In this issue, you will learn about recent and upcoming events, new additions to our collection, a new staff member, and more. Check out two talking book memoirs added to the South Dakota Collection. Read the newly added book and then attend our author talk for our December Social Club!
Hello, my name is Michelle Loffelmacher. I started working as a Library Assistant for the Accessible Library Services Program in July. I believe it is important that accessibility programs like these be available for everyone who needs them and I am excited to be part of this program.
I grew up in North Dakota but have lived in South Dakota for the past twenty years. I moved from Rapid City to Pierre in 2020. Over the past decade, I have been working in our school systems as a paraprofessional, where I was able to help children of all ages find the means to achieve the best in themselves.
The importance of programs like Accessible Library Services are greatly significant to me. When I was a child, I always had a difficult time reading and writing in school. It was not until the sixth grade when my teacher, Mr. Quigley, was able to help me obtain books on tape from the accessibility programs provided by the state of North Dakota. Because of Mr. Quigley's intuition, I was able to read my first novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird". These programs proved to be invaluable to my education, and I used them all the way through college. They empowered me in my ability to connect with others, participate in group discussions, and form my own opinions. My writing skills and grades also greatly improved. I believe that everyone should be able to have access to these opportunities.
My husband Seth works in Pierre for the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. My daughter Andrea is going to school in Wahpeton to be a dental assistant or hygienist. We have two dogs, a special pit mix named Oliver, and a rambunctious trickster of a blue heeler named Harlow. We also have two elderly cats who spend all day grumping and demanding pets. My hobbies include hiking with my two dogs, riding my bike (and it's an e-bike!, and playing board games.
Please join us Monday, December 9, 2024, at 2 pm Central Time, 1 pm Mountain Time, when we will meet South Dakota author Eliza Blue. Eliza is a writer, folk musician, and rancher living on the short grass prairie of western South Dakota with her husband, two children and a wide variety of feathered and furry friends. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, and NPR's All Songs Considered. Her weekly column, Little Pasture on the Prairie, is carried by 19 different print publications, and she currently hosts a show celebrating rural art and culture for PBS called Wish You Were Here with Eliza Blue. Eliza has published two books, "Accidental Rancher", and "Little Pasture on the Prairie". We are looking forward to visiting with her!
Watch your mail for the big yellow postcard with more information.
The following books have been added to the South Dakota Collection. These two books are from two South Dakota authors and are both memoir-type books but set in completely different worlds. One is set in South Dakota and one is set in Louisiana. Eliza Blue is also our December Social Club speaker. Contact your reader advisor and they can send these books to you.
When Eliza Blue first moved to northwestern South Dakota, she didn't plan on staying long. After all, the singer/songwriter had spent most of her adulthood hopping from place to place. But then she fell in love with a Perkins County rancher — and the land, the wind, the livestock and the giant blue expanse of a West River sky.
Now the former urbanite tackles her daily duties on the ranch — bottle-feeding bum lambs, milking her dairy cow, Rita, and wrangling two young children — while somehow finding time to contemplate and write about life on the high plains. In Accidental Rancher, Blue shares a collection of these writings, bringing a new voice and a musician's grace to the culture of rural America.
An inside look at an unjust system disguised as justice. With more than two million people in the United States in some kind of penal system, lots of us have relationships with folks who are locked up.
In the Louisiana State Penitentiary, aka Angola Prison, the prisoners call her Miss Nurse. She is hired to manage the infection control department.
Every year she tests 5000 prisoners and 2000 employees for tuberculosis and runs an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program.
Big Kidd, a five-time felon doing life, is a respected prison leader and prisoner pastor. Breaking all the rules, Big Kidd and Miss Nurse fall in love. The harsh circumstances contrast with their new-found love. Deciding to follow her heart rather than her career in corrections, Miss Nurse resigns her job to become Mrs. Big Kidd.
Their story is woven with the threads of his dysfunctional family, the courts, the prisons, and the often-violent streets of New Orleans. The couple's love comes at a steep cost to each of them, but will it survive?
This second edition provides the Epilogue.
