[nfbwatlk] FW: [wtbbl] WTBBL Summer 2009 "Reading Matters"

Thu Sep 3 20:06:08 UTC 2009

-----Original Message-----
From: WTBBL [mailto:wtbbl at list.statelib.wa.gov] 
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:04 AM
To: Jacob Struiksma
Subject: [wtbbl] WTBBL Summer 2009 "Reading Matters"

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

Administered by the Washington State Library

and Office of the Secretary of State

Reading Matters

Summer 2009

David Junius, Editor

A Message from Danielle King, WTBBL Program Manager 

The winding down of summer will bring with it one of the most momentous
transitions in the history of the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (NLS) and WTBBL: the transition to digital talking
book machines and digital talking books. It is finally happening and we
couldn't be more excited.

In early May, we received our two demonstration machines and we've been
getting accustomed to how they work and demonstrating them as often as
possible. On August 5, the first batch of machines for distribution to all
Network Libraries arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

After undergoing a week of quality assurance checks, they were shipped out
to libraries around the country and we received our first batch of machines
the last week in August. Our first two shipments of machines will include
around 160 machines each and, by October, we should be up to our regular
allocation of 464 machines per month.

As I write, we have more than 1,300 patrons on our waiting list for digital
talking book machines (DBMs). I want to remind you that if             

you would like to receive a DBM, and haven't already let us know, 

contact us so you can be placed on the waiting list.  No one is added 

automatically - being put on the list requires communication with WTBBL.  

We have almost 600 veterans on our waiting list and they will get priority
distribution, followed by our nine centenarians on the waiting list. After
these patrons have their DBMs, we will start the lottery drawing for all
other patrons on the waiting list. After we have gone through and assigned
machines to everyone on the waiting list, we will begin assigning them to
new borrowers.

There are two very important things to be aware of regarding the
distribution of DBMs. First, you will want to keep your cassette player - do
not send it back to us when you receive your DBM.  Second, there will be a
shortage of digital talking books for the next few years as NLS builds the
collection.  

So, keep your cassette player. Since the number of digital talking books
will be in short supply, we will be limiting patrons to one or two digital
talking books at a time and you will want to continue to take advantage of
the large collection of books on cassette. In addition, for the foreseeable
future, NLS will continue to produce magazines on cassette, so if you are a
magazine listener, you will need your cassette player.

And remember, with the new DBMs you will be able to download books from the
WTBBL website and NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), where there
are over 15,000 titles available. If you have access to a computer, a
high-speed Internet connection, and a flash drive, you can download and play
the books on the DBM.  

This will be a great way to supplement the available collection of physical
digital talking books. BARD also has magazines available for download. If
you have questions about participating in the download, please contact the
library.

Finally, WTBBL has two important things coming up this fall. 

We will be recruiting five new members for our Patron Advisory 

Council (PAC). The PAC is critically important to WTBBL, and members make
significant contributions to the library and WTBBL patrons at large.  If you
are interested in applying for the PAC, please see Sue Ammeter's "PAC
Corner" article for more information. Applications are due by November 15,
2009.  If you have questions or would like to further discuss the PAC,
please feel free to contact me or a current PAC member in your area.

In October, WTBBL will be hosting our first patron art show.  We are really
excited about bringing patron art to the WTBBL community and the public at
large. The opening reception for the art show will be on Friday, October 16,
from 5 to 8 p.m. at WTBBL. The following week, October 19-23, the art will
be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at WTBBL. Please put this
wonderful event on your calendar, spread the word, and come see and touch
some great art! For more information, see Theresa Connolly's article in this
issue.

Please enjoy this issue of Reading Matters, and I hope you've all been
enjoying a wonderful summer. As always, feel free to contact me with any
questions or comments at (206) 615-1588 or dking at secstate.wa.gov.

PAC Corner by Sue Ammeter, Chair

Greetings from the Patron Advisory Council (PAC)!  I hope your summer has
been enjoyable and that you were able to keep up on your reading. Here are
some updates from the PAC:

Members of the Outreach Committee have been making themselves available for
presentations to schools and service clubs around Washington.  If you have a
service club or other setting where our PAC members are also located (see
the roster below), they may be able to make a presentation to your group.
For more information, call David Junius at (206) 615-0417 or (800) 542-0866,
or e-mail him at djunius at secstate.wa.gov.

