[NFBNJ] THE FRIENDS OF THE NEW JERSEY LIBRARY FOR THE BLINDANDHANDICAPPED, INC SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

[Linda Melendez]

THE FRIENDS OF THE NEW JERSEY

LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND AND

HANDICAPPED, INC



SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER



The mission of the Friends shall be to support and promote the services and
programs of the NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center.



Message from the President



Greetings to all members and prospective members of the Friends,


The pandemic continues, but so does the work of the NJ Talking Book &
Braille Center and the Friends. I have been participating in the trial
program with the Braille e-Reader. It has been a great experience and I
continue to learn more about its features every day. All participants
completed surveys to offer suggestions to improve features and/or solutions
to problems. I have some ideas I plan to share at our upcoming meeting.



About 10 days after our June meeting, TBBC will host the annual golf event.
Everyone is excited that it is back after last year’s cancellation.
Details are included in this newsletter and Adam will give further updates
at the meeting.



We are always trying to build up our membership of the Friends.  So please
spread the word and plan to join us on June 5th. I am looking forward to
talking with all of you again.  Let us keep supporting the library and all
the great work they do.



Respectfully submitted,

Ken Lawrence, President of the Friends of NJLBH.



Meeting Information



The next meeting of the Friends will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021 from
10:00 AM until 12:00 PM.  This meeting will be by conference call.  We hope
you will consider joining us for an informative and important meeting.



Please note that this is not a toll-free number.  Please dial
605-468-8005.  Enter the access code 425 373#.  You will be asked to press
1 after the access code is repeated correctly.



Annual Dues are Due



Our new fiscal year starts on July 1, 2021.  Annual membership dues are now
being collected.  Dues should be mailed in. A membership form is attached
to this newsletter.  Individual member dues are $10.00 and $25.00 for a
family. Please pay by sending your check to The Friends at PO Box 434
Woodbridge, NJ 07095.



Information about the Braille e-Reader

 by Mary Jo Partyka



The mission statement of the National Library Service for the Blind and
Print Disabled (NLS) is to insure that “all people may read”.  For many
years, NLS has been providing books and magazines in media which can be
used by all patrons, including audiobooks, large-print materials, and
Braille.  Although NLS is best known for providing readers with a variety
of audiobooks, including current best-sellers, it also aims to increase
access to Braille.  Until now, Braille books, which contain several
volumes, have been produced and sent to patrons upon request.
Unfortunately, blind patrons throughout the United States have been
experiencing problems having books returned to their local libraries
because the post offices refuse to pick them up.



In an effort to make Braille more available, NLS initiated a pilot project
and chose four states, including New Jersey to test the functionality of
the e-Reader, to collect feedback from users and to lay the groundwork for
the distribution of e-readers which will increase access to digital Braille
materials, and to promote Braille literacy.



The e-Reader, which is about the size of a paperback book, has a 20-cell
Braille display, an eight-key Perkins-style keyboard, two Space keys, a
round Select key and four rectangular thumb keys for navigation.  In
addition to using the keyboard to read books, the keyboard is also used to
write text in a search box or to enter text such as Login credentials or a
Wi-Fi password.  The Book Reader application supports the following file
formats: BRF, PDF, TXT, HTML, DOCX, and RTF.  Patrons can search for text
within a book and can place bookmarks in reading material for a quick
return to a particular position.



The e-Reader is compatible with JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver and works with
Windows, Mac, or IOS devices.  You can connect to a compatible device such
as a computer or smartphone through Bluetooth or by connecting the USB
C-cable to the host device.

If you are interested in finding out more information about the e-Reader,
please contact the New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center
(NJSLTBBC) at 800 7928322.



My Favorite Books in The Palm of My Hand

By Beatrice Oliveti, Friends of The Library Secretary



I’m so grateful to have been selected to be part of NLS’s pilot program for
their new e-Reader. For the first time I can read all my favorite books
using a refreshable braille device. I can either download them or they can
be sent to me by TBBC. Also, I can use the braille display contained in
this very aptly sized device as a braille display with my iPhone or
computer. It conveniently connects to Wi-Fi. Truly I don’t know how I ever
did without this wonderful device!



10th Annual TBBC Golf Classic



The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center is proud to
announce it will be hosting its 10th Annual TBBC Golf Classic again at The
Bedens Brook Club in Skillman, NJ on Tuesday June 15th. All proceeds from
this event help TBBC pay for items that our budget cannot.

The day begins with a 7:30 a.m. continental breakfast and registration for
a 9 a.m. shotgun start tee off. During the day of golf there will be a
Closest to the Pin contest and a Putting Contest. The day will conclude
with happy hour, grilled lunch, prizes, and auctions.

This year we are very hopeful for a successful outing, due in part to the
generous support of The Friends of The New Jersey Library for the Blind and
Handicapped.

As of date we have 8 registered foursomes. We have a Presenting Sponsor,
thanks to the Friends, a Continental Breakfast Sponsor and one Tee
Sponsor.  The donations for the Penny and Silent Auctions are trickling in
weekly. If you are interested or know anyone interested in sponsoring or
golfing visit our secured site at
https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/NewJerseyStateLibrary/donate-1.html.



For more information on how to donate to the auction or how to mail in a
sponsorship/registration form visit our website at
https://www.njstatelib.org/talking-book-braille-center/donate/.

Questions about the outing call Linda Cerce @800-792-8322 ext. 835 or email
lcerce at njstatelib.org.



Options for Reading the Friends’ Newsletter



The newsletter is available in Large Print, E-Mail, on our website
http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org and for those who do not have
computers, by telephone on Newsline. You can access these Newsletters with
a Newsline subscription and a touch-tone telephone. If you do not have a
Newsline subscription, contact Reader Services at the New Jersey Talking
Book and Braille Center at 1-800-792-8322 to get signed up for a Newsline
subscription.  If you have a Newsline subscription, but do not remember
your login information, contact Christian Riehl at the above number
extension 821. Once you have secured your login information, dial in to the
service by calling 1-888-882-1629, or the local dial up number provided to
you for accessing the service. Follow the prompts for logging in and
reading the Newsletters. Choose option 2 off the main menu for your state’s
information channel, followed by option for the blindness groups, then the
option for the Friends Newsletters. Happy reading.



Please check out our website for information on community services as well
as present and past copies of our newsletters at
http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org/



THE FRIENDS OF THE NJ LIBRARY for the BLIND MEMBERSHIP FORM



Telephone (with area code): __________________________________________

E-mail address: ________________________________

Preferred Media Format:

LP____­ ­­ E-mail_____ or ­None I will read online_____


I am eligible for TBBC Services: Yes ___ No ___

Individual Member $10.00 ___   Family Membership $25.00 ___


Donation $ _________


Donation in Memory or Honor of Name: __________________________


Send acknowledgment for memorial gift to:



Name: ________________________________

Address:_______________________________

City, State, Zip:_______________________________


I have made a bequest in my will _____



Please return this form together with your check payable to:


The Friends of the NJLBH

PO Box 434, Woodbridge, NJ 07095

LP 4/21
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