BITS OF GOLD
Montana Talking Book Library
Volume 99, Number 3 Fall 1999
SUMMER READING PROGRAM A SUCCESS!
Everyone met or exceeded their reading goals. Ten enrolled in this summer’s program. The highest goal met was 55 books. One reader doubled their contracted amount by an additional 21 books. WOW! All had fun reading for pleasure.
MONTANA STATE LIBRARY—VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION LUNCHEON
Over eighty volunteers were honored on September 16th at our annual luncheon held at the Helena First Presbyterian Church. Stephen Prine from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Washington, D.C. greeted and thanked all the volunteers. He emphasized how important their services were to the Talking Book Libraries and their patrons. Also keynote speaker, Lois Dupuis, from Polson, Montana, expressed how much it meant for her and other patrons to have the volunteers serve the Talking Book Library.
Awards were presented to Telephone Pioneers, Howard and Gladys Bloom, for cassette and machine repair service. Millie Huxley received the volunteer Special Appreciation award. The 1999 Recording Team of the Year award was presented to Bonnie Heidel, Narrator and Gil Gilbertson, Monitor.
Library staff presented gifts to fifteen volunteers for 5 to 30 years of service. Thirteen youth volunteers received letters from Governor Racicot presented by Mike Schulz, Montana State Library Commission Chair. The Governor thanked them saying, "Your many hours of service in helping the citizens of Montana takes compassion, your special talents and a willing heart. I thank you for your dedication to the service of others".
2000 CALENDARS
There are several organizations that have produced calendars for the year 2000 in Braille and large print. Some are free and others have a fee. Locally the MAB has calendars available. Please contact us for the name, address & phone number of these organizations.
LIBRARIAN’S LOG
A longtime patron and advocate of the Talking Book Library, Pat Domme, passed away this summer. His presence, personality, friendship and support for our library and its staff are deeply missed.
Guide Dogs for the Blind representative, Bruce Breslauer, spoke to patrons, employees and volunteers of the library in September. There was positive feedback and valuable information received.
Aging Horizons, a Montana Public Television program, offered to do several 5 to 8 minute segments on our Talking Book Library services. It aired around the state from October 19-25, 1999.
Upcoming Additions…A Federal grant allowed us to purchase a computer workstation that will have adaptive software for interested patrons to use. A pilot project will be set up in 2000 with local patrons to implement and test the new equipment. Once tested, the workstation will become portable and travel statewide with the goal of training interested patrons on the use of the equipment and software. This will assist our patrons in performing their own book searches, among other features.
NLS is offering a new Braille service called Web-Braille. This is an encrypted database of 2,800 brailled books on the Internet, accessible by interested patrons having the required braille equipment to download these books. We currently have four patrons signed up. Patrons must sign up through the Talking Book Library.
Christie Briggs, Regional Librarian
___________________________________________________________________
LIBRARY HOURS: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
PHONE HRS & NUMBERS: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
406-444-2064 or 1-800-332-3400
HOME PAGE: http://msl.mt.gov
REGIONAL LIBRARIAN: Christie Briggs, cbriggs@mt.gov
VOLUNTEER COORD: Susan Merrin, smerrin@mt.gov
CIRCULATION CLERK: Carolyn Meier, cmeier@mt.gov
READER ADVISORS: Cheryl Christopher, cchristopher@mt.gov
Roberta Gebhardt, rgebhardt@mt.gov
Lee Madison, lmadison@mt.gov
PATRON SURVEY RESULTS
Dear Patrons: Thank you for your response to our survey. We appreciate your comments and suggestions. We will integrate them into our long-range plans. Some results and answers to questions are listed below. Always feel free to call me or any of the staff with questions. We are always willing to help.
Christie Briggs
84%-98% Said we provided timely, efficient and courteous service.
89% Thought the books, magazines, descriptive videos and equipment are in good shape.
100% Said the library is handicap accessible.
67% Want to learn how to access our services via computer.
--Does a printed book accompany the taped books mailed to me?
No, the printed book is not sent with the taped book. We suggest contacting your public library, a local book club, a local retail or secondhand bookstore or a friend to obtain a printed copy.
--Do the books take so long to get to me because they are mailed "free matter"?
This is part of the reason. Because our books are in a special format they are sorted by hand which takes longer. A bag of books are occasionally returned undelivered. This happens very seldom and the post office is cooperative in straightening it out.
--Why do I run out of books so fast?
There could be several reasons. You may need to increase the amount of books you receive, especially if the books you order are short books. Please call us so we can adjust your service to fit your needs.
--The language and descriptions of sex and violence in the more contemporary books have increased dramatically. As my tastes change in authors and types of books, do I need to let the library know?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Please call us. Our goal is to send you books you like. At your request, we can exclude books that have strong language, explicit descriptions of sex and violence.
OUR NEW READER’S ADVISOR
Cheryl Christopher joined our staff in July as a Reader’s Advisor. Cheryl assists patrons whose last names start with H through O. If you haven’t had a chance to talk with her yet, call and introduce yourself.
SKI FOR LIGHT
Do you enjoy being outdoors in the winter? Getting exercise? And having fun?
Ski for Light will be cross-country skiing in Lewistown, Montana, the last weekend in January 2000. This international organization which began in Norway provides guides for blind skiers. All levels of experience are welcome from beginners to advanced skiers. Those joining Ski for Light for the first time get an added bonus; their expenses will be paid. Contact Myrle Tompkins at 406-443-4352 to apply.
READER’S DIGEST AND NEWSWEEK RENEWALS
To continue receiving Reader’s Digest and Newsweek, return the subscription notice sent to you by American Printing House (APH). Their notice mentions a donation. Although appreciated, it is not required for you to continue your subscription. If you are not receiving your subscription, would like to start getting a subscription or have any questions, please call 444-2064 or 1-800-332-3400 and ask for Lee.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR POPCORN READY?
We have just received the following shipment of new descriptive videos. They will soon be available for checkout.
AMISTAD
HOPE FLOATS
ANTZ
LADY AND THE TRAMP
DANTE’S PEAK
POIROT: PROBLEM AT SEA
GOOD WILL HUNTING
TWINS
DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO (DV) CATALOG
The DV catalog is now available on cassette: MCB 540 and on our website:
NEWS FLASH! HARRY POTTER has arrived! Ask for RC 47260.
RECENTLY RECORDED MONTANA BOOKS
MCB 485 WEAVER OF DREAMS, By Sally Garrett; Narrated by Bonnie Anderson Weaver, Abbie Hardesty and Dan Grasten, sheeprancher, fall in love in this romance set in 1980’s Montana.
MCB 498 THE RIGHT TOUCH, By David M. Delo; Narrated by Kris Hans, This mystery set in 1970’s San Francisco has photojournalist, Horatio "Touch" Touchstone investigating the death of a young Chinese woman.
MCB 502 DRY RAIN, By Pete Fromm; Narrated by Lathie Poole This collection of short stories about modern day Montanans show ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
MCB 503 THE COPPER KINGS OF MONTANA, By Marian T. Place; Narrated by Mary Zednick. Starting in 1876, this fictionalized biography covers the lives and feuding relationships of Marcus Daly, William Clark and Frederick Heinze.
MCB 505 CARELESS CREEK, By Stan Lynde; Narrated by Stan Lynde In this western novel set in 1884 Montana, cowhand Merlin Fanshaw loses a valuable racehorse to thieves. He pursues the horse thieves with attractive Pandora Petty Hawk. High adventure, humor and danger ensue.
MEDICARE HANDBOOKS, The Healthcare Financing Administration (HFCA) has published two guides on Medicare health insurance:
THE MEDICARE AND YOU 2000 HANDBOOK (cassette and large print)
1999 GUIDE TO HEALTH INSURANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH MEDICARE (cassette)
Copies will be available from either the library or the Medicare Hotline at 1-800-633-4227.
MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON…, "When making a choice, you change the future"—Deepak Chopra - Who would you choose as the most influential person to affect our world in the last 1000 years? There are many to select from: artists, authors, inventors, scientists, philosophers, saints and more. Some people would ask "why ask" and others would find it fascinating to ponder. Television’s A & E Biography and the Missoulian newspaper made their lists: "Biography of the Millenium: 100 People 1000 Years" and "The 100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century". The people and groups that made these lists and their accomplishments remind us that each of us have an impact on the quality of life on our planet. The titles below are about a few of these people who have done just that both in Montana and around the globe.
RC 47027 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: A COMPACT DOCUMENTARY
RC 15785 THE ORIGIN: A BIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL OF CHARLES DARWIN
RC 43188 THE REFORMATION (Martin Luther)
RC 22337 IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CREATOR: ISAAC NEWTON
MCB 194 WE MONTANANS
MCB 228 BEHIND EVERY MAN (Nancy Cooper)
MCB 117 RECOLLECTIONS OF CHARLIE RUSSELL
MCB 65 LAST BEST PLACE, Section 6—Literature
MCB 4 MONTANA INDIANS YESTERDAY & TODAY, VOL. 1
RURAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITIES CATALOG
MCB 541 is the assistive technology catalog from the Rural Institute on Disabilities located at the University of Montana-Missoula. To receive it, call our library or 1-800-732-0323 or e-mail to montech@selway.umt.edu.
TALKING BOOK ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP
VoxLibra is a listserv that provides readers a place to recommend and review books to one another. To subscribe send e-mail: listserv@postoffice.cso.uiuc.edu.
Leave the subject of the message blank and type "subscribe voxlibra-1" in the body of the message. When you receive the confirmation message, type "ok" as your reply to the message.
THANK YOU TO ALL VETERANS…
"It is a worthy thing to fight for one’s freedom; it is another sight finer to fight for another man’s"—Mark Twain
As citizens of the United States of America, we don’t often think about freedom as we go about our daily routines. Yet freedom is an essential part of the foundation of our lives. Freedom of action—choice—speech—thought—will. We exercise these freedoms due to the efforts of the men and women who have fought for our country. Veteran’s Day is a special day of remembrance to honor them.
To All Veterans…Thank You!
HOLIDAY CLOSURES
The Montana Talking Book Library will be closed on the following Holidays:
Thanksgiving Thursday November 25th
Christmas Eve Friday December 24th
New Year’s Eve Friday December 31st
REMEMBER: We are open December 27th through December 31st.
HOLIDAY STORIES
For your enjoyment this holiday season, try some of these books or descriptive videos:
RC 11533 SMALL BLESSINGS
RC 41604 THANKSGIVING: STORIES & POEMS
RC 26292 AN OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING
RC 12236 HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
RC 43843 MIRACLE IN THE WILDERNESS
RC 14433 THE CHRISTMAS BOOK
RC 13724 A CHRISTMAS BOX
DV 41 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
DV 75 WHITE CHRISTMAS
DV 81 HOME ALONE
DV 94 CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
DV 100 SANTA CLAUSE
DV 123 RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
DV 172 A CHRISTMAS CAROL
This newsletter is available on cassette, upon request.
OUR WISHES FOR YOU…
The staff of the Montana Talking Book Library sends you these wishes for the Holiday Season and each day of the New Year.
Courage "The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer"—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hope "If winter comes, can spring be far behind"—Percy Bysshe Shelley
Joy "Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come"—Amy Lowell
Love "Love is not blind—it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less"—Julius Gordon
And most of all…PEACE!!!
 |
|
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
Please send questions, comments and suggestions about this page to the Webeditor.