Braille and Talking Book Library. If so, then please send them back to us so that others who may be waiting for them will have the chance to enjoy them, as well. Thank you.
Closed for the Holidays
The Braille & Talking Book Library will be closed on the following holidays. Please place your book orders in advance so that you will have plenty on hand.
- May 26 - Memorial Day Holiday
- July 4 - Independence Day Holiday
New to the South Dakota Collection
SD 04151 - In Days Gone By by Melvin Anderson
SD 04154 - The Guardian by Dee Henderson
SD 04155 - Roping Lions in Grand Canyon by Zane Grey
SD 04156 - Stagecoach Passage: Medora to Deadwood by Arthur Abbott
SD 04157 - The Prairie in Her Eyes by Ann Daum
SD 04166 - Sweet Thunder by Marian Mathews Hersrud
SD 04180 - The Harvest is Late by Ryan Stattelman
SD 04181 - Greeno: A Winning Tradition by TD Griffith
SD 04190 - Dakota Brave: Tales of the Territory by Howard Jones
SD 04191 - Dakota: An Autobiography of a Cowman by W. H. Hamilton
Baseball Season is Here
With Spring comes the baseball season, and once again we have on hand both the American and National League Baseball schedule in Braille. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please contact us.
If you like...Why not try!
If you like Sandra Brown...why not try: Karen Robard, Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, Janet Dailey, Tami Hoag, Debbie Macomber, Judith McNaught, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Barbara Delinsky, Judith Michael, Katherine Stone
If you like Patricia Cornwell...why not try: Sarah Lovett, Linda Fairstein, Kathy Reichs, Lynda LaPlante, Sharyn McCrumb’s Spencer/LeDonne series, Joan Hess’s Arly Hanks series, Lillian O’Donnell’s Norah Mulcahaney series, Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series, Stephen White
If you like Diane Mott Davidson...why not try: Michael Bond, Jill Churchill, Tamar Myers, Katherine Hall Page, Joanne Pence, Nancy Pickard, Virginia Rich, Phyllis Richman
If you like Dorothy Cannell...why not try: K.K. Beck, Jill Churchill, Carl Hiaasen, Donald Westlake
A Few Reasons of Why to Send Us Your Own Book Requests
- Your reading tastes my vary. Only you know when your mood changes from mysteries to westerns to romances.
- There are more than 40,000 circulating titles in our collection. Using various catalogs and the Talking Book Topics opens up a world of books of which you might otherwise be unaware.
- We can send you books by authors or on subjects not listed in the catalogs. Ask us for works by your favorite writer, or for books on your favorite hobby.
- We have numerous requests for the same titles. The more choices you give us, the more likely you are to receive your requests.
- Treat yourself to a change of pace - experiment with new authors. You can always return to the “tried and true” later.
- You can tell us what you want when you want it. For example, you may want Christmas themed books in July!
- We make it easy to send requests: you may use the USPS mail, email, fax, telephone, or order via OPAC (on our website).
- Most important: only you know best what you want to read!
Quick Reminder
If you are sent a replacement talking book cassette player from the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library please remember to plug it in and give it a good (12-16 hours) charge before using.
Changes!?
If you would like to make changes to your reading preferences or that you wish to increase or decrease the number of books that you are currently receiving, please contact your reader advisor as soon as possible so that they may assist you.
If your last name starts with A-G, you may contact : Mary
If your last name starts with H-O, you may contact : Dakota
If your last name starts with P-Z, you may contact : Marcia
New Magazines in BTBL collection
Please let your reader advisor know if you would like to begin receiving a new magazine - maybe one that you have never even read before and want to try it out for awhile.
The Saturday Evening Post and the AARP magazine (different from the AARP Bulletin) are two magazines that are new to our collection and we can send them to you if you request them through your reader advisors.
Special Requests
Many of our patrons have called wondering why they have received brown boxes in the mail with Special Request on the side. When we reduced the size of our collection we kept only a single copy of some of the titles in our collection. If somebody calls in and specifically requests one of these titles we make a copy for them. To save time we use the brown boxes and Special Request stickers. That way when the books are returned we can reuse the boxes and cassettes.
From the Desk of Mary Sjerven, Reader Advisor
The South Dakota Collection contains books our readers have requested. The following are westerns recently added to our collection.
