April 1995
Vol.2, No.3
FAAST Forward
The Florida Alliance for Assistive Technology (FAAST) is opening a technology resource and assistance office at Tampa General Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday, February 14. Information and referral on funding, advocacy, product information, systems change, and disability community needs assessment are among the center’s primary activities. Karen Jacobs, FAAST regional coordinator, welcomes consumer inquiries and comments regarding the use of print access devices and other assistive technologies. FAAST is also in need of volunteers to serve on steering committees and to offer technical expertise. Call the FAAST office at 813/251-7591 for more information. FAAST is funded by a grant from the U. S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Just the Stats, Ma’am
The TBL completed its first full fiscal year of operation on September 30, 1994. The following statistics reflect library use, collection size, and other variables as recorded on our computer. Though these numbers are gratifying, we are constantly seeking ways to improve the quality of our service. Please keep your suggestions and criticisms coming. We anticipate 1995 circulation will exceed 100,000 copies!
FY 1994 (10/1/93 - 9/30/94)
Circulation 91,688
Total Readership 4,042
Collection Size 25,867
(cassettes, disks, and braille copies)
Volunteer Hours 1,937
Walk-In Users 1,898
Service Tips
Bestselling books are produced on both cassette and disc. If you read bestsellers frequently, we suggest that you ask the library for a disc (record) player and make disc selections from your catalogs ( books with the FD prefix). Disc copies circulate less frequently than cassettes so your wait should not be as long.
Reader requests have priority over computer-generated, or autoselect, requests. Keep your request lists full with catalog selections, or call us with the names of authors whose works you enjoy, to consistently receive the books you want.
If your tapes speed up for no apparent reason, check the speed switch above the side selector switch. The speed switch should be depressed to the left for talking books. Please call the library if you encounter machine problems. Sometimes we can help you correct it over the phone.
Call 539-0261 for reader services 10:00-6:00, Monday through Friday. The 538-8949 TDD phone number is reserved for deaf or non-verbal callers.
Technology Corner
Advances in technology for people with disabilities are accompanied by a bloom of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms. To help you make sense of new products and services, we will provide a short glossary on the subject in each newsletter. Items found in the Pinellas Talking Book Library will be followed by TBL in parentheses. We encourage your visit to the TBL to use our talking computers, CCTV's and other assistive devices.
Voice Synthesizer, also text-to-speech synthesizer (TBL): Voice synthesizers are devices used to translate computer text into spoken words. They can be internal, a board inside your computer, or external, a self-contained peripheral connected to your computer. Special software is often required in tandem with external synthesizers to read a computer screen.
Captioning: Captioning displays the text of spoken communication, typically on video, film, or television programming. Closed captioning requires a decoder for the text to appear; open captioning appears on screen without any special equipment. Prime-time network programming is now always available in closed caption format.
From Tee to Green
Over 100 golfers participated in the Second Annual Pub Golf Classic, Saturday, November 5, 1994, with proceeds accruing to the Pinellas Talking Book Library. The Pub of Indian Shores and the Omega Omega Chapter, ESA International were sponsors once again for the event which enjoyed beautiful weather and great playing conditions at the Bardmoor north course. The winning score in the four person scramble event was a 65 (the talking book library team failed to break par, but they led the field in having fun). Our readership won as well with $4,300 in the bank for new equipment and programming. In response to reader calls, we will announce the 1995 version of the tournament well in advance so that you can join us on the links. Thanks to sponsors, players, volunteers, prize contributors and everyone involved in making the tournament so rewarding.
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Notable Books
The American Library Association’s Reference and Adult Services Division Notable Books Council each year compiles a list of notable books. The following talking book titles were selected in 1992, 1993 or 1994 for their wide general appeal and literary merit. Please fill out the enclosed order form to have any or all of the following books placed on your request list.
A Lesson Before Dying RC 36694
by Ernest J. Gaines
A naive black man is sentenced to death for the murder of a white man. When his attorney argues that he is too stupid to plan a crime, the man’s godmother sees to it that he learns to die like a man.
This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer RC 36316
by Kay Mills
The biography of a black woman, active in the civil rights movement, whose fiery songs and stories inspired audiences to action.
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America RC 35368
by Garry Wills
A popular historian examines the thought behind Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire RC 37123
by David Remnick
As a firsthand observer and as the grandson of Russian immigrants, Remnick chronicles the demise of arguably one of the cruelest regimes in history.
The Kitchen God’s Wife RC 33906 FD 33906 BR 08628
by Amy Tan
When the Chinese-American daughter of an elderly Chinese woman finally hears her mother’s secrets and painful memories, she begins to understand their difficult relationship.
A Thousand Acres RC 33926 FD 33926
by Jane Smiley
Larry Cook divides his thousand acre farm among his three daughters, but the gift soon begins to tear the family apart. A modern day King Lear.
What Work Is: Poems RC 34000
by Philip Levine
This collection of poems, celebrating the American worker, was the winner of the 1991 Los Angeles Times Book Award for poetry.
Truman RC 34820
by David McCullough
A monumental study of the life and times of the "ordinary" man from Missouri who became an extraordinary president.
Foolscap RC 35233
by Michael Malone
Theo Ryan is shocked to discover his play Foolscap is being performed on the London stage and is being passed off as an authentic drama by Sir Walter Raleigh.
News You Can Use
The Library of Congress (LC) launched a new print bimonthly magazine, Civilization: The Magazine of the Library of Congress, in late 1994. Drawing on LC’s vast collections to illuminate the past and present, Civilization features distinguished American writers and a calendar of events for LC and libraries around the country. To subscribe to this publication in flexible-disc format, contact the library at 539-0261, or use the enclosed order form.
For assistance or information about Alzheimer’s disease, call the Tampa Bay Chapter, Alzheimer’s Association, 9365 U.S. 19 N, Suite B, Pinellas Park, 34666, 578-2558.
The National Library Service union catalog of talking books is searchable on the Internet. To access the Library of Congress MARVEL system, telnet to marvel.loc.gov and log in as marvel, or through a local Gopher client or another Gopher server by pointing to marvel.loc.gov, port 70. Select menu choice number two (2), then select option six (6), services to the blind and physically handicapped, and follow available options to access NLS data.
Looking for a toy that’s appropriate for a preschooler who is blind? Do you want to know where to purchase clothes designed for wheelchair users? The TBL maintains a collection of catalogs, clippings, and brochures to answer a variety of questions on disability issues. Greg and Martha are eager to provide you the answers — call 538-9567 with your information needs.
What is the Suncoast Free-Net?
Have you ever yearned to learn yoga or search a public library catalog from home? The Suncoast Free-Net (SCFN), a free public telecomputing system, will provide access to information via computer and telephone lines to the Pinellas-Hillsborough area beginning March, 1995. Groups and individuals throughout the community, including local government, libraries, medical centers, hobby/recreation enthusiasts, and more will post information to and interact with SCFN registered users. You won’t need to own a computer to participate; terminals in libraries and other public areas will be available to anyone. Electronic mail, or E-mail, will also be part of the SCFN so that you can send messages instantaneously across the bay or around the world! SCFN is FREE, though donations are welcome to help the system grow. Call Greg at 538-9567 for more information.
Library Staff
R. Greg Carlson
Talking Book Librarian
Martha Forbes
Assistant Talking Book Librarian
Vivian Godfrey
Office Manager
Marianne Morawetz
Library Assistant
Denise Valkema
Library Assistant
Mission Statement
The Pinellas Talking Book Library's mission is to encourage and support reading and provide library services to Pinellas County residents for whom conventional print is a barrier.