READING IS FOR EVERYONE

 

Newsletter of the Pinellas Talking Book Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Vol. 8, No. 4                                                      Spring 2002

   

WELCOME TO MARY BROWN

OUR NEW PPLC ADMINISTRATOR

Please join us in welcoming our new Pinellas Public Library Cooperative Administrator, Mary Brown. Mary joined the Cooperative in April of this year. She comes to the Cooperative with a wide range of experience, most recently serving as the Director of the St. Petersburg Library System.

 “I am very excited about becoming a part of the PPLC team. As a director from a member library for over 10 years I have seen the growth and maturing of the Cooperative. I am looking forward to working with Marilyn and her staff as they continue to provide the high level of service our patrons have come to expect and appreciate.”

 “My library career has largely focused on public libraries with 10+ years as director of the St. Petersburg Library System and seven years prior to that as Assistant Director of the Sarasota County Library System. I enjoyed 4 years serving as Librarian at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota as well. I earned an A.A. degree from the University of Florida and both my Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and my Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of South Florida.”

 “I grew up in Sarasota and love the natural beauty of Florida. I continue to live in a rural community in east Manatee County with my husband and son. We share the fun of two horses, two dogs and our cats. Of course, I love to read and sneak in as much time as possible in a pretty hectic schedule.”

 “I am delighted to be here at PPLC and look forward to its continued development and growth.”

Large Print Books

 We have good news for our patrons who are able to read large print material. The Pinellas Talking Book Library is currently in the process of adding its large print collection to its computerized circulation system. This will enable you to check out this medium the same as the descriptive videos: submit your request for a book and we will mail it to you in a green mailbag. At this point we have a small collection of large print titles, but hope to expand during the next few years. As soon as all are added, we will produce a listing of titles and authors, and make this available to you.

We are finally able to offer this medium to our patrons due to the efforts of a University of South Florida Library School student, Michelle Lewin. Michelle will be assisting the TBL with several projects this summer as part of a Field Study program to further her library education. In addition to the large print collection, Michelle will also be helping the library distribute Public Service Announcements provided by The Library of Congress/National Library Service. We hope these radio and television announcements will educate the public about our library, and encourage those in our community who are eligible to give us a call and find out what services we provide in Pinellas County.

Please join us in welcoming Michelle to the PTBL family.

 

FIRST THEY WERE BOOKS…

Some recent movies were good books before they were hit movies. Here are some of the titles that have recently made it to the film screen:

 

RC 47595        A Beautiful Mind: A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr., Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, 1994 by Sylvia Nasar . A mathematical genius’ struggles with schizophrenia.

RC 48028        Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden

                        Recreates the U.S. military operation in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3-4, 1993.

RC 50047        Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks

                        In 1942, when Charlotte Gray assists in the British war effort, she fall in love with a pilot and is sent to France to join the underground.

RC 11299        The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

                        The classic tale of a sailor who is unjustly accused of helping the exiled Napoleon and later assumes a new life as a wealthy man.

RC 50677        Hart’s War by John Katzenbach

Stalag Luft Thirteen, 1944. A Tuskegee airman is accused of murdering a bigoted American captain.

RC 47669        Elegy for Iris by John Bayley

A memoir of Bayley’s marriage to author Iris Murdoch. (Movie title: Iris)

 

RC 31987        Possession by A.S. Byatt

A literary scholar falls in love as he explores a mysterious link between two Victorian poets.

 

RC 28887        Selected Stories by Andre Dubus

The movie In the Bedroom was based on “Killings,” a short story from this retrospective collection.

 

RC 37883        The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

When the unfaithful wife of the inept news reporter Quoyle is killed, he and his daughters begin a new life on the coast of Newfoundland.

 

RC 49104        A Walk to Remember by                                         Nicholas Sparks

Fifty-seven-year-old Landon thinks back to 1958, the year he fell in love with pious, Bible-carrying Jamie Sullivan.

RC 47486        The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R.                             Tolkien

As the Ring cycle begins, Frodo inherits the magic ring that his Uncle Bilbo brought back from his adventures in The Hobbit (RC 11497). To protect the ring from the powers of darkness, Frodo must make a long, dangerous journey. (Movie title: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)

 

Spring Gardening

 

Now that spring is here, it is time to get outside and tend your garden. Here are a few books (new and not so new) that may assist you in deciding what to plant, what and when to feed them, how often you should water, etc. A few also include the gardener’s story of how they became interested in gardening and why that interest continues.

 

RC 52241        Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants by Janeen R. Adil

                        An avid gardener provides tips and techniques for adapting garden format and methods for people with limited mobility. Explains advantages of containers, raised beds, and vertical gardens. Chapters discuss appropriate tools; choosing vegetables, herbs, flowers, vines and ornamentals; and starting children in gardening.

 

RC 50062        My Garden (Book) by Jamaica Kincaid

  A series of meditations and reminiscences on the art of gardening, with a little history thrown in. Kincaid, whose attachment to gardening began when her husband gave her some tools and seeds for Mother’s Day, discusses the continual creation of her garden, and why it will never be the garden in her mind’s eye.

 

RC 50470        The Green Guide to Herb Gardening: Featuring the Ten Most Popular Herbs by Deborah C. Harding

                        Provides the description, history, magical qualities, and folklore for the herbs basil, calendula, chamomile, chives, garlic, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, and thyme. Offers tips on growing, harvesting, and storing them. Lists remedial, culinary, cosmetic, aromatic, ornamental, and other uses for each plant. Includes recipes.

RC 49080        Accessible Gardening: Tips and Techniques for Seniors and the Disabled by Joann Woy

                        Advises gardeners with special needs on ideas, tools, and methods. Topics include garden design and layout, raised beds, container and tabletop gardening, easy composting, watering, lawn care, and accessories to facilitate physical tasks. An appendix lists sources of tools, supplies, and information.

RC 47861        Quick and easy indoor topiary: crafting and decorating with nature by Chris Jones

                        A guide to growing and shaping plants into beautiful indoor sculptures. Covers the mechanics of "nonplant backbone," plant basics, and techniques for making the  suggested designs or developing one's own creations.

 

SUMMER READING PROGRAM

The theme this year for the children’s summer reading program is Color Your World With Books. Many of the books the libraries will be using during their programs are available in Braille and/or cassette. We encourage you to participate in activities and attend programs at your local public library. Just call their Children’s Librarian and ask for the summer reading program schedule of events. If you have any questions, please let us know.

 

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Library Staff

                                                                                                           

Marilyn Stevenson                  
Librarian                       
mstevenson@pinpublibcoop.org

Laurie Eaton                   
Assistant Librarian
leaton@pinpublibcoop.org

Marianne Morawetz                           Logan Allen
Library Assistant                            Library Assistant
mmorawetz@pinpublibcoop.org                  lallen@pinpublibcoop.org

Jessica Collogan                        Donna Wiggins
Office Manager                                  Receptionist      

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