          We have also been distributing "Wanted" posters for the return of
any unused talking book machines. The text of the poster follows this
installment of "PAC Corner," and if you or your family or friends come
across any of these unused players in your community, please share this
information.  

We are excited about the rollout of the new digital book machines but, until
everyone has one, we want to make sure that we have enough of the cassette
talking book machines to keep our more than 10,000 patrons reading and
happy. Thanks in advance for your help in spreading the word!

The Advocacy Committee has been busy supporting patron concerns, fielding
questions from around the state about WTBBL, and taking note of our patrons'
feedback on everything from our website to our locally produced braille and
talking books. The Advocacy Committee was also ready to speak if needed for
WTBBL's patrons in the recent legislative sessions.

On an annual basis, WTBBL seeks new members to replace those transitioning
off the PAC. As you may know, the PAC gives advice and makes recommendations
to the library on practices, policies, and goals of library service. Members
also act as an advocate for all print disabled patrons in the promotion and
further development of library services. In short, the PAC is an important
conduit between WTBBL patrons and the library administration and staff. 

PAC members represent the individuals and organizations that have a direct
interest in library services to blind, visually impaired, physically
disabled, and learning disabled individuals. Per its bylaws, the PAC must
include representatives from the Washington Council of the Blind and the
National Federation of the Blind of Washington; a learning disabled patron;
a patron with a physical disability other than blindness; a youth patron or
parent of a youth patron; and one member who is a military veteran. We will
take into account geographic representation, age, and use of the WTBBL
service in recruiting new PAC members.

Members are transitioning off the PAC at the end of 2009, and we are
recruiting five new members who are from the following 

patron groups:

.        1 patron who is a military veteran

.        1 patron with a physical disability other than blindness

.        1 adolescent patron or a parent of an adolescent patron

.        2 general patron representatives

PAC meetings are held three times a year, usually in February, June and
September. June and September meetings are conducted via conference call and
the February meeting is held at WTBBL's Seattle office. For the meeting at
WTBBL's Seattle office, travel, lodging and meal expenses for those coming
from outside Seattle can be reimbursed.  

If you are in any of the patron groups listed above and are interested in
being considered for the PAC, please go to our website and choose the
"Patron Advisory Council Information and Membership Application" link under
"Helping the Library" near the bottom of the page. There you can print out
an application, or submit it on the secure online form that is linked to the
webpage.

Applications are due to WTBBL by Sunday, November 15. If you print out the
application, you can mail it to the address at the bottom of the form, or
fax it to (206) 615-0437. 

Thank you for your support of WTBBL and for considering our invitation to
serve! I look forward to sharing updates of this and other PAC activities in
the next issue of Reading Matters.

As always, please contact the PAC member in your area of the state with any
questions or ideas you may have.

The following individuals are current members of the Patron Advisory
Council:

Sue Ammeter (Port Hadlock) 360-437-7916 Terry Atwater (Olympia) 360-754-8193
George Basioli (Edmonds) 425-771-6299 John Buckmaster (Spokane) 509-327-1132

Norma Jean Campbell (Richland) 425-802-8662 

Richard Deming (Longview) 360-577-1396
Sandra Driscoll (Seattle) 206-633-3045
Jim Eccles (Vancouver) 360-258-1269
Maria Edelen (Spokane) 509-928-2405 

Laine Henline (Seattle) 206-724-3501

Jenny McDaniel-Devens (Keyport) 425-328-9820

Mike Mello (Seattle) 206-301-0565
Lynette Romero (Olympia) 360-915-9030
Signe Rose (Seattle) 206-956-4289

WANTED!

The Washington Talking Book and Braille Library is seeking the return of
talking book players, alias cassette machines, for the blind. Look for
large, square-ish tape/cassette players with 1970s styling, a yellow plastic
body, and colored keys. These players are federal property and are still
needed and used by library patrons. Families often don't realize the players
must be returned.

There is currently a shortage of players. Even if players are not working,
they can be repaired or used for parts. Please assist in the rescue of any
unused players. For instructions on returning equipment without cost to you,
please call (800) 542-0866 or (206) 615-0400.

Your reward is the gratitude of blind, deaf-blind, low-vision, physically
disabled, and learning disabled library patrons who must have these players
to read the library's talking books.

Digital Player Frequently Asked Questions

Adapted by Amy Ravenholt from an article in the Oregon Talking Book &
Braille Service Newsletter

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library started getting 

new digital talking book players in late August. Many patrons have had
questions about how the digital players will affect their talking book
service. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions. As always,
if you have a question about talking books, please feel free to contact our
friendly staff for advice.

1.    Do I need to return my old machine as soon as I receive the digital
player?

No, definitely not. Hold on to your cassette machine until WTBBL asks you to
send it back. Many books will only be available on cassette, and it will
take a while for the library to build up enough digital books to keep all
our readers satisfied.  

2.    How long will I have the old machine?

After getting a digital player you may still need the old cassette machine
for several years.  

3.    When will I get one of the new players?

That depends on when your name is drawn in the lottery.  Veterans on the
waiting list will start getting players in September. It will take several
months to fill their requests before we can start drawing names from the
general waiting list. If you tell WTBBL that you are interested in the
digital player, you will get it sooner than if you wait for the library to
contact you. 

4.    How will I know when I will get the digital player?

Once you have put your name on the waiting list, a player might be sent to
you without any prior notice. If there is a long delay, or if we think your
circumstances may have changed, we will try to contact you before sending
the machine.  

5.    What if I don't want to sign up for a digital player now?

If you choose not to sign up for a digital player at this time, you will not
be sent one in the first phase of distribution.  Later, after all requests
are filled, we may contact you to offer you an available player. You do not
have to take a digital player if you don't want one.  

6.    How many titles will be available for the new digital player?

Initially, the digital book collection will be small. Most of the 60,000+
titles currently available on cassette will not 

be transferred to the new format. The library will get new books on both
digital cartridges and cassette tapes through 2010. After that, production
of cassettes will stop and the library will receive only new digital books. 

7.    Will there be a catalog of digital books? 

There won't be a separate catalog. Digital books will appear in Talking Book
Topics along with the new cassette versions of the same titles. They also
can be ordered like any other book through our online catalog.  

8.    Does the digital player have a battery?

Yes, the digital player has an internal battery, just like the cassette
player. When fully charged, the new digital player's battery will last
nearly 30 hours. It takes three hours to fully charge the digital player's
battery once it runs down.  

9.    How big is the new player?  

The digital player is about 6 by 9 inches wide and 2 inches thick. It weighs
about 2 pounds.  

10.     Why is it called a digital player?

It is called a "digital player" because it plays specially formatted digital
files, as opposed to the analog recordings available on cassette. This
allows for clearer playback sound, longer life of books, ease of play,
freedom of navigation through a story, and faster duplication times for
satisfying patron requests. 

11.     Will this work with my CDs?

No, the digital player can only play digital files on the cartridges the
library provides, or other digital books saved to a "jump" or "flash" drive.
It does not replace your CD player. 

12.     Can I play these digital books on my computer?  

No, the books are specially formatted to play only on our digital player, or
on an authorized player. Personal computers and MP3 players do not have the
software to play digital books from WTBBL or from BARD (the NLS Braille and
Audio Reading Download).   

13.     If I am using BARD, is it worth it to sign up for the library
digital player?

That is up to each individual patron. Having the digital 

player will mean that you can listen to NLS books 

regardless of whether or not you have access to a computer with high-speed
Internet. However, if you are comfortable using BARD and are not interested
in borrowing a digital player, you will not be required to do so.  

14.     Tell me how it works!

There are buttons for play, stop, fast forward, rewind, volume, tone, speed,
and power, as well as a sleep button.  When there is no book in the player,
you can press any button and the machine will tell you exactly what that
button does and how to use it. The user manual is built in so you can press
a button to play it at any time. Once you insert a book cartridge or flash
drive, the player will start playing the book. If you take a book out and
come back to it later, the player will start where you left off.  

15.     What is the difference between the standard and advanced players?  

The players are exactly the same, except that the advanced player has some
extra buttons to navigate forward and backward in a book and mark places you
want to go back to. Please let the library know if you would prefer the
advanced player.    

The Art of WTBBL by Theresa Connolly

For a week in October, the meeting room at WTBBL will be transformed into a
gallery of tactile art created by patrons of the library. We want all the
pieces to be tactile so that people can explore them by touch. The show will
open with an artists' reception on Friday evening, October 16, from 5 to 8
p.m. at WTBBL.

The art will continue to be on display Monday through Friday, October 19-23,
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in a secured viewing area at WTBBL. If the enthusiasm
of a participating patron and the beauty of her pottery are any indication,
this show is one you are not going to want to miss!  

There is still room for more art work, so if you would like to submit some
of yours, please contact me now. You can contact me at (206) 615-0415 or
(800) 542-0866, or by e-mail at tconnolly at secstate.wa.gov. We would love the
chance to share something you have created with the WTBBL community!     

Summer Reading Was a Blast! by Kathryn Pierce

The 2009 Summer Reading Program wrapped up with an August 29 celebration at
the library, featuring Vashon Island storyteller Merna Hecht. Seventy young
WTBBL patrons (elementary through high school age) participated this year,
most of them reaching the goal of reading at least 1,000 minutes over an
eight- week period. While some of them already love reading and read more
than twice the "required" amount, many really struggle with vision issues,
learning disabilities, or the difficulties of mastering braille and deserve
extra applause for their efforts!

One mom reported that her daughter and a friend were excited to share
reading all the same titles this summer. The friend got her selections in
print from her local library, and our summer reader was able to order hers
in braille from WTBBL. Stories like that really bring home what this library
is all about!

WTBBL's New Braille Transcribers by Ed Godfrey

The "official" name of WTBBL's Braille Department, the Evergreen Braille
Service, reflects our mission to provide braille editions of books about the
Northwest and books by Northwest authors for the library's statewide
circulating braille collection. All of our books are produced in hardcopy
braille for Washington residents and interlibrary loan. Since 2002, our
braille books have also been posted on the library's website in web-braille.
This work is done by two staff, more than 30 volunteer transcribers who work
at home, and several proofreaders and proofreader monitors who volunteer at
WTBBL.

Thirteen students of the 2009 Braille Transcription Class who 

began their studies in October 2008 successfully completed the course on
June 20, 2009. We thank and congratulate the students for their dedication,
hard work and perseverance to master this new skill.

Braille Department staff and volunteer braille transcribers gathered at
WTBBL on July 25 for lunch, training and an update on the department's
braille production procedures. Staff presented training on the transcription
of reference indicators and the braille formats for footnotes and endnotes.

We look forward to sharing the fruits of their labors in the coming months
through our library collection!

Audio Updates by Steven Goettsch and Bonnie Brown

        The staff and volunteers of the Audio Book Production Department
have been busy this summer making plans, readying equipment, and otherwise
preparing to make our locally produced books available for the new digital
talking book machines being distributed this fall. Soon, we will be
producing copies of our books on a device nicknamed "the toaster rack,"
which has several USB ports, making it possible to download a single book to
many digital cartridges at once.

One of the many tasks in the Audio Book Production Department has been
making replacement tapes for books coming back to the library with missing
or damaged cassettes. To be able to make copies of books on digital
cartridges instead of cassette tapes will not only improve the sound
quality, but will also eliminate things such as twisted tape and garbled
sound. This is a very exciting time!

          Currently, there are over 100 books by Northwest authors and of
Northwest interest available for download from our website, with more on the
way. Patrons who have a computer with a high-speed Internet connection and
an NLS-approved player, such as the Victor Reader Stream, Level Star Icon,
or Braille Plus, can use this service. 

          Of course, for the foreseeable future we are still making new
books available on cassette. The little green boxes will continue to flow! 

New Catalogs Available by Lara Weigand

WTBBL is pleased to announce the completion of the 2008 locally produced
braille and cassette catalogs. If you've wondered what the 93 new cassette
titles and 29 new braille titles the library released during 2008 are,
here's your chance to find out!

The catalogs divide book titles by fiction and non-fiction, and by adult and
youth categories. The listings include number of cassettes or braille
volumes plus a book number for easy ordering. Any of these titles can be
added to your requests by calling the library at (800) 542-0866, or by
mailing in the form from the large-print or braille paper catalogs.

You can get these catalogs in several ways:

1)   They are posted on the library's web page at
www.wtbbl.org/localbooks.aspx in Word, PDF, and web-braille formats.

2)   Call the library and have us send you

a.    a paper catalog in large-print or         

b.   a catalog recorded on cassette or

c.    a catalog in braille

Please specify which catalog you want (list of cassette books, list of
braille books, or both) and your preferred format (large-print, cassette, or
braille).

Also on our web page is a list of books completed (so far!) in 2009. These
books are also ready to be ordered or, in most cases, downloaded as audio or
web-braille files. Soon, we will have a combined listing of all our locally
produced items from 2003 to the present, sorted by subject or genre. More
information will be available in upcoming issues of Reading Matters.

A Sampling of WTBBL's Newest Books by Kathryn Pierce 

Note: This information and the downloadable braille file are added to our
website as each book is completed.

Adult Braille Books - Fiction

A Blind Eye [#3, Frank Corso Mysteries] by G.M. Ford. 

A snowstorm and car accident strands Frank Corso, a disgraced journalist
turned true-crime writer, and Meg Dougherty, his photographer and former
lover, in the Wisconsin countryside. When they tear up the floorboards of an
abandoned farmhouse to keep warm, they discover the bodies of an entire
family. Their multi-state investigation uncovers the grisly 30-year trail of
a serial killer. (Series: #1 is BR 13843, #2 is BRW 1256.) BRW 1269.

Justice Denied [#18, J.P. Beaumont Mysteries] by J.A. Jance.  

Given a classified assignment involving the true fate of a deceased ex-con,
Seattle private investigator J.P. Beaumont discovers that the victim had
recently attempted to turn his life around and had been murdered for the
effort. BRW 1255. 

The Million-Dollar Tattoo [#9, Thomas Black series] by Earl Emerson. 

Seattle private investigator Thomas Black tackles a bizarre case when his
old friend Elmer "Snake" Slezak claims that the dead woman in his bed is
from another galaxy. Strong language, violence, and descriptions of sex. BRW
656.

My Jim: A Novel by Nancy Rawles. 

Louisiana, 1884. Sadie, the wife of the character Jim in The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn (RC 57349), tells her granddaughter Marianne the story of
her life under slavery, which included being sold and separated from her
husband and children. Violence and strong language. High school and adult
readers. Alex Award and Seattle Reads book. BRW 1272.

Adult Braille Books - Non-Fiction

The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian, a Jew - Three Women Search for
Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner. 

Three women of different faiths decide to collaborate on a children's book
that will illustrate the similarities of the three religions. However, first
they work to resolve their own conflicts and misunderstandings in a series
of "Faith Club" meetings. BRW 1270.

Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture by Taylor
Clark. 

A journalist explores the rise of Seattle's Starbucks Corporation and the
caffeine-crazy culture that fueled its success. Discusses related
controversies including fair trade, gentrification, and labor issues. BRW
1254.

Braille Books for Children and Teens

Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esme Raji Codell. 

According to her mother, talented Hunky Dory is destined to be "the
wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." She, however, suspects that
life as a fairy godmother would suit her better. 2009 Sasquatch Award
nominee. Grades 4-7. BRW 1267.

The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. 

Mr. Meinert, the choir director, gets fed up with the sixth-graders and
insists a student take charge of the holiday concert. Hart Evans finds out
there's a big difference between popularity and leadership when he's elected
to the job. Grade 3 and up. BRW 1273.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. 

A proud toy rabbit named Edward, presented to Abilene Tulane on her seventh
birthday, does not appreciate Abilene's love until he is lost at sea. As he
passes from one owner to the next, he begins to open his heart and learns to
love. Grades 3-6. BRW 1280.

My Name Is Sally Little Song by Brenda Woods. 

Sally Harrison and her family are slaves on a Georgia plantation. When they
learn the family is to be separated, they decide to attempt an escape to
Florida where they have heard the Seminole Indians will shelter them. 2009
Young Readers' Choice nominee. Grades 4-7. BRW 1266.

The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs. 

Humorous fantasy. Princess Meg resents being offered as a bride to the
prince who will rid the kingdom of a witch, a dragon and a gang of Robin
Hood-like bandits. Besides, she'd rather preserve those things than destroy
them, so, with the help of friends, she escapes the tower where she's
"sequestered," and works to beat the prince to a solution. Grades 4-7. BRW
1274. 

The World's Greatest Elephant by Ralph Heller. 

Recounts the true and astonishing world adventures of Bram and Modoc, a boy
and an elephant who became best of friends while growing up together in a
German circus. Grade 3 and up. 2009 Sasquatch Award nominee. BRW 1281.

Adult Cassette Books - Fiction

The Alpine Decoy [#4, Emma Lord Mystery] by Mary Daheim. 

Alpine, Washington. Small-town newspaper editor Emma Lord investigates the
murder of a newcomer that may be race-related. Narrated by Lynn Rodgers. CBA
7938.

The Alpine Quilt [#17, Emma Lord Mystery] by Mary Daheim. 

Alpine, Washington. Small-town newspaper editor Emma Lord investigates the
untimely death of a member of the local quilting circle. Narrated by Jay
Lane. CBA 8009.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. 

Since she died 130 years ago, Helen has benignly and mutely attached herself
to a sequence of living humans. She is stunned to finally meet a being who
can see and hear her - a partner to work through issues that keep her from
moving on. High school and adult readers. Narrated by Rachel Glass. CBA
8065.

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah. 

After surviving a crash landing in a remote Pacific Northwest forest, school
librarian Joy Candellaro encounters reclusive Daniel and his 8-year-old son
Bobby - or did she imagine them? Narrated by Rachel Glass. CBA 7935.

The Dead Fish Museum by Charles D'Ambrosio. 

Eight short stories feature people confronting insanity, marital infidelity
and racial violence, but also illustrate the enduring power of love. Some
explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. A Washington
State Book Award Winner. Narrated by Alita Kiaer. CBA 8033.

Fury [#1, Frank Corso Mysteries], Black River [#2 in series], and Blown Away
[#6 in series] by G.M. Ford. 

In the first, recanted testimony propels disgraced journalist Frank 

Corso and his new assistant, photographer Meg Dougherty, to try to reopen
the case of a man about to be executed as a serial killer. In #2, Frank is
the sole reporter allowed at a death row execution and realizes a new
assault on Meg is related. In #6, Frank investigates a suicide bombing to
determine whether the perpetrator was actually a victim. #1, narrated by
Steve Hunziker, CBA 8058; #2, narrated by Ed Kennedy, CBA 7998; #6, narrated
by Ed Kennedy, CBA 7989.

Justice Denied [#18, J. P. Beaumont Mysteries] by J.A. Jance. 

See braille book section for description. Narrated by Carter Bentley. CBA
7996.

Starvation Heights by Greg Olsen. 

The setting is a forested wilderness in the Northwest, circa 1911. The
villain is an egotistical woman doctor. The victims are two wealthy English
sisters, gullible health faddists. Narrated by Duane Barr. CBA 8040. 

The Vanishing Smile [#8, Thomas Black series] by Earl Emerson. Marian Wright
is a 71-year-old amateur sleuth employed by two attractive young women eager
to catch up with their no-account ex-lovers. When Seattle private eye Thomas
Black witnesses Marian's "accidental" death, he takes on the case. Violence,
strong language, and descriptions of sex. Narrated by John Nadeau. CBA 7995.

The Million-Dollar Tattoo [#9, Thomas Black series] by Earl Emerson. 

See braille book section for description. Narrated by David Ritt. CBA 7897.

Adult Cassette Books - Non-Fiction

Ask Ciscoe: Your Gardening Questions Answered by Ciscoe Morris. Master
gardener, certified arborist and Northwest media personality Ciscoe Morris
answers questions about ornamental plants, fruit trees, lawns, garden pests
and other garden dilemmas. Narrated by Cynthia Ellis. CBA 7941.

Control Your Money by Laubach Literacy International. 

A simple guide to managing money, recovering from past mistakes, and
planning for the future. Narrated by Floyd Hutton. CBA 8036.

More than Petticoats: Remarkable Washington Women by L.E. Bragg. 

Brief biographies of 16 extraordinary women from Washington's past. Includes
Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, Kick-Is-Om-Lo (Princess Angeline), and Seattle
Mayor Bertha Knight Landes. Narrated by Lynda Emel. CBA 7988.

Sturdy Folk: Personal Accounts of Life and Work on the Olympic Peninsula
edited by Mavis Amundson. 

This book has 31 personal accounts of people who scraped out a living in
small towns and rural areas of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula during
the first half of the 20th century. Narrated by Holly Chaffin. CBA 8071.

Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival by Rob & Natalie
McNair-Huff. 

Discusses 22 of Washington's most catastrophic events, including the 1700
earthquake, the Great Seattle Fire, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, and
the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Includes bibliography. Narrated by Steve
Hunziker. CBA 8022.

Weird Washington by Jeff Davis and Al Eufrasio. 

Travel guide to Washington's local legends and best kept secrets. Includes
ancient mysteries, haunted places, fabled people, bizarre beasts, roadside
oddities, and personalized properties. Narrated by David Ritt. CBA 8053.

Cassette Books for Children and Teens - Fiction

Airball: My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkrader. 

Uncoordinated seventh-grader Kirby Nickel has a plan to meet the celebrity
he thinks is his father. It means he has to join the school basketball team,
but he hopes to injure himself early to avoid much humiliation - but then
the coach decides to have the team play in their underwear! 2008 Sasquatch
Award Nominee. Grades 4-7. Narrated by Steve Hunziker. CBA 7976.

Big Plans by Bob Shea. 

As a boy sits in the corner at school, he imagines how things will be when
he is the one in charge. Preschool to grade 2. Narrated by Rachel Glass. CBA
8072.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. 

See adult cassette books section for description. High school and adult
readers. Narrated by Rachel Glass. CBA 8065.

The Last Straw [#3, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series] by Jeff Kinney.
Middle-schooler Greg Heffley deflects his father's attempts to change his
wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school. Grade
4 and up. Narrated by Erik Schwab. CBA 8098.

My Name is Sally Little Song by Brenda Woods. 

See braille book section for description. Grades 4-7. Narrated by Marilyn
Mason-Plunkett. CBA 8045.

Treasure Mountain by Evelyn Sibley Lampman. 

In the mid-20th century, Hoxie and Irene leave the Indian school in Chemewa,
Oregon, to spend the summer with an elderly aunt they've never met. They are
faced with subsistence living and the aunt's cantankerous personality and
health issues, but still find time to search for pirate treasure that may
still be buried on the mountain. Grades 4-7. Narrated by Karen Smith-Fraser.
CBA 8064.

Radio Waves and Streams by Gregg Porter

At the Evergreen Radio Reading Service (ERRS), we want to provide the
highest-quality programming and listening experience for you.  We have made
several improvements lately, including technical upgrades to our automation
system (meaning fewer dead-air moments), more quality control over our
programs, training of new volunteers, and even adding new announcements,
promotions, and transitional music.

Remember, if your radio reception of ERRS is not the best, you can listen to
our live, static-free web stream at www.wtbbl.org. By the time you read
this, we are hoping that many of you will have already been contacted to
participate in our survey regarding your use and enjoyment of the service.
If you are a radio listener and would like to answer a few questions, please
visit our survey website at www.tinyurl.com/wtbbl2, or call us at (800)
542-0866 before the end of September. 

On the WTBBL website recently, we have begun posting many of our "Literary
News" interviews with authors, as well as past "Talk Show" broadcasts. Since
these are produced by ERRS, we can make them available for anyone to listen
to, either as streaming audio or a downloadable podcast, at any time that is
convenient for them.  

"Literary News" interviews available include Andrei Codrescu, T.C. Boyle,
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Sandra Tsing Loh, David Guterson, and J.A. Jance. "Talk
Show" files include discussions about National Braille Press, Lighthouse for
the Blind, Seattle Public Library's LEAP program, KUOW-FM's "Swing Years"
radio show, and conversations with WTBBL staff and several volunteers.

Speaking of the "Talk Show," you may have heard some different voices
lately, as we are expanding our pool of volunteer hosts. Joining long-time
host Mary Mohrman and occasional hosts Bennett Prows and Sue Ammeter is new
volunteer Daryl Thixton.  Daryl was a guest on the program earlier this
year, and we recruited him to join us on a more regular basis.  

As of mid-October, I'll be celebrating one year as a broadcaster here at the
library, where I am having a wonderful time. John Pai and I hope you will
keep listening!

The View from the Registrar's Desk by Tyler Kaye

          When you open your mailbox and grab your latest delivery of books,
you probably don't think of it as a shared experience. 

Across Washington State, however, about 7,500 of your neighbors are also
actively using our services. Hundreds more people use us through schools,
nursing homes, and other institutions. While about half of our patrons live
in the central Puget Sound area, we have readers in each of Washington's 39
counties.

          All of those people add up to a lot of books in the mail. In 2008,
we shipped out an estimated 105 tons of cassette books. Stacked 

one atop the other, those green boxes would easily reach the top of
Seattle's 937-foot tall Columbia Center not just once, but nearly 600 

times. If we placed end-to-end every braille, cassette, and large-print book
circulated in 2008, they would make a line 41 miles long, stretching from
our location north of downtown Seattle all the way to the gate of McChord
Air Force Base, south of Tacoma.

          With such a large number of shipments and patron accounts, you can
help make your reading experience go more smoothly if you call or e-mail us
when you need to make changes to your service. Notes enclosed in shipping
containers or written on mailing labels may take a considerable amount of
time to emerge from the more than 1,500 items that are returned every day.
Some notes may even get lost in transit.

If you wish to stop service or reduce the number of books we ship to you,
please contact us before returning any materials so that we can keep our
computer system from automatically sending you unwanted items. This will
save you time and frustration, as well as conserve valuable resources.

In the unfortunate event that you receive a book with a missing or faulty
cassette, we will try to get you a complete book with little delay. If a
full set is not available, we can duplicate the cassette you need, so call
us first.

Please feel free to contact us at (206) 615-0400 or toll-free at (800)
542-0866 for personal service. We are here to help!

Summer Partnerships by Ashley Baird

Each summer, WTBBL serves as a worksite for several youth development
programs and welcomes student volunteers looking to improve their job skills
and gain work experience. This year, we received 11 students ages 14-21
through three different programs.  These young people helped out in the
shipping department in every aspect of circulation while gaining a better
understanding of how a library functions.

Through the Youth Employment Solutions (YES), a program through the
Department of Services for the Blind and the Washington 

State School for the Blind, visually impaired youth learn to live together
in a community house to develop life skills they need to live away from home
while learning job skills at a worksite. Tom, Tommy, Tiffany and Jason
joined us through this program and worked primarily in tape inspection,
checking and rewinding cassette books, and getting them ready go out to
patrons. Thanks to these students, many books were inspected and sent out to
new patrons the same day we received them!

The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), a program of the City of
Seattle, brought us Nate, Khalid, David, Kaylin, Jillian and Yu-Wen. These
students worked in all areas of the shipping department. This was the first
employment experience for many of them, so in addition to learning about the
inner workings of the library, they learned about their rights and
responsibilities as employees and how to work well with their peers and
supervisors, and they gained many job skills to add to their resumes.  

Qadar joined us through Upward Bound via North Seattle Community College and
worked alongside the SYEP students as a valuable part of our team.  

Many thanks to all of our summer youth volunteers! We look forward to
hearing about your successes in work and academics!

Meet Our Staff: Lara Weigand

Lara is WTBBL's Adult Services Librarian, and has been with us since July
2008. Before joining WTBBL, she spent five years as a reference librarian at
the Tacoma Public Library. Lara completed her Master of Library and
Information Science degree from Louisiana State University in 1994, and has
worked for San Francisco State University, San Francisco Public Library, and
the Worthington Public

Library in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Lara moved to the Puget Sound area in
2002 and loves having the mountains and water close by.

Lara recently married and lives with her husband, Paul, and their "blended
family" of three cats. Now that she's through planning her wedding in Baton
Rouge and is back from her honeymoon in Fiji, she's looking forward to
having free time for her hobbies, which include road trips, sewing,
collecting, and listening to vinyl LPs and, of course, reading! Lara's
favorite books include humorous travel non-fiction (especially Bill Bryson),
hardboiled crime novels (James Ellroy, Cornell Woolrich), and anything by
Carl Hiaasen, Sarah Vowell or David Sedaris. 

Lara helps choose the books we produce at WTBBL, so contact her at (206)
615-0410 or (800) 542-0866, or e-mail her at lweigand at secstate.wa.gov if you
have suggestions for new titles for our audio book and braille collections.

Kelly's Amazing Race by Eura Ryan

Here at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, our employees have
many talents and hobbies outside of the library. One 

such hobby, running, has taken a WTBBL staff member