Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled

See Note Newsletter

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See Note Newsletter
Number 95
Summer 2014

This newsletter is available in Braille, on cassette, or via email by contacting the library.

Download alternate forms of this newsletter:

Large Print (.pdf) Audio (.mp3) Braille (.brf)

Table of Contents:

Patron Survey
Orbit iBill Currency Reader
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Cables
BARD App Upgrade
Fall Book Discussion
Downloading Locally Produced Books
Volunteer Spotlight
Utah National Federation of the Blind (NFB-U) Book Club
Talking Book Topics Order Form
Utah Council of the Blind Events

 

Patron Survey

The library is conducting a short, one-question survey. Your response is important to us. The survey is available on our website at blindlibrary.utah.gov. If you need assistance with completing the survey, please call the library. A reader’s advisor can read the survey to you and take your response over the phone. Call 801-715-6789 in the Salt Lake City area; 800-662-5540 Utah toll-free or 800-453-4293 toll-free outside of Utah.

Orbit iBill Currency Reader

The National Library Service is partnering with the Federal Bureau of Engraving and Printing to distribute the Orbit iBill currency reader to blind and visually impaired individuals. The iBill currency reader recognizes all U.S. bills in circulation, $1-$100. The reader is small, roughly half the size of a smart phone. The corner of the bill is fitted into a slot on the reader, where it is scanned.  Within seconds the denomination is announced. The denomination announcement can be set to verbal or tonal, depending on user preference. Please contact the Library to add your name to the iBill currency reader request list. We anticipate that the currency reader will be available for distribution by January 2015.

Digital Talking Book Cartridge Cables

  We now have cartridge cables available. The cable is used to connect a blank cartridge to a personal computer, for the purpose of transferring an audio book file to the cartridge. The cartridge can then be played in the digital machine. This is particularly useful for listening to the many older digital book titles that are available only as downloads from the BARD site. If you would like a cable, please contact the library to place your request. The library is providing the cable only, we do not provide the cartridges. A limited number of blank cartridges are available for sale from Low Vision Services at the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. To inquire about blank cartridges, in the Salt Lake metro area call, 801-323-4343; Utah toll free: 800-284-1823.

BARD App Update

  BARD enhancements are coming in the fall for the Apple BARD app. The enhancements will include improvements to braille, a sleep timer, an auto lock, wish list add and wish list delete features, and better support for iOS 7. The Android app is still in development, and the delay with the release is due to issues with braille support.

Fall Book Discussion

Our next online book club discussion will be in the early fall. The title we are reading is The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser. The synopsis of the book is: Rebecca Musser grew up concealing her family’s polygamous lifestyle from the outside world. Covered head-to-toe in modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ school located at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, headed by Warren Jeffs. Seeking to be obedient, in her teens Rebecca became the nineteenth wife of Fundamentalist Church Prophet Rulon Jeffs. Sickened by the abuse she suffered and saw around her, she pulled off a daring escape and started a new life. After the Yearning for Zion ranch raid took place in Eldorado, Texas in 2008, Rebecca came forward to testify in court about the abuses she had endured. Her testimony helped send Fundamentalist Church leaders to prison for years, and their prophet, Warren Jeffs to prison for life.

The book discussion will be held Tuesday, September 9, 2014 from 1:30-2:30 pm. You can participate in the discussion online, via your computer, or over the phone. For more information, and to sign up to borrow a copy of the digital book to read for the discussion, please contact Paula at the library.

Downloading Locally Produced Books

The local book collection is recorded by volunteer readers, and features books of local interest topics and/or books written by local authors. The library has been working toward transferring our locally produced audio book collection from cassette tape to digital cartridge format. We began the process several years ago, and will continue until all locally produced books are available on digital cartridge. We are also making titles in the local book collection available for download on our website, via our online catalog.

Currently, there are over 1,000 Utah produced audio book titles available as downloads via the Shared Electronic Files (SHELF) site in our online catalog. Locally produced books from other states are also available from the SHELF site. These book numbers start with an S and are followed by the state’s two letter abbreviation. If you have signed up to order books via our online catalog, then you are set up to download audio books from the SHELF site.

Downloading a book from SHELF is done the same way you would download a book from BARD. The link to download the title from SHELF appears in the book record under Document Link. All locally produced books from Utah are listed with (Also SHELF Download) in the title field. If you want a list of only Utah recorded titles, you could search by Title. Type in “SHELF” in the “Search for” field and all Utah produced books will be listed. There is also a link to download instructions from our website homepage blindlibrary.utah.gov, under Topics of Interest. If you have questions about our online catalog, need to set up a password, or have questions about how to download an audio book, please contact us at 801-715-6789 in the Salt Lake area; 800-662-5540 Utah toll-free; 800-453-4293 toll-free outside of Utah. You may also email the library at blind@utah.gov.

Volunteer Spotlight

If you look up the word dedicated in the dictionary you are likely to find the names of volunteers Ernie and Dineen - they clearly define the term. Ernie has been volunteering for the Blind and Disabled program for more than a decade. Ernie read the newspaper for the Radio Reading Service, and now narrates books for the local book recording program. Ernie enjoys recording books about pioneers, frontiersmen and early Utah history. You have probably heard Ernie’s voice if you have read any Porter Rockwell books, or books about J. Golden Kimball. Dineen began volunteering five years ago, and is a book editor. She carefully listens to the recording and makes note of things that need to be re-read by the narrator. Both Ernie and Dineen are essential to our local book production, and we are grateful for the hours of service they have contributed. Our many thanks to Ernie and Dineen for their service to the Blind and Disabled Library Program!


Utah National Federation of the Blind (NFB-U) Book Club

There are three reasons to join the Utah National Federation of the Blind (NFB-U) book club. First, you meet interesting people. Second, you read books that you wouldn’t otherwise read. Third, sometimes it’s fun just to chat, and all book clubs, no matter how serious, entail some chit chat. And that is how it should be. We all thrive on friendship, and book clubs are a great excuse to make and keep friends. The NFB book club meets every odd month of the year (January, March, May…) on the last Tuesday of the month from 8:00-9:00 pm. The next meeting is July 29, and the book title, host, and location will be announced the first part of June to those who subscribe to the NFB-U email list. For more information or to sign up to participate in the book club, please email Ken Duke at ken.r.duke@gmail.com.

Talking Book Topics Order Form

The digital book Talking Book Topics order form that is sent out may not have the library’s mailing address pre-printed on it. We noticed this issue for our patrons living in Wyoming, and it may effect Utah patrons too. If the mailing address of the library is not on the form, please write it in so that we receive your requests. We hope this error will be corrected soon.
The library mailing address is:
Utah State Library
Program for the Blind and Disabled
250 N. 1950 W. Ste. A
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Utah Council of the Blind Events

The Utah Council of the Blind (UCB) is looking for people with sight loss to participate in a variety of events. Crafters are invited to offer their handmade items for sale in a fall boutique. If you are artistic, the UCB offers a ceramic class on Wednesdays. The UCB is also seeking people to participate in camping and canoeing trips, attending educational lectures, visiting museums, attending plays, concerts and similar events. Often the events are free or at reduced cost to blind and visually impaired people and their families. Transportation is always a challenge, and reading the mail is also a problem for people with sight loss. The UCB offers help with both. Adaptive technology can help people better access the written word, however, this technology is quite costly. The UCB has programs which can help with this as well. Call TerriLynne Pomeroy at 801-299-8522 to sign up for the events or to learn more information about UCB programs.

By providing information in the See Note, the Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled does not endorse any product, service, organization, or company mentioned herein.

The See Note Newsletter is provided by the Utah State Library Division, a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts.


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