[Missouri-l] Midlands News

Fri Jul 17 10:50:04 CDT 2009

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Date:         Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:45:23 -0500
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From: "Smith, Richard" <richard.smith at SOS.MO.GOV>
Subject: Midlands News
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Midlands News
Information to Help Midlands Libraries
of the National Library Service Serve Their Patrons

Summer Issue                                                 July 2009

NLS Accepts Oklahoma Recording

This spring, the Oklahoma Library for the Blind 
and Physically Handicapped produced its second 
book to be accepted into the NLS Collection. 
Fibblestax is a lovely children’s book written by 
former Oklahoma news reporter Devin Scillian, and 
narrated by OLBPH volunteer Nancy Cheper. Cheper 
also narrated the Library’s first book to be 
accepted by NLS, When Turtle Grew Feathers. She 
is a very talented reader with a keen sense of 
the energy and rhythm for this style of writing. 
Margie Goergen-Rood of NLS Quality Assurance said 
of her reading on Fibblestax “Ms. Cheper's 
delivery is particularly strong in presenting the 
rhyming verses without falling into the typical 
patterned sing-songy rhythm that can normally be 
overpowering in this type of literature.”

This story tells of how a boy named Fibblestax 
competes with the imperious man who has been 
assigning absurd names to objects and feelings. 
It is clever, and I recommend it for adults and 
children alike. Fibblestax (RCN00015) is 
available from the Multistate Center East.

Jill Streck
Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

DTBM Repair Kits to Circulate Among Repair Groups

MaryBeth Wise provided the following information 
in response to a question that came up during one 
of the NLS prelaunch conference calls.

Volunteer repair groups are a vital part of the 
Network as they contribute to the overall 
maintenance and repair of our C-1 machines and 
will be solving problems (not covered by 
warranty) with the new Digital Talking Book 
Machines (DTBMs). In order to prepare these 
volunteer repair groups for the work that they 
will be doing and to introduce them to the DTBMs, 
21 "kits" will be circulated among 300 repair groups.

The kits include the following equipment:
      1 DS1 player
      1 DA1 player
      1 DS1 and DA1 Service Manual (Technician Edition)
      1 USB flash cartridge containing an XML configuration file
      1 USB flash cartridge that can be rewritten
      1 USB patch cord with male and female ends
      1 anti static pad
      1 ground strap
      1 T10 x 80 esd Torx driver (to open the housing)
      1 12.5 x 100 Hex driver (to remove the battery door)

Kits were sent to 21 volunteer coordinators and 
are being circulated through the various groups 
for periods of 2 weeks. After a repair group has 
familiarized itself with the DTBM, the kit is 
sent to another. We trust the circulation of 
these training kits throughout the network of 
volunteer repair groups will help to introduce 
volunteers to the new DTBMs and prepare them for the days ahead.

Richard Smith
Wolfner Library, Missouri

Summer Reading Kick Off Party

Young Oklahoma Library patrons and their families 
got a head start on reading at the Summer Reading 
Family Kick Off Party on June 6. The Library 
hosted over thirty guests for a fun day of 
creative and artistic expression celebrating the 
2009 theme, BE CREATIVE AT YOUR LIBRARY.

Summer readers, their families and teachers 
enjoyed a morning of craft activities which 
included face painting, bead jewelry, make your 
own visor, nature prints, herb gardens and mask decoration.

After lunch three outstanding performers 
entertained the families. Matthew Luce, a summer 
reader, played the fiddle and amazed the audience 
with his talent. Nancy Cheper, an award-winning 
narrator in our digital studio, presented several 
wonderful stories; and Karen Gilliland, Teacher 
of the Year from Watonga, OK, got the crowd on 
their feet for singing and dancing.

Readers were given a BE CREATIVE AT YOUR LIBRARY 
tee shirt and musical toys as well as reading 
logs to track their progress this summer. 
Participants who meet their reading goal by the 
end of the summer will receive a book in the 
format of their choice: braille, audio or large print.

Additional funding for the OLBPH Summer Reading 
Program was provided by the Friends group, 
Oklahomans for Special Library Services.

OLBPH_Summer_Party_2009

Oklahoma patron Matthew Luce plays the fiddle for 
the Summer Reading Family Kick Off Party.

Sammie Willis
Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

NLS Prelaunch Update from Wolfner Library, Jefferson City, MO

Wolfner Library is in the final weeks of the NLS 
digital system prelaunch. Wolfner staff received 
500 NLS digital players in early May and 
distributed them to Missourians in three days. 
Wolfner circulation staff then matched the 
machine department by adding 37 copies of the 54 
Sampler digital books in record time, so 
Missourians were some of the first readers in the 
nation to experience listening to NLS digital books on digital players.

Missouri benefited by receiving 350 additional 
digital players when a prelaunch library was 
unable to fulfill its obligation in the 
programunfortunate for them, but good for 
Missouri! As of this date, 850+ Missourians are 
participating in the prelaunch program.

Regular shipments of books in digital format are 
expected to begin in July and the initial 
distribution nationwide of NLS digital talking 
book players will start in August. What an 
exciting time to be a reader in the NLS program!

Prelaunch 015

Wolfner Library patron Josh Griffith with the new NLS digital machine

Richard Smith
Wolfner Library, Missouri

Adult Reading Programs Made Available

Chicago Public Library Talking Book Center has 
sponsored several statewide adult summer and 
winter reading programs including Reel Good 
Reads; Discovering Heroes Through Books; 
Celebrating 75 Years of Service & the 1930s; 
Innovation @ Your Library; Celebrating Louis 
Braille: Enterprise & Trailblazing; Read Green, 
Live Green; and Land of Lincoln Readers which 
celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial. These 
programs have proven so popular that Illinois 
patrons eagerly wait to see what theme Chicago 
TBC comes up with next. Many readers say these 
bibliographies introduce them to books they never 
would have thought of reading on their own.

Preparation for these reading programs takes a 
lot of staff time and effort. The Illinois 
Network of Talking Book and Braille Libraries 
would like to make these bibliographies, 
invitations, registration and reporting forms 
available to any library that would like to use 
them as a shortcut to its own successful adult 
reading program. Please contact Patrice Johnson 
at <mailto:patjohn at chipublib.org>patjohn at chipublib.org for more information.

Deborah Hurley
Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service

----------
You may subscribe to this newsletter by 
contacting Scott Norris at 
<mailto:snorris at michigan.gov>snorris at michigan.gov. 
Subscription cost is $25 per year. Edited by 
Deborah Hurley, Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service.

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: <mailto:richard.smith at sos.mo.gov>richard.smith at sos.mo.gov
Web Site: <http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/>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>http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/adult.asp

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