We tried something different for this year's Summer Reading Challenge – BINGO! We sent the same Bingo card to everyone, both children and adults. When the card was returned to us with a Bingo, the patron was entered into a drawing. 23 patrons returned their Bingo cards, the youngest one being five years old and the oldest was 91! This summers prizes were two Lenovo tablets, and four Amazon gift cards that donated by the Rapid City Evening Star Lions Club. We held the drawing September 16, and the winners were as follows: Jaxon Scheff, Natasha Lebeaux, Daphnee Broberg, Kaylee Waldner, Lynda Lowin, and Gertie Judstra
The Winter Reading Challenge will start February 2025. If you have any comments about the Bingo challenge, if you liked it or not, how we could make it better, or if we shouldn't do it again, please let us know.
We have a very interesting 10 Squared patron this month. Ann Huff moved to Sioux Falls from Texas at the age of 103 and immediately became part of the 10 Squared Club. Ann was born at the start of the Roaring 20's and lived through the Great Depression and World War II. She remembers when there were no telephones, TVs, or radios. Her parents were immigrants and could not read English, so her teachers read to her. She has always enjoyed reading and listens to audiobooks in the living room in her recliner. Her favorite books are "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Man called Ove". Before her vision became poor, Ann did a lot of volunteer work, including working with the ladies' group at church making quilted prayer blankets and ushering for the performing arts center. At age 85, she went to technical college to learn how to use a computer! Amazing! Accessible Library Services would like to welcome Ann to South Dakota and to the 10 Squared Club.
The Free Matter for the Blind program of the United States Postal Service has been around since 1904. This service precedes the Talking Book Library by 27 years and these two programs work together to provide a 100% free service to our patrons.
The Free Matter for the Blind program is legally mandated and allows eligible participants to receive and send mail for free. Mail that qualifies as Free Matter includes large type (14-point or larger) documents, braille, audio recordings and talking book players. It is treated as First-class Mail and regulations require packaging to remain unsealed so that Postal Service employees may ensure items qualify for postage-free mailing.
Please note: Handwritten notes for library staff, either inserted into the cartridge container or written on the mailing card, is not considered Free Matter. Please call or email such communication directly. This will ensure that the message gets to the appropriate person and keeps our service in compliance with Postal Service regulations.
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled provides braille and print/Braille calendars to its patrons free of charge. Calendars are available in two sizes. The larger wall calendar is print/Braille. The smaller pocket-sized calendar is braille only. To obtain calendars, patrons must contact your Reader Advisor. Once patrons are subscribed, they will receive a calendar each year unless they stop their subscription.
The State Library and Accessible Library Services will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29 for Thanksgiving, and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 23, 24 and 25 for Christmas. Please remember to call early if you need extra books to get you through the holiday weekends.
Staff have been attending conferences and trainings and working to share more about our services. We are learning more, having conversations, connecting and collaborating. We are finding there are many people who could benefit from our services who just don't know about them.
August 8-9, 2024, Josh and Brenda from the state library shared a booth for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD) and School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD) Conference in Sioux Falls, SD. Josh then worked with Sioux Falls recording studio volunteers.
September 6-7, 2024, Josh attended and presented at the South Dakota Association of the Blind (SDAB) conference at Joy Ranch near Watertown, SD.
September 9-12, 2024, Kathleen and Josh attended the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Biennial National Conference at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Josh presented on the western region panel. Our library is part of the state network of NLS associated libraries.
September 17, 2024, Kathleen and Josh briefly presented on the September DOE SPED (Special Education) Zoom call about our educational materials and how we can assist with providing accessible textbooks and other materials for students.
September 20-21, 2024, Jeanette and Josh manned a vendor booth at the SD Book Festival in Brookings, SD and made many good connections. They also connected with author Eliza Blue who will be our December Social Club speaker.
September 25-27, 2024, Kathleen, Jeanette, and Josh attended the South Dakota Library Association (SDLA) annual conference in Aberdeen, SD. Josh received the SDLA Support Staff of the Year award at the conference. Jeanette and Josh briefly stopped into the School for the Blind before the conference.
October 2-4, 2024, Kathleen attended APH's (American Printing House for the Blind) 155th Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees (EOTs) in Louisville, KY. This is the organization that distributes federal funds based on students we serve who are registered with us. We then can use those federal funds to help serve K-12 students who need accessible educational materials.
October 9-11, 2024, Josh and Kathleen attended Dakotas AER Conference in Aberdeen, SD. Josh also worked with the School for the Blind librarian and worked with a recording studio volunteer. AER, or The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired is a professional membership organization dedicated to professionals who provide services to persons with vision loss. Dakotas AER is the North and South Dakota chapter of the organization.
October 16, 2024, Jeanette and Josh presented at the 2024 State Approved Activity Coordinator Training Program in Pierre, SD. This is a program sponsored by the SD Health Care Association designed for individuals with primary responsibility for the activity program in a long-term facility to become a qualified activity coordinator.
October 28-31, 2024, Josh attended and manned a vendor booth at the SDRehabACTion 2024 Fall Conference in Deadwood, SD. He also visited several libraries and worked with current and trained new volunteers in the Rapid City recording studio before and after the conference.
November 14, 2024, Josh and Kim from the state library and Jeanette midafternoon had a vendor booth at the 2024 SD Indian Education Summit (IES) in Pierre, SD. Also, on October 14th Kathleen spoke at the SD Head Start Association Home Visitors Institute in Chamberlain, SD to around 30 people who weren't aware of our services previously.
The SD Accessible Library Services (Braille and Talking Book Library), thanks all our generous donors who have made contributions to the library in the past several months.
Our mom loved to listen to the talking books. She often said the books were a great enjoyment and "kept her sane" due to failing eyesight. She celebrated her 103rd birthday in April and passed away in July 2024. Thank you!
– the Palmer Family
Gifts and bequests that are donated to the SD Accessible Library Services (Braille and Talking Book Library) are used to enhance the services that we provide. We appreciate the generosity of those that give, and we miss those patrons who have been honored with memorials. All donations are considered a charitable donation and therefore are tax-deductible. When donating, please include the address of those to be notified for memorials or donations in honor of a special occasion or person.
The donations that you make are used to help us better serve our patrons. Donations have been used to purchase descriptive DVDs, celebrate the work of our volunteers, honor our readers who are 100 years old or older, and support reading programs such as the summer reading program. You can designate a specific purpose for your gift. If you have any questions, call your reader advisor.
Donations can be sent to:
SD Accessible Library Services
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2235
Please make checks payable to the "SD Accessible Library Services".
Thank you for helping to enhance and improve library services.
My name is Ginny Kaus, and I am the Educational Materials Coordinator and Reader Advisor for children and teens. As the Educational Materials Coordinator and Reader Advisor for children and teens, I am responsible for providing services that include reader advisory, audio talking books, Braille, and educational materials including textbooks in large print and Braille.
To guarantee that you will have textbooks for the 2025 - 2026 school year, we need to have the orders in by January 15th. You can still order textbooks after that date, but we cannot guarantee the date that you would receive them.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me: Virginia "Ginny" Kaus, Educational Materials Coordinator and Reader Advisor: 1-605-773-4914 ; or email
The Library will be closed for the following holiday(s). Please plan to order your books accordingly. Keep in mind that the books you return will take longer to reach us. You may want to order extra books at least two weeks in advance of the following holidays:
The Prairie Trails Newsletter is our means of communication with all patrons of the South Dakota Accessible Library Services. The Prairie Trails Newsletter is made available in digital audio on cartridge, or via email, and is posted on our website in large print and audio.
If you have any questions or comments, or wish to request this newsletter in an alternative format, please contact the SD Accessible Library Services.
Write:
South Dakota Accessible Library Services
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2235
1-800-423-6665 (in SD Only) Email Facebook
The SD ALS does not endorse any service or product listed in this newsletter.
Masthead photo of prairie grasses and pasque flower with sunrise courtesy of South Dakota Department of Tourism © 2019 
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Funding for this program is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the South Dakota State Library.