- SD003866 Forbidden River by Al Cody
Denny Rawls was the best captain on the Missouri River. He signed on the “As tide” to take a general cargo to Fort Benton, Montana, not realizing that the owner planned to have the river boat raided and the secret shipment of guns turned over to the Indians, thereby causing the Union Forces to divert men from the Southern Muddy, he sailed up the treacherous Yellowstone River through hostile Indian country- with the hired killer’s pursuing him on land and water. SD003866. - SD003896 Dude Ranger by Zane Grey
When Ernest Selby inherited a ranch in Arizona, he decided to take a assumed name and hire on as a cowboy. This gave him a chance to find out why a prosperous ranch would lose 14,000 head of cattle in just a few years. SD003896 - SD004117 Heller With A Gun by Louis L’Amour
A crackerjack gunslinger on his way to Cheyenne in the dead of winter finds himself involved with a traveling show, a lovely young dancer, marauding Indians, and two men hired to kill him. SD004117 - SD004198 The Burning Hills by Louis L’Amour
One against forty, they had him cornered- upon a canyon rim with no way to go but down! There was a rock big as a buckboard right on the edge of cliff. Trace heaved and felt his wound bust loose. But the rock broke free. There was a rattle of stones behind it, then the echoing screams of a man and horse falling away into the darkness. SD004198
Top Ten Circulating Books of 2007
In 2007, all of the books in the top ten list circulated 82 times and more. Take a few minutes to peruse this list. You may find a title or an author that you have not heard of and may like to read. May you thoroughly enjoy your reading in 2008!
- 10. RC 63096 H.R.H. by Danielle Steel Bestseller. 2006.
- After college graduation Princess Christianna's royal father allows her to volunteer anonymously at an international relief camp in Africa. Christianna falls in love with Parker Williams, a physician working with Doctors Without Borders, but violence invades their haven. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some violence. RC 63096 - 9. RC 62320 The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour by Louis L’Amour 2005.
- Third installment of the author's collected short stories, following Volume 1 (RC 59711) and Volume 2 (RC 60143). Features twenty-eight classic westerns, including tales of a drifter who poses as a murdered man to solve a mystery and a grizzled recluse who protects a runaway from a brutal guardian. RC 62320 - 8. RC 62727 The Bluebird and the Sparrow: Women of the West by Janette Oke 1995.
- When Berta Berdette's baby sister Glenna arrives, Berta's entire world is upset. As the girls grow into young women, Berta resents the lovely Glenna and vows to be her complete opposite. Berta drives a wedge between herself, her family, and her God until a family tragedy changes her attitude. RC 62727 - 7. RC 60644 Miracle by Danielle Steel 2005.
- A fierce storm hits San Francisco on New Year's Eve, bringing together three people who form a unique friendship. Each gradually reveals his or her personal problems to the group and finds strength in the growing camaraderie. And in the end, love blossoms for all. RC 60644 - 6. RC 62411 Forgiven: Firstborn, book 2 by Karen Kingsbury Sequel to Fame (RC 61505). 2005.
- Dayne Matthews, a movie star and an adoptee, goes on location in Bloomington, Indiana, in hopes of locating his biological family. Dayne reconnects with Christian youth theater director Katy Hart as she copes with a tragic accident and awaits her stalker's pending trial. RC 62411 - 5. RC 62475 The Quick and the Dead by Louis L’Amour 1973.
- Con Vallian encounters Duncan McKaskel and his family heading west and saves Duncan from outlaws. He soon finds himself guiding Duncan, Duncan's beautiful wife, Susanna, and their son, Tom, across the prairie, and fighting off rustlers, Huron Indians, and a lion along the way. RC 62475 - 4. RC 61324 The House by Danielle Steel Bestseller. 2005.
- San Francisco. A client has left workaholic lawyer Sarah Anderson an unexpected inheritance with the caveat to have fun with the money. Sarah decides to renovate a mansion and becomes absorbed in its history. Soon she finds herself falling in love with architect Jeff Parker. RC 61324 - 3. RC 62161 River’s Edge: Cape Refuge, book 3 2004. by Terri Blackstock Sequel to Southern Storm (RC 55881).
- The wife of Cape Refuge, Georgia, mayoral candidate Ben Jackson is murdered. Among police chief Matthew Cade's suspects are Ben's opponent, a fertility doctor, and a psychic. Journalist Blair Owens's investigation uncovers scandalous secrets, but her methods could jeopardize her relationship with Matthew. RC 62161 - 2. RC 62314 The Heritage of the Desert by Zane Grey 1910.
- Mormon August Naab saves Jack Hare's life and brings him home, where Jack falls in love with half-Navajo, half-Spanish Mescal. Others desire her too, including a ruthless cattle rustler and August's son, who wants her as a second wife. When Mescal flees to avoid marriage, Jack looks for her. RC 62314
And the #1 circulated book title of 2007 is...
RC 63495 Sisters by Danielle Steel Bestseller. 2007.
- Four siblings pull together during a family crisis. After their mother is tragically killed and sister Annie, an artist, is blinded, supermodel Candy, television producer Tammy, and lawyer Sabrina move into a New York townhouse to grieve and cope. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. RC 63495
The Prairie Trails Memorandum, published quarterly, is our means of communication with our patrons. The Prairie Trails Memorandum is available in braille, cassette or a computer 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:
South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library
800 Governors Drive,
Pierre, SD 57501 - E-mail: talkbkreq@state.sd.us
- Call: 1-800-423-6665 (SD only)