Vol. 4, No. 3
October 1997
New Descriptive Videos
While You Were Sleeping, an Alien wanted to Do The Right Thing. If that sounds curious, you may want to check out the three new descriptive videos (DV) mentioned in the previous sentence. We also added Big, Bambi, Jurassic Park, and other Hollywood and PBS features to our collection. Descriptive video gives you added descriptions of visual elements such as costuming and gestures so you can enjoy movies with sighted friends and family. A TV and VCR is all you need. Call the library at 539-0261 for a large print or braille copy of the DV loan procedures and list of over 100 films.
We Have Answers
In this new column we will highlight a reference question and a response from the TBL librarians. We want to be your first source for information on disability-related questions. Give us a call at 539-0261 with your information need and let us supply the answers.
Q: Where can a driver with a disability find information on new car modifications?
A: Automobile manufacturers can be an excellent source of product information, referrals, even rebates for drivers with a disability. The following domestic automakers can offer assistance: Chrysler Corporation Automobility Program, 1-800/255-9877; Ford Mobility Motoring Program, 1-800/952-2248; GM Mobility Assistance Center, 1-800/2323-9935; Saturn Assistance Center, 1-800/553-6000, ext. 3 (from Disability Resources Monthly, 3:1, Aug. 1995).
Service Tips
Please do not request books by placing a message inside of returned cassette containers. Our tape inspection volunteers are trained to interpret notes as indications of a faulty cassette, plus, with hundreds of books checked each day, your note may become lost. Call the library if you have a service request, or send your message in a separate envelope via the U.S. mail.
The RC prefix used in your talking book catalogs and bibliographies means that the book is a four-track audio cassette to be played on your cassette book machine. The FD prefix stands for flexible disk, and RD rigid disk, both requiring a compatible disk player from the talking book library. BR indicates a braille book. Please be aware of the prefixes in older bibliographies so that you order your reading materials in the appropriate format.
Cassette book machines that need to be mailed back to the library are covered by the "Free Matter for the Blind or Physically Handicapped" privilege. Call Greg or Martha at 538-9567 or 539-0261 should you encounter problems with free matter mailings or other postal services related to talking books. We can intervene and speak to local post office supervisors on your behalf.
News You Can Use
The United States Association for Blind Athletes for Tandem Windsurfing (USABATW) offers a safe instructional environment for blind or visually impaired water sport enthusiasts interested in windsurfing equipment and techniques. Tandem boards outfitted with sails for both student and instructor allow for controlled and safe trips on the water. Contact Wouter Vanderhorst at the USABATW Largo office, 813/524-6162, or email europt@sprynet.com for more information.
The Money Marker clearly embosses the universal braille symbols on U.S. currency, travelers’ checks, and foreign bills. The hand-held embosser is about the size of a large stapler, and it comes with interchangeable plates for different denominations. For further product information call Braille Mark LLC at 1/800-345-6667 (from Bainbridge, GA, subregional library newsletter, 8/97). Editor’s Note: The Common Sense Currency Act of 1997, H. R. 2067, calls for the redesign of U.S currency, including tactile features for the blind. The bill was in committee as of September.
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Largo hosts support groups for spinal cord injury, stroke survivors and caregivers, fibromyalgia, post polio, and others. Call HealthSouth at 586-2999 for a complete list of groups and meeting schedules.
Donations Welcome
The Pinellas Talking Book Library is grateful to those who have donated funds for free library services to people with print disabilities. We acknowledge donations soon after receipt and apply gifts to purchase computer equipment, descriptive videos, reference books, and other library essentials. You may designate your donation to honor a special occasion including birthdays or anniversaries, or as a memorial for friend or family. Please make your check out to the Pinellas Talking Book Library and mail it to the address printed on the back of the newsletter. Remember to include your name and address so that we may properly acknowledge your donation. Thank you for your continuing support.
Sunshine Bibliographies
The following books were selected from bibliographies prepared by Florida’s network of talking book libraries. Bibliographies typically identify and describe books that share a common feature such as literary genre, subject, or author. Librarians use their training to bring like books together, making it easier to locate materials that match your reading interests. We encourage our readers to make their own selections, and bibliographies are a vehicle for organizing titles and stimulating talking book orders. Use the enclosed form to request our featured books, and call your reader advisor for a complete list of available Florida-produced bibliographies including Holidays, the Civil War (fiction and non-fiction), and Poems and Plays. The TBL can also send copies of Short Stories, Religion and Inspiration, Coping Skills, Mysteries, Pioneer and Frontier Stories, and other bibliographies produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). Please specify preferred format.
Searching for Bobby Fischer
by Fred Waitzkin
RC 28575
The story of child prodigy Josh Waitzkin reveals not only the father-son relationship but also the world of chess clubs, impoversihed chess wizards, and compulsive players.
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand
RC 23102
This classic heroic comedy in five acts captures the romantic concerns and talents of Cyrano who is unlucky in love because of his grotesque nose.
In Country
by Bobbie Ann Mason
RC 24790
"Sam", a teenager in a small Kentucky town, is obsessed with the Vietnam War which took her father’s life and scarred her uncle emotionally.
Thanksgiving: A Novel in Celebration of America
by Terry Coleman
RC 19271
Historical novel centering on the family of Wolsey Lowell, a vigorous woman who travels on the Mayflower to the New World.
The Civil War in the American West
by Alvin M. Josephy
RC 34873
The author shows that Westerners did not idly watch the conflicts in the East; rather they took up arms for the North or South depending on their loyalties.
The Sea Wolf
by Jack London
RC 22855
After being shipwrecked, Humphrey Van Weyden is forced to become a sailor aboard a seal-hunting vessel in exchange for his rescue.
Gone to the Beach
Please join the TBL in bidding farewell to Office Manager Vivian Godfrey as she accepts a new position as Reference Librarian at St. Pete Beach Public Library. Vivian was responsible for this newsletter’s production since the TBL opened in 1993. We will miss her organizational ability, knowledge of current fiction, and computer skills. Best wishes in your new career, Vivian.
Staff E-Mail Addresses
Greg Carlson: carlsog@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Joan Dye: dye@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Marianne Morawetz: morawem@snoopy.tblc.lib.fl.us
Send Joan or Marianne your talking book requests electronically! You can visit the NLS Website by pointing your browser at http://www.loc.gov/nls