[real-eyes] Fw: Wolfner News Fall 2008
- From: "Terrie Arnold" <tanderson3@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:44:39 -0600
----- Original Message -----
From: Smith, Richard
To: WOLFNER_LIBRARY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 1:37 PM
Subject: Wolfner News Fall 2008
Wolfner News
Fall 2008
Robin Carnahan, Secretary of State
Notes from the Director
Digital Players
In mid-June 2008, the Library of Congress awarded Shinano Kenshi/Plextor of
Culver City, California, a contract to produce the standard and advanced
digital talking-book players. When mass production commences, Plextor, the
electronic equipment division of Shinano Kenshi, will produce twenty thousand
digital players a month at a cost to NLS of $157 per player (including license
fees). This is good news in that it is below the estimated price of $200.
Wolfner Library, one of the eight pre-launch libraries in the country for the
digital transition, will be shipped 500 players in February 2009. Regular
shipment of mass-production players will arrive at all libraries in early May.
We need active readers to test the new digital talking book player during the
February 2009 pre-launch. If you are an avid reader, please call your reader
advisor if you want to be one of the first to receive a NLS digital talking
book machine next year! In addition, call your reader advisor to be put on the
waiting list for a new digital talking book player to be distributed starting
in May of 2009.
Cartridges for Digital Books
In August, the Library of Congress awarded a contract to Northstar Systems Inc.
of Rancho Cucamonga, California to manufacture USB flash-memory cartridges,
which will be used to record audiobooks for distribution to the NLS cooperating
network for circulation to patrons across the country and overseas. The
cartridges purchased under this contract will permit all NLS recorded books to
be issued on either 512 MB or 1 GB cartridges. This will enable each recorded
book to be contained on a single cartridge, greatly improving the current
patron's experience of receiving multiple four-track cassettes. In addition,
Northstar is obligated to furnish participating libraries and interested
patrons with blank cartridges at prices fixed in the contract.
The Friends of Wolfner Library has earmarked $50,000 for Wolfner to use for
blank cartridges. Since the current price is lower than half the original
estimate of $9.00, Wolfner Library will be able to purchase 10,000 instead of
5,000 blank cartridges to duplicate books.
Mailing Containers
LC Industries in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, was awarded the contract to produce
the digital talking-book cartridge mailing containers. Plans are underway to
make mailing containers available for network library purchase. The current
projected price is $.70 each in lots of 220 plus shipping and handling. These
containers will be identical to those used by NLS, except that they will be a
different color and will not bear the Library of Congress seal.
Again the Friends have allocated an additional $3,000 toward the purchase of
mailing containers. That will purchase about 4,000 mailing containers for
Wolfner.
Veterans First!
Wolfner Library gives preference in the distribution of digital talking-book
players to veterans first and then to members of the 10-squared Talking-Book
Club (registered patrons who are one hundred years of age or older). Public
Law 89-522 provides that eligible persons honorably discharged from the U.S.
Armed Forces shall have preference in borrowing library materials produced by
NLS.
Veterans, if you have not done so already, please contact your reader advisor
to add your name to the list of veterans to be given priority.
Richard J. Smith, Director
Service Recognition
In appreciation for the hard work the Wolfner Library staff provides in getting
needed reading materials to patrons, an awards ceremony was held this summer in
recognition of service by dedicated Wolfner staff. Awards this year went to:
-Paul Mathews for 30 years of service
-Bonnie O'Donnell for 20 years of service
-Justin Stauffer for 10 years of service
-And a belated 10 years of service award to Rhea Dickrader
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan handed our award plaques and posed for photos
with the awardees. The entire staff was treated to ice cream at the ceremony.
BARD
In the inaugural year of the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) project,
Wolfner patrons downloaded 5,167 titles from the BARD website, equaling 1.36%
of the 378,877 cassette circulation. Downloading books off the Internet is
expected to increase with the distribution of the NLS digital machine next
year. For all the trials and tribulations NLS has had with the transition, they
should pat themselves on the back because BARD is a winner.
Read about the BARD program at
https://www.nlstalkingbooks.org/dtb/ApplicationInstructions.html
The NLS digital talking book will have the capacity to play BARD download books
on both a blank NLS cartridge and standard USB drive. In addition, Wolfner
Library currently has a limited number of third party vendor players, the
Victor Reader Stream, that will play BARD books to loan to eligible readers.
Requirements for the Stream player from Wolfner Library are:
. You must be a Wolfner Library patron in good standing.
. You must have a high-speed Internet connection or regular access to one.
. You must have a working e-mail address and knowledge of how to use it,
including handling attachments.
. You must have a reasonable knowledge of how to use the web, fill out
forms online, download large items, and unzip files.
. You must have a working knowledge of file management; that is, you must
be able to create folders to put your books in, and locate the proper folders
from which to extract your books.
. You must download a minimum of 3 NLS books a month.
. You must be comfortable using small electronic devices such as TV
remotes or cell phones.
Please call or email your reader advisor if you meet the above qualifications
and are interested in borrowing a Victor Reader Stream for use with the BARD
program.
Louis Braille: A Remarkable Inventor
A blind eleven-year-old boy took a secret code devised for the military and saw
in it the basis for written communication for blind individuals. Louis Braille,
newly enrolled at the National Institute of the Blind in Paris, spent nine
years developing and refining the system of raised dots that has come to be
known by his name.
The original military code was called night writing and was used by soldiers to
communicate after dark. It was based on a twelve-dot cell two dots wide by six
dots high. Each dot or combination of dots within the cell stood for a letter
or a phonetic sound. The problem with the military code was that the human
fingertip could not feel all the dots with one touch.
Louis Braille created a reading method based on a cell of six dots. This
crucial improvement meant that a fingertip could encompass the entire cell unit
with one impression and move rapidly from one cell to the next.
Braille himself was blind from the age of three. He was born in the village of
Coupvary near Paris on January 4, 1809. One day he was playing with a sharp
instrument belonging to his father, a harness maker. The child accidently
prodded one eye with the tool and developed an eye infection causing total
blindness.
Until 1819, Braille attended the local village school, where his superior
mental abilities put him at the head of his class. He received a scholarship to
the National Institute of the Blind, where he was the youngest student. Soon
afterward, he began the development of the embossed code. In 1829 he published
the code in _Procede pour Ecrire les Paroles, la Musique et la Plain-Chant au
Moyen de Points_, which also contained a braille music code based on the same
six-dot cell.
Even after he had developed his system for reading and writing, Braille stayed
on at the institute as an instructor. Eventually an incessant cough made it
impossible for him to lecture and he had to return to Coupvray.
He died there at the age of forty-three, and was buried in the family plot in
the village cemetery. In 1952, on the centennial of his death, his body was
ceremoniously transferred to the Pantheon in Paris. A monument to Louis Braille
stands in the main square of Coupvary. 2009 marks the 200th birthday of this
remarkable man.
They Caught the Reading Bug!
This year, 102 children and 6 schools registered for the 2008 summer reading
program at Wolfner Library. Of those readers, 78 participated in the "Catch the
Reading Bug @ Your Library" group for younger children and 24 participated in
the "Metamorphosis @ Your Library" group for teens. A total of 66 participants
succeeded in reaching the reading goal they chose at the beginning of the
program. Those who completed the program earned t-shirts, prizes and a free
gift book, and were entered in a grand prize drawing. Thanks to the Friends of
Wolfner Library for providing the prizes for the program!
We hope to have just as many, or more, participants for our 2009 summer reading
program, which will focus on the arts. The theme for the younger children's
program is "Be Creative @ Your Library", and the teen theme is "Express
Yourself @ Your Library". Happy Reading!
Elizabeth A. Lang,
Youth Services Librarian
Newly Recorded Missouri Books
Bindweed by Janis Harrison.
Everyone in town helps florist Bretta Solomon make sure her helper Toby, a
slow-witted man left on his own since his mother died, is doing okay. But Toby
is killed by a swarm of bees deliberately planted in his home, and Bretta is
determined to find his killer. Bretta Solomon series, book 6. MOD 130.
Reap a Wicked Harvest by Janis Harrison.
In River City, Missouri, the "wedding of the year" is causing florist Bretta
Solomon one headache after another. But just when she thinks things can't get
any worse, two wedding workers die suspiciously on the same day, and Bretta
can't help but think there's something more sinister in the air than love and
marriage. Bretta Solomon series, book 6. MOD 108.
The Gold of Cape Girardeau by Morley Swingle.
A treasure trove of gold is found buried next to a skeleton with a bullet hole
in its skull. Young lawyer Allison Culbertson faces the toughest courtroom
battle of her career to prove the gold belongs to her client. The secrets of
the gold are revealed in an unforgettable story that transports the reader from
a modern courtroom to the glory days of steamboating on the Mississippi, from
young love on the river to the perils of living in a town of split loyalties
during the Civil War. Swingle's riveting tale brings the Mississippi River
Valley's past to life-combining mystery, love, greed, and courtroom drama into
a suspenseful blend of history and fiction. Winner of the 2005 Governor's Book
Award. MOD 118.
Nobody's Boy by Jennifer Fleischner.
George, a young slave living in St. Louis, Missouri, wrestles with the
injustices he sees around him as he decides whether or not to flee his
accustomed life and seek freedom. MOD 170.
Black Storm Comin' by Dianne Lee Wilson.
Twelve-year-old Colton, son of an African-American mother and a white father,
takes a job with the Pony Express in 1860 after his father abandons the family
on their California-bound wagon train, and risks his life to deliver an
important letter that may affect the growing conflict between the North and
South. MOD 171.
Please call or email your reader advisor to order a Missouri talking book.
Wolfner Library Staff Listing
Richard J. SmithDirector of Wolfner Library richard.smith@xxxxxxxxxx
Deborah StroupCoordinator of Volunteers deborah.stroup@xxxxxxxxxx
Archie AndrewsMachines Coordinator archie.andrews@xxxxxxxxxx
Elizabeth LangYouth Services Librarian elizabeth.lang@xxxxxxxxxx
Paul MathewsReader Advisor A-Co paul.mathews@xxxxxxxxxx
Brandon KempfReader Advisor Cp-G brandon.kempf@xxxxxxxxxx
Ginny RyanReader Advisor H-L ginny.ryan@xxxxxxxxxx
Cheryl HasslerReader Advisor M-R cheryl.hassler@xxxxxxxxxx
Carol MathewsReader Advisor S-Z carol.mathews@xxxxxxxxxx
Diann StarkReader Advisor Institutions diann.stark@xxxxxxxxxx
Wolfner News is a quarterly publication of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's
Office.
Hours
Wolfner Library is open Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed for state holidays.
Contact Information
Toll-free in-state phone number (800) 392-2614
Jefferson City area (573) 751-8720 local phone number
Toll-free TDD phone number (800) 347-1379
E-mail address wolfner@xxxxxxxxxx
Web site address www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/
Wolfner's online catalog wolfpac.sos.mo.gov/klasweb/
Richard J. Smith, Director
Wolfner Library
Missouri State Library
P.O. Box 387
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: 573-522-2767
In Missouri: 800-392-2614
Fax: 573-526-2985
Email: richard.smith@xxxxxxxxxx
Web Site: http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/
Not sure what to read next? Find a good book by listening to an audio
bibliography at http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/adult.asp
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