Vol. 4, No. 1
March 1997
New Staff
Denise Valkema resigned from the library on February 14, 1997. She was a reader advisor since we opened in May 1993, serving readers with last names beginning with letters A through L. We know many of you entrusted your service to Denise and looked forward to working with her on the phone or in person. Humor, dedication, and concern for readers distinguished her tenure with talking books. Please join the staff in expressing best wishes to Denise as she follows new opportunities in South Florida.
Joan Dye will assume Denise’s duties on March 10, 1997. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton, Ohio, and has worked as a vocational evaluator at the Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind. We are impressed with Joan’s enthusiasm for talking books and her extensive experience with print impaired individuals. Please welcome Joan to the library, and ask for her by name when you call if you were assigned Denise in the past.
1996 Survey Results
The Pinellas Talking Book Library surveyed 500 readers in late 1996 to obtain information on the library’s performance, services, and future development from a client perspective. We thank everyone who participated in the survey via large print forms or telephone interviews. The data we gathered will be considered in improving current services and long-range planning.
The following selected percentages are from survey tallies:
15% of respondents have access to a computer at work or home;
58% said they were not aware of our free loan of descriptive videos;
34% would like telephone access to the talking book catalog;
27% of readers are age 85 or older;
99% rated their talking book services to be excellent (81%) or good (18%).
Call Greg at 538-9567 if you wish to receive a copy of the full survey results. Please indicate your format preference.
News You Can Use
The Spinal Cord Injury Outreach Network (SCI) is a social and informational group for people with spinal cord injuries in Pinellas County. SCI organizes parties, sporting events, special presentations and other activities that encourage recreational participation and personal growth. Contact President Sherri Bastress at 586-2214 for more information.
The Central Florida Lions Eye and Tissue Bank, Inc. (Bank) is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the recovery, evaluation, and distribution of eye tissue for transplantation, research, and education. One of the largest eye banks in the world, the Bank has provided thousands of corneas for transplant and eyes for research. For more information concerning eye tissue donation procedures contact the Bank at 813/835-5466.
Beth Lang of Able-Net Works is starting a new leads group for business owners with disabilities. Meetings will emphasize networking and making contacts for business success. All types of businesses and people with disabilities are welcome. Contact Beth at 398-9760 for more details.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Care Financing Administration is providing a Medicare Handbook in Braille. For an edition of "Medicare-Coverage of Kidney Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Services" please call us 1-800-757-4654. (Words Your Way 3:2 Winter 1996, Illinois Talking Book Program.)
Service Tips
What happens after you mail a talking book back to the library? It takes a few days before the Postal Service carrier delivers it to the library. Your book along with hundreds of others we receive each afternoon is sorted by book ID number and prepared for tape inspection the next day. Volunteers then inspect every tape and mailing container before forwarding books on to staff for check-in. Thus it may take several days after leaving your home for the book to register as returned to the library.
Return each book upon finishing it to avoid delays. The computer is programmed to send new books to readers when it recognizes books have been sent back. If you get caught without books, call your reader contact and we will send some to you.
Books may stop coming for other reasons. Readers who request that the computer select titles based on a profile of reading interests will deplete their request list over time. The staff cannot tell when it is necessary to automatically select books again and so we rely on readers to call when quantities of books decline. Don’t hesitate to let us know when you need assistance with any part of our service—especially book circulation. We want you to always enjoy sufficient numbers of books and magazines.
Technology Corner
Signaling Devices: Fire alarms, smoke detectors, and telephones employ audible signals to alert users of danger, incoming calls, and the like. These and other common devices can be adapted with visual signal equivalents for people with substantial hearing loss. A flashing light, for example, could represent a ringing telephone.
For more information on signaling devices and other adaptive technology contact the library at 538-9567.
Books with Bite
Satire is humor with an attitude. Historically a tool of the disadvantaged or downtrodden against established order, satire exposes the follies of humankind with wit and irony. Classics of the genre include Gulliver’s Travels and Candide, but contemporary authors continue writing entertaining and socially relevant satires. To order any of the following satires please fill out the enclosed order form or otherwise contact your reader advisor.
Moo
by Jane Smiley
RC 40060
At Moo U, a midwestern academic institution, four new freshmen, an agronomy major, and the school administrators all have adventures on campus.
Slaughterhouse-five
by Kurt Vonnegut
RC 28083, BR 01062
The hero of this war novel, based on the WWII firebombing of Dresden, lives as a rich doctor until he is kidnapped by a flying saucer.
Thank you for Smoking
by Christopher Buckley
RC 38779
Tobacco spokesperson Nick Naylor, who publicly maintains that smoking is healthy, is kidnapped and covered with nicotine patches.
Lucinderella
by Berry Fleming
RC 28267
Southern comedy of manners about a bestselling novelist/playwright whose eccentric family believes she is putting her relatives into her books.
Books with Bite continued
Myra Breckinridge
by Gore Vidal
RC 28061, BR 07435
Satire on the lunacy of Hollywood in which Myra, once Myron, seduces both Rusty and his girlfriend.
The Locusts Have No King
by Dawn Powell
RC 32194
This satire, set in New York City, follows scholar and recluse Frederick Olliver as he discovers the sinister and barbaric world of the modern city.
Staff E-Mail Addresses
Greg Carlson
carlsog@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Joan Dye
jdye@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Marianne Morawetz
morawem@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Send us your talking book requests electronically!
Library Staff
R. Greg Carlson
Librarian
Martha Forbes
Assistant Librarian
Vivian Godfrey
Office Manager
Marianne Morawetz
Library Assistant
Joan Dye
Library Assistant
Donna Wiggins
Receptionist
Mission Statement
The Pinellas Talking Book Library's
mission is to encourage and support reading by providing free library services to Pinellas County residents for whom conventional print is a barrier.
Pinellas Talking Book Library FREE MATTER
12345 Starkey Rd., Ste. L FOR THE BLIND
Largo, FL 33773-2629 OR HANDICAPPED
· 813/539-0261
· 813/538-9567
· 813/538-8949 TDD
· 813/538-8731 FAX
Mon. — Fri. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Take a talking book wherever you go.