Volume
XL No.1
Spring
2017
BARD
Express: An Easier Way to Download
In
an ongoing effort to improve the BARD downloading experience, the National
Library Service (NLS) has recently released BARD Express. BARD Express is a
free, Windows-based application that simplifies the process of searching for,
downloading, and transferring books from BARD to a flash drive for use in their
digital talking book players. With BARD Express there is no searching for
downloaded books in random folders on your computer, no more unzipping files,
and no more copying and pasting books onto your flash drives; BARD Express
manages all of these tasks for you.
BARD
Express is available to any Talking Book patron who has an active BARD account
with the library. Patrons can apply for a free BARD account online at https://nlsbard.loc.gov; if
patrons are unsure of their log in information for a current BARD account they
can contact the library by email at tbbl@library.in.gov or
by phone at 1-800-622-4970.
More
information about BARD Express, including a user guide and a link to download
the program, is available from the BARD main page under the ADDITIONAL LINKS
heading. It will only work on Windows based PCs and will work with a variety of
screen readers, including Window eyes, NVDA, and Jaws.
In
addition to BARD Express, patrons can continue to utilize their BARD Mobile apps
for listening to books on the go. BARD Mobile is available for use on iOS
devices (iPhones, iPads, iPods), Android devices, and
select Kindle devices. Additional information on BARD Mobile can also be found
on the BARD website under the ADDITIONAL LINKS heading.
Your
Input Is Still Needed!
One
of our librarians, Laura Williams, is a member of the National Library Service’s
Collection Development Advisory Group. They will be having their biennial
meeting in Washington, D.C. in May and we want to make sure your thoughts about
the Talking Book and Braille program are discussed during that meeting.
The
Collection Development Advisory Group is made up of 12 people, which includes 3
representatives from consumer organizations (eg. NFB,
ACB, and the Blinded Veterans), 4 library patrons from around the country, and 5
librarians; the group gives suggestions to NLS regarding the process by which
titles are selected for the program.
Suggestions
can range from the general, such as book length, to the specific. For example,
during the 2015 meeting the group suggested that length should not be a limiting
factor when selecting braille titles for the library. NLS agreed and as a result
longer books such as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series and Cloud Atlas
by David Mitchell are now available in braille. The group can also recommend
that NLS add books on certain subjects. In 2015 their recommendations included
more historical mysteries and westerns, as well as books about wedding planning
and protection against identity theft. Further, recommendations can be made by
the committee regarding the Magazine on Cartridge program, the BARD website and
Mobile App, narration, Talking Book Topics, and any other component of the
National Library Service.
Ideas
and suggestions from readers are key factors in the success of the program and
are thoroughly discussed in the committee’s deliberations. Thank you to those
who have already shared their input! Please continue to submit your suggestions
throughout the spring. Laura can be reached at 1-800-622-4970 or lawilliams1@library.in.gov.
New
Magazines Available from NLS
Over
the last year, the National Library Service has added several new audio
magazines to their direct magazine program. The new offerings include: AARP the Magazine, Audubon, Cowboys and Indians, National Geographic Traveler, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Smithsonian, and Southern Living. These magazines will be
sent directly to your house on a digital cartridge; they must be returned
regularly in order to stay active in the magazine program.
Additionally, Cooks Illustrated, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Popular Science are now available in
braille.
To
order these or for a complete listing of available magazines, please contact the
library.
Quick
Tip: Using Bookshelf Mode to Listen to Magazines
If
you subscribe to more than one magazine from the library, chances are more than
one magazine is being sent on each cartridge. In this case, it is necessary to
put your player in “Bookshelf Mode” in order to listen to all of the magazines
on the cartridge. To do this, follow these steps:
1.
Turn
the player on and put your magazine cartridge in the player. If there is more
than one magazine on the cartridge your player should announce how many there
are.
2.
If
there is more than one book, hold down the square, green play/stop button. After
a few seconds your player will beep and say, “bookshelf
mode”. Release the play/stop button.
3.
You
can now use the fast forward and rewind arrows to go through the magazines on
the cartridge. When it reads the title you want to listen to, press the
play/stop button again. Your magazine should start
playing.
4.
Repeat
these steps for each additional magazine on the cartridge.
Summer
Reading Returns
The
library will once again be sponsoring a summer reading program for our young
patrons ages 4-18 from May 29th to July 31st. Our theme this year will be “Build
a Better World.” Any audio, braille, or large print book borrowed from the
library between May 26th and July 28th will count towards the reader’s total.
This includes braille and audio books downloaded through the BARD website or
mobile app. Prizes will be awarded to all participants. Each eligible reader
will be contacted regarding the program, including information about changes
being made this year. Look for more details on our website in coming weeks,
including printable applications and reading lists.
Currency
Reader Program
This
is a reminder that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is still
distributing free currency readers to residents of the US who are blind or
visually impaired. For information on this program, please visit https://www.moneyfactory.gov/uscurrencyreaderpgm.html.
If
you have already received a currency reader and suspect it is malfunctioning,
BEP has staff available to help troubleshoot the problem. You can call them
directly at 1-844-815-9388.
Still
Time to Apply for a 2017 Technology Grant
Applications
are still being accepted for the 2017 Technology Grant from the Indiana State
Library Foundation. The purpose of this grant is to provide monetary
reimbursement towards the purchase of an assistive technology device of the
grant recipient’s choosing. Applications will be accepted until the money
allotted for the year has been awarded. For more information, including
application instructions, please visit our website at http://www.in.gov/library/5442.htm.
Book
Recommendations
Now
that spring has sprung, it is a great time to dive into some books about nature
and the outdoors.
The
Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict
the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals--and Other Forgotten
Skills by
Tristan Gooley (DB 83474, BR
21333)
Professional
navigator and travel company executive shares the tips and tricks he has learned
over his twenty years of experience about orienting yourself in both urban and
rural environments using nature's clues. Includes information on using your
senses, identifying landmarks big and small, and ways different environments
affect indicators. 2014
Sightlines:
A Conversation with the Natural World by
Kathleen Jamie (DB 77525, BR 20298)
Fourteen
essays explore connections within the natural world. In "Pathologies" the author
reflects on her mother's death and examines the role of diseases in our lives.
"Three Ways of Looking at St Kilda" details three trips the author took to the
island off the coast of Scotland. 2012.
Nature
as Spiritual Practice by
Steven Chase (DB 75081)
Author
examines the spiritual side of nature and offers exercises that the reader can
practice to connect with the physical world. Discusses earth's influence on
Christian identity and combines the themes of classical spiritual teachings with
nature writing. Also explores the "green beatitudes."
2011.
The
National Parks: America's Best Idea
by
Dayton Duncan (DB 69796)
Companion
to Ken Burns' PBS documentary outlines the history of the U.S. national park
system. Discusses preservationists including Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and
Ansel Adams and the visions and political battles that evolved as the park
system grew. Includes interviews with Native Americans, writers, and park
rangers. 2009.
No
Shortage of Good Days by
John Gierach (DB 75290)
Essays
on the sport of fly-fishing by Fly Rod and Reel columnist and author of Still
Life with Brook Trout (DB 61832). Describes traveling to Baja California, the
Smoky Mountains, Canada, Wyoming, and other locations. Reminisces about salmon
fishing, poaching, and finding the perfect spot. 2011.
A
Terrible Beauty: The Wilderness of American Literature
by
Jonah Raskin (DB 81887)
English
professor examines American literature that explores the theme of nature and the
environment, covering the time from the Colonial period to the twentieth
century. Includes surveys of Cotton Mather, William Faulkner, Thomas Jefferson,
Washington Irving, Lewis and Clark, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Willa
Cather, and more. 2014
Horn
of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari by
Robert Chester Ruark (DB 81018)
Ruark's
account of the African safari he took with his wife in the 1950s. For this, his
first safari, newspaperman Ruark booked famed big-game
hunter Harry Selby as his guide, and experienced the danger and adventure of the
African wilderness. Some violence. 1953.
Meet
the Narrators of Indiana Voices
Name:
Sarah Cudahy
Age:
34
Current
and/or previous occupation: Executive
Director, Indiana Education Employment Relations Board
Number
of years as a narrator: 2
Favorite
types of books to read / narrate:
Historical fiction.
Reasons
for volunteering as an Indiana Voices narrator: Sarah
interned at the Indiana Educational Resource Center, a statewide library for
school-age students who are blind or visually impaired, in 2003 and 2004. This internship, and her grandfather’s
(an avid reader) impaired vision, inspired Sarah to help the blind and visually
impaired obtain access to reading materials.
New
Books from Indiana Voices
Indiana
Voices, the program that allows our library to produce books about Indiana or by
Indiana authors, has recorded some great books this year. Please contact the
library about ordering these books or about signing up to receiving Indiana
Voices books regularly.
America’s
Deadliest Twister: The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 (IDB00134) by Geoff Partlow
The
tri-state tornado of 1925 hugged the ground for 219
miles, generated wind speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour, and killed 695
people. Drawing on survivor interviews, public records, and newspaper archives,
America's Deadliest Twister offers a
detailed account of the storm, but more important, it describes life in the
region at that time as well as the tornado's lasting cultural
impact.
Murder
in C Major (IDB00137) by
Sara Hoskinson Frommer
The
Oliver Civic Symphony is just another small-town orchestra, a gathering spot for
local amateur musicians. It has weekly rehearsals, punch and cookies, and
colorful gossip, and murder. Joan Spencer, with the help of policeman Fred
Lundquist, soon uncovers a daring melody that only a murderous virtuoso could
perform.
A
Laugh a Day Keeps the Blues Away: Humorous Stories from People with Low Vision,
Blindness, and Deaf Blindness (IDB00139) by Rita Thomas Kersh
A
Laugh a Day Keeps the Blues Away
relates personal stories of real people who happen to have a vision loss or a
hearing-vision loss, and can find humor in their
condition.
Indiana
Insights
is a publication of the Talking Book and Braille Library, Indiana State
Library. Indiana Insights is also available
online, in Braille, or on a digital cartridge upon request. Any mention of products and services in
the Indiana Insights newsletter is
for information purposes only
and does not imply endorsement.
This project is funded in part with a grant from the Institute of Museum
and Library Services which administers the Library Services Technology act.
____________________________________________________________
Indiana
Talking Book and Braille Library Calendar:
Friday
April 14, 2017
Library Closed
Monday
May 29, 2017
Library Closed
Tuesday
July 4, 2017
Library Closed
Monday
September 4, 2017
Library Closed
Saturday
September 30, 2017
Vision Expo
Monday
October 9, 2017
Library Closed
Friday
November 10, 2017
Library Closed
Thursday
November 23, 2017
Library Closed
Friday
November 24, 2017
Library Closed
Monday
December 25, 2017
Library Closed
Tuesday
December 26, 2017
Library Closed
Indiana
Talking Book and Braille Library Hours:
Monday
– Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
__________________________________________________________
Free
Matter for
the
Blind