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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Congratulations, Tonia!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P><SPAN class=pmc-pr-issuedby-text1><B><FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Education and
Workforce Development Cabinet</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
class=pmc-pr-title-text1><B><FONT face=Verdana size=6><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 24pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Digital
talking-book Internet service delivers one millionth download to <?xml:namespace
prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:place></st1:State>
reader</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> </SPAN></FONT><?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal
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align=right><SPAN class=pmc-pr-md-label1><B><FONT face=Verdana
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Press
Release Date:</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><SPAN
class=pmc-pr-md-text1><FONT face=Verdana size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Wednesday, April 07,
2010</SPAN></FONT></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal
style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"
align=right><SPAN class=pmc-pr-md-label1><B><FONT face=Verdana
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Contact
Information:</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><SPAN
class=pmc-pr-md-text1><FONT face=Verdana size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Paige Sexton,
502-564-8300</SPAN></FONT></SPAN><FONT face=Verdana><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
class=pmc-pr-md-text1><FONT face=Verdana size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Paige.sexton@ky.gov</SPAN></FONT></SPAN><FONT
face=Verdana size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT face=Verdana
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">FRANKFORT</SPAN></FONT></st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Ky.</st1:State></st1:place> – When Kentucky Talking Book Library
patron Tonia Gatton downloaded the digital talking-book version of “<st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><I><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Charlotte</SPAN></I></st1:place></st1:City><I><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">’s Web”</SPAN></I> to her home computer, she knew she
was going to read a classic of children’s literature. What she didn’t know was
that she was also making history. That talking book marked the one millionth
piece of reading material delivered by the Braille and Audio Reading Download
(BARD) service, a new initiative from the National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress. <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Gatton is a
rehabilitation teacher at the Kentucky Office for the Blind. “Finally having
instant access to thousands of books and magazines that I can download and read
as desired, rather than waiting and hoping for new books to come in the mail,
has been an incredible experience,” said Gatton. “I’ve recently started going
back and reading a lot of the classics that I either hadn’t read or didn’t
appreciate as a child, such as “<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><I><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Charlotte</SPAN></I></st1:place></st1:City><I><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">’s Web.”</SPAN></I> After only a little over a year
of using BARD, I can’t imagine what I did without
it.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Formally launched on
April 30, 2009, BARD quickly became popular. Today more than 15,000 of NLS’s
more than 800,000 patrons are registered for access. Gatton is one of
approximately 300 NLS patrons who have registered for BARD through the Kentucky
Talking Book Library. Registered patrons utilize new digital players introduced
in the fall of 2009 to replace cassettes. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“We’re gratified by
the passionate response BARD has received,” said NLS Director Frank Kurt Cylke.
“At NLS, we strive to continually improve our patrons’ opportunities to access a
wide range of reading material. BARD has been an unequaled success in speeding
delivery to our patrons.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Gatton selected
<I><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">“<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Charlotte</st1:place></st1:City>’s Web”</SPAN></I> from among more
than 18,000 titles currently available through the Internet. In the past,
patrons had to wait for E.B. White’s children’s classic to arrive in the mail.
BARD allowed Gatton to download a digital version for immediate
playback.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The next stage in
BARD’s development is to transfer administrative control from NLS to state and
local libraries serving blind and physically disabled readers. The Kentucky
Talking Book Library, from which Gatton receives services, assumed
responsibility for administrating BARD to its patrons in March, the fifth state
to do so.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“Our patrons are
enthusiastic about BARD,” said Barbara Penegor, branch manager of the Kentucky
Talking Book Library. “Some of the more computer literate readers have switched
exclusively to downloading since the option became available. We are ready to
become more directly involved in the service and excited to learn that this
milestone occurred so close to our assuming full responsibility for the download
activity.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">NLS administers the
free library program that loans materials to residents of the
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and citizens living abroad who are
unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical
disabilities. Materials loaned include Braille and recorded books and magazines,
music scores in Braille and large print, and specifically designed playback
equipment. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">For more information
on NLS and the Talking Book service offered by the Kentucky Talking Book library
visit <A title=blocked::http://www.kdla.ky.gov/
href="http://www.kdla.ky.gov/"><FONT color=#1e66ae>www.kdla.ky.gov</FONT></A> or
call 502-564-8300, ext. 282.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><EM><I><FONT
face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">Michelle
McElmurray</SPAN></FONT></I></EM><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">Executive
Assistant</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">Office for the
Blind</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><st1:Street
w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><FONT face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">275 East Main
Street</SPAN></FONT></st1:address></st1:Street><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><FONT face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">Frankfort</SPAN></FONT></st1:City><FONT
face="Script MT Bold"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'"> <st1:State
w:st="on">KY</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">40621</st1:PostalCode></SPAN></FONT></st1:place><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">(502)782-3414
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Script MT Bold" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Script MT Bold'">(800)321-6668</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
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face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
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