BITS OF GOLD

Montana Talking Book Library (MTBL)

A Department of the Montana State Library

Regional Library of the National Library Service

for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

(NLS/BPH)

Volume 108, Number 3 Summer 2008

LIBRARIAN’S LOG: from the desk of Christie Briggs, Regional Librarian.

Preparing for Digital Cartridge Books & Players

Digital Players: Hang on to your cassette players! Not everything is going digital at once! You’ll need them for a variety of reasons during the digital transition. Magazines, many books and catalogs will still be in cassette format during the first few years. This transition plan is a gradual process with most patrons having both a cassette player and a digital player until the conversion is completed.

January 2009 is a “start date” for Montana veterans to begin receiving the first shipment of digital books and players. The law requires us to dedicate that first shipment to our veterans who have indicated they wish to receive this service. It is an honor to do so. Our second focus will be a gradual distribution of digital books and players to Centenarians and those patrons on a digital waiting list.

Digital Cartridge Books (DB’s): Montana patrons will have the option of reading some previously recorded cassette titles, newly converted to digital, as well as a small list of newer titles for digital cartridges. The newer titles are in the process of being selected monthly, for distribution starting in 2009. The amount of monthly digital cartridge titles made available will gradually increase as the amount of cassette titles gradually decreases. The focus is to overlap the two formats until the conversion is completed, with a projected date of 2011.

NLS BARD- Downloadable Books: BARD comes from Braille and Audio Reading Download and is a new term for digital downloadable books. Patrons who have been accessing WebBraille services as well as those who have participated in the NLS digital download pilot project are already familiar with downloadable Braille and digital audio book services. NLS is in the process of combining both Braille and Audio books into the same website for patrons to download them digitally. This combined service requires the patron to purchase his or her own player (approved by NLS) in either an electronic braille device or audio digital device. Please contact us for cost details if you are interested in this service.

K-NFB Mobile Reader-Nokia N82 Cell Phone: A joint venture between software developer Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), called K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. is marketing a remarkable cell phone loaded with software that turns text in photographed documents into speech. It allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it is currency bills, a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax. The cost is $2,595. For more information, contact www.knfbreader.com or NFB at 410-659-9314.

NLS Appropriations Request -- Hope on the Horizon:

Interesting events have brought some hopeful news regarding the NLS appropriations request now being considered by the U.S. Senate.  Previous actions taken by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee restored the full amount that NLS had originally requested and added an additional $15.5 million to the request, bringing the total appropriation request to $34.5 million. The current challenge rests with the U.S. Senate’s Appropriation Committee and then on to a vote by the full Congress.  As we go to press with this issue, Congress is currently in recess. Interested constituents should continue to contact their congressional Representatives and Senators to express their concerns and support for the National Library Services Digital conversion program.

*********************************************************************************************MACHINE AUDIT 2008

Lee Madison, machine lending agent, has been conducting his annual audit of cassette players checked out to patrons. He sends his thanks and appreciation to all who have responded to his letters.

AH, THOSE OVERDUE BOOKS…

Our volunteers have been calling patrons who have overdue books to determine if the books have been lost in the mail or simply overlooked. The National Library Service is limiting the number of available copies of new books on cassette to better allocate monies for the coming digital players and digitized books. When needed, we can make cassette copies here in Helena, but it slows down the flow of books to the patrons. So, it is very important that cassette books are read and returned promptly! Books are due two months after the check-out date, but can be renewed.

MONTANA CASSETTE BOOKS:

MCB Recorded from January 2008 to July 2008.

Books

Adult Non-Fiction: MCB 807 Montana Legacy: Essays in History, People, and Place by Harry Fritz, M. Murphy and R. Swartout. A collection of contemporary essays on Montana history which includes new viewpoints on subjects previously written about, plus analysis of issues concerning early prenatal care, the Great Falls Home Front during WWII, environmental issues, and others.

MCB 857 Getting Everything You Want; Your Guide to Wealth, Success, Relationships, Happiness & Love by Mary Lou Morris. Reflections of the spiritual teachings the author has used to change her life into one of fulfillment. An easy to understand guide for those looking to change how you experience every aspect of your life.

MCB 887 Charles M. Russell: The Cowboy Artist, A Biography by Ramon F. Adams and Homer E. Britzman. A remarkable documentation of the life of Charles M. Russell one of the West’s greatest heroes and chroniclers.

MCB 898 Copper Chorus: Mining Politics and the Montana Press 1889-1959 by Dennis L. Swibold. Author Dennis Swibold addresses a key issue in Montana history: the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's control of nearly all of the state's larger newspapers and its citizens' access to news.

MCB 899 Give Me Mountains for My Horses: Journeys of a Backcountry Horseman by Tom Reed. Author Tom Reed has a real affinity for horses and wilderness, and it shows on every page of these true tales about mountain horses and backcountry trips in the Rocky Mountains.

MCB 908 So, This is America! By Elfi Hornby. Sequel to "Shadow of Defeat"(MCB 703). Elfi’s story continues with her arrival in the U.S. in 1949. In spite of a troubled marriage, widespread anti-German sentiments, rejection by her in-laws, and the void of a career as a professional dancer, she craves a life for herself, her family and her career. Some descriptions of violence.

MCB 913 Letter from the Rocky Mountain Mission by Father Philip Rappagliosi. A collection of letters written by Father Philip Rappagliosi, a Jesuit missionary, to his family in Italy while he worked with Native American tribes in Montana Territory during the late 1800’s.

MCB 915 The Buffalo: The Story of American Bison and their Hunters from Prehistoric Times to the Present by Francis Haines. The story is a dramatic and colorful diorama of the history of the West, which ties together the role of the buffalo, the Indians and white man from prehistoric times to the present.

MCB 917 Butte’s Pride – The Columbia Gardens by Pat Kearney. An in-depth and explicit synopsis of the history of Butte, Montana's once cherished amusement park known as the Columbia Gardens.

MCB 924 The Story of Mary MacLane by Mary MacLane. A Western History Classic. The personal history of Mary MacLane, a 19 year-old girl from the raw, masculine mining town of Butte, Montana. She was call the “Wild Woman of Butte,” a Bohemian, a radical, a feminist, and a rebel. This book shocked the world, influenced generations of American writers, and flew out of bookstores when it was first published in 1902.

MCB 927 Nose to Nose: A Memoir of Healing by Barry J. Schieber. The author tells of his experiences with Moritz, a Bernese mountain dog, in his role as a therapy dog. These experiences were so surprisingly heartwarming and human that he began to write them down and share them with others.

MCB 931 Mary Wells by James A. Franks. The story of Mary and James Wells, her early life at St. Peter's mission and their life together as a married couple in Helena, Montana and Mary's life as a widow after James' death. Set in the 1800's.

Adult Fiction: MCB 871 Walk Gently This Good Earth by Margaret Craven. The story of the Westcott family and friends, growing up on a Montana ranch with a love of nature, facing the vicissitudes of war and ranch life, and learning the importance of family loyalty.

MCB 874 Z Warning by Dan Oran and Lonn Hoklin. When domestic terrorists steal plutonium to make an atomic bomb, it is up to Kelly Gilliam, a young congressional aide, to find out who is behind the theft before Washington, D.C. is reduced to rubble. Strong language and violence.

MCB 876 Twelve Quiet Men: An Historical Novel of the Vigilante Raids of 1883-1885 in Montana and Dakota Territory by Michael Edward Little. A fictitious account of twelve cattlemen in the mid 1880’s who abandoned their ranches and livelihoods to pursue organized outlaw gangs operating in Eastern Montana.

MCB 880 The River’s Edge, Libby Townsend Meagher and Thomas Francis Meagher: Their Love Story by Lenore McKelvey Puhek. Based on a true story, this book provides a realistic view of the love story between Libby Townsend Meagher and Thomas Francis Meagher. Set in the mid to late 1800's in Montana.

MCB 886 The Convenient Coward by Kenneth Shiflet. Marcus Reno conducted himself admirably during the Battle of the Little Big Horn and defended his conduct at a Court of Inquiry.

MCB 889 The Hard Pursued by Norman A. Fox. Ry Buckner gets out of prison and returns to Signal hoping to find his old girlfriend and the person who framed him. He discovers some surprising answers in an action packed story.

MCB 890 The Hourglass Crisis by Lonn Hoklin. A mysterious commando army raids a top secret research lab in the Maryland suburbs. A man and woman--an ex-agent forced out by high-level CIA corruption and a reporter determined to file her story even at the price of death--now must race to defy a plot that mocks every sane notion of reality. Contains strong language, descriptions of sex and violence.

MCB 921 Land of My Heart: Heirs of Montana #1 by Tracie Peterson. This is the story of the Chadwick family that comes west towards the end of the Civil War. They move to Montana to join their uncle’s ranch and suffer many tribulations and losses, but also experience new beginnings.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION: MCB 918 Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. A 16-year-old orphan goes to Eastern Montana to attempt to prove up her late uncle’s homestead claim in one year. In the course of learning prairie life, she learns how to be part of a community, and comes to a sense of her place in the world.

JUVENILE FICTION : MCB 926 Seaman: the Dog who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark by Gail Langer Karwoski. Seaman, a Newfoundland dog who belonged to Meriwether Lewis, accompanied the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1803. This is the story of Seaman’s journey.

MCB 928 A Gift to Share: The Story of Moritz by Barry J. Schieber. Moritz, a Bernese mountain and a well know therapy dog, tells a heart warming story about a special gift to share.

MCB 929 An Open Heart: A Story of Moritz by Barry J. Schieber. Moritz, a Bernese mountain and a well known therapy dog, tells a story about kindness that Barry learns from Moritz.

MCB 930 A Peaceful Mind: Travels with Moritz by Barry J. Schieber. Moritz, a Bernese mountain and a well know therapy dog, tells about his travels to Switzerland with Barry on a train, bus and gondola. Throughout the travels, Moritz maintains a relaxed, tolerant and joyful calm, which amazes Barry.

Annual Montana Association for the Blind Convention

September 12-14, 2008, Bozeman, MT

Contact: Donna McCulloch: (406)556-7103 Krmac6@msn.com

FREE CANE PROGRAM BY NFB

On August 19, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced an initiative to ensure that any blind person in the United States and Puerto Rico who needs a long white cane will have one, regardless of ability to pay.  The NFB will provide a free cane to anyone in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico who is blind or has low vision and who uses or desires to use a white cane in order to travel independently. To order a free cane, visit the Free Cane Program page at http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Free_Cane_Program.asp Instructions on cane use may be a requirement before NFB will authorize distribution to an individual. Please check with your local Montana Blind and Low Vision Service offices for further information. Toll free numbers: Billings office: 1-888-279-7532, Butte office: 1-888-279-7531; Great Falls office: 1-888-279-7527; Missoula office: 1-888-279-7528).

Attention U.S. News and World Report subscribers

U.S. News and World Report magazine is changing its publication schedule. Six more double issues will be done this year and some weeks will be skipped. In 2009, the magazine will be published every other week.

DOES THE TALKING BOOK LIBRARY HAVE YOUR ALTERNATE CONTACT INFORMATION?

Our patrons routinely are asked for a contact person or persons during the initial interview. However, as time passes these people may not be appropriate or available. It is possible you were never asked for a contact. This information provides us with a way to contact you when service questions arise and we cannot get in touch with you personally. If you wish to review your information, mention it the next time you talk with your reader advisor.

BOOKS BY OUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

As of this printing, we have the following recorded books:

By John McCain:

RC 48807 Faith of My Fathers (1999) RC 60907 Character is Destiny:

RC 56852 Worth the Fighting For (2002) Inspiring stories… (2005)

RC 58324 Why Courage Matters (2004)

By Barack Obama:

RC 43877 Dreams from My Father (1995)

RC 63126 The Audacity of Hope (2006)

Missouri’s Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has developed a website accessible to internet users across the country. http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/adult.asp is the link to an audio bibliography. It is an interesting site, offering several options for searching talking books available from the National Library Service. Although only a portion of Recorded Cassettes are included, the user can listen to a description of the book. The site is more precise than the cassette version of Talking Book Topics because the user can go directly to the area of interest. The above link is to adult level books; another link http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/youth.asp will connect to young reader’s audio books.

GOOGLE ACCESSIBLE SEARCH

Google Accessible Search is one of the Google search engine offerings. To access it, go to http://labs.google.com/accessible/ and you will reach a search page that is clean (no advertising); your search results will have been prioritized to make them more useable by blind and visually impaired searchers. To read more about this, go to http://labs.google.com/accessible/faq.html

THE MONTANA TALKING BOOK LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED THE FOLLOWING DATES:

OCTOBER 13 (COLUMBUS DAY OBSERVED)

NOVEMBER 4 (ELECTION DAY, STATE OFFICES CLOSED)

NOVEMBER 11 (VETERANS’ DAY)

NOVEMBER 27 (THANKSGIVING DAY)

MONTANA TALKING BOOK LIBRARY FREE MATTER

1515 EAST SIXTH AVENUE FOR THE BLIND

PO BOX 201800

HELENA MT 59620-1800

Address Service Requested

This newsletter is available on cassette, e-mail and large print upon request or visit our website: http://msl.mt.gov/tbl

LIBRARY HOURS: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm	PHONE HOURS: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
PHONE NUMBERS: 1-800-332-3400	(in Helena) 406-444-2064
WEBOPAC: http://klasweb.msl.mt.gov	WEBBRAILLE: http://loc.gov/nls/braille
REGIONAL LIBRARIAN:	Christie Briggs, cbriggs@mt.gov
COORD. VOL /DIR RECORDING SVC:	Diane Gunderson, dgunderson@mt.gov
COLLECTION MANAGER:	Carolyn Meier, cameier@mt.gov
MACHINE LENDING AGENT:	Lee Madison
READERS’ ADVISORS:
Patrons with last names A-G contact:	Linda Miles, lmiles@mt.gov
Patrons with last names H-O contact:	Sandra Stanton, sstanton@mt.gov
Patrons with last names P-Z contact:	Lee Madison, lmadison@mt.gov
BITS OF GOLD EDITOR:	Sandy Stanton

DISCLAIMER: The products and services mentioned in this newsletter are for your information only and do not imply endorsement by MTBL. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.