Librarian Library Assistan
stevenm@tblc.org allenl@tblc.org
With this issue of our newsletter we
begin a new series where we will spotlight the many volunteers who help us
perform all the duties required to maintain good library service for our
patrons. Volunteers have assisted library staff since the PTBL opened in 1993.
With only 6 staff members we could not accomplish the myriad of required duties,
much less add the extra personal touches we are so glad to provide. We would
also be unable to circulate our special collections such as sports & games
and the descriptive videos, or expand our book collection to include older
popular titles. So with each issue we will salute our volunteers and thank them
for the many duties they perform for our library each and every week.
Other items of note in this issue are the
newest Oprah Books, information regarding free audio cassettes provided by the
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and a list of Books to Help Us Understand Sept
11.
PTBL
VOLUNTEERS
Each week, 23 volunteers come into the library to accomplish essential
duties. These volunteers work in
2-4 hour shifts. Some work as book
sorters or inspectors, some put the books back on the shelves, and others help
with special projects.
A lot goes on “behind the scenes” at your library.
For example, every day we receive several large bins from the post
office; these bins hold over 500 books each!
Our book sorters work in the afternoons; they empty the bins and sort the
books into numerical order. In the
mornings, the book inspectors come in for their shifts.
These volunteers use machines that are capable of rewinding eight
cassettes at one time. Inspectors
open each and every book to check for several things. They make sure:
·
each tape
is rewound completely
·
all the
cassettes are placed in correct order
·
RC
#/title on cassettes match the RC #/title on box
·
defective
tapes are separated for repair or withdrawal
Our book shelvers put the books back on
the book shelves in numerical order according to the RC number.
PTBL also has several in-house volunteers who work on special projects
such as assembling New Reader packets and stuffing envelopes.
They also pack shipments of damaged items for return to the Regional
Library in Daytona Beach.
The second type of volunteer is a Book
Buddy. These volunteers have very
special assignments; book buddies work individually with PTBL patrons by helping
them make book selections.
Book Buddies do not come into the PTBL,
instead they work from their own homes. When
they receive the Talking Book Topics catalog in the mail, they call their buddy
and read the book titles and descriptions over the phone.
They learn the types of books that their buddy enjoys and may at times
suggest other titles or authors. Book
Buddy volunteers then fill out the order forms or order books “online” over
the Internet for their buddy. Buddies
don’t take the place of the Reader Advisors; they help PTBL deliver
individualized service to our patrons. Any
questions about regular library service or cassette players should still be
directed to your Reader Advisor.
Any PTBL patron who has difficulty reading the Talking Book Topics
catalog and needs someone to help with this process can call Laurie Eaton at the
library
(441-9958) so she may match them with a
book buddy.
VOLUNTEER
SPOTLIGHT:
Phoebe
and Judy Prochaska
Three
years ago, Phoebe and Judy Prochaska noticed an advertisement in the newspaper
for library volunteers; they decided to drop by the office to see what needed to
be done. Since then, this mother and daughter team have been working at the PTBL
twice a week to sort and inspect books. Phoebe and Judy wanted something
interesting to do in their spare time. These nice, easy to get along with,
ladies enjoy watching basketball and other sports on t.v., jigsaw puzzles, and
reading. Some of their favorite authors are Dana Fuller Ross, Tim LaHaye and
John Grisham.
We
salute volunteers Phoebe and Judy Prochaska!
MACULAR
DEGENERATION NEWSLETTER
Macular
degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 65 years of
age. The Wilmer Macular Degeneration Center in Maryland produces a free large
print newsletter called MACFACTS. To subscribe contact:
The
Wilmer Macular Degeneration Center
Maumenee
207
John
Hopkins Hospital
600
N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore,
MD 21287
Phone:
410-614-6208
AUDIO
CASSETTE SEASON BROCHURE
The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
announces the release of its free audio cassette season brochures for its
2001/02 season to better serve the needs of people with visual disabilities who
would not be able to use a conventional printed season brochure.
This cassette has brief descriptions of
Broadway shows, opera, dance, kids shows, plays, pop concerts, festivals and
more…as well as shows by stars such as Jose Carreras, Bea Arthur, Celia Cruz,
Patty LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, and Tommy Tune.
For more information or to request a copy of this recorded brochure, please call your Reader Advisor.
HOTBRAILLE.COM
If
you want to send a Braille letter to someone but you don’t know Braille, there
is a website that can help: www.hotbraille.com.
Write your letter and address it to the person you want to receive it.
HotBraille will transcribe it into Braille and send it to the addressee, free of
charge. Letters should be no longer than 2 braille pages—about 250 words or
one page of print.
Letters
are usually processed the same day and sent out the following day as “Free
Matter.”
Oprah
Books
RC
50525 Open
House by Elizabeth Berg
RC
50849 Drowning
Ruth by Christina Schwartz
RC
50033 House
of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
RC
49153 Icy
Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
RC
52093 Stolen
Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
RC
52281 Cane
River by Lalita Tademy
Books
to Help Us Understand September 11, 2001 (compiled by Joann Block, Broward Subregional Library)
RC
51183 Islam:
A Short History by Karen
Armstrong
RC
47506 Islam
and the West by Bernard Lewis
RC
44357 Mohammad
by Michael Cook
RC
49535 Tournament
of Shadows, the Great Game and Race for Empire in Central Asia by
Karl Ernest Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac
RC
46292 City
of Stone: the Hidden History of Jerusalem by Meron Benvenista
RC
44913 The
Meaning of the Glorious Koran by Marmaduke Pickthalbrook
RC
44743 The
Middle East: a Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis
RC
44542 God
Has Ninety-Nine Names: Reporting from a Militant Middle East by
Judith Miller
RC
41926 Islamic
Fundamentalism in the Modern World by William Spencer
RC
38487 American
Jihad: Islam after Malcolm X by Steven Barboza
RC
32137 Soldiers
of God: With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan by Robert D. Kaplan
For
a complete list with book annotations, please contact your Reader Advisor at
441-9958.
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·· · · · · · · · · · · · ·
Laurie
Talerico Marianne
Morawetz
Assistant
Librarian Library
Assistant
taleril@tblc.org
You
may reach us Monday—Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(727)
441-9958
(727)
441-3168 TDD
(727)
441-9068 FAX
Pinellas
Talking
Book
FREE Matter FOR THE
1330 Cleveland
Street
BLIND OR HANDICAPPED
Clearwater, FL 33755-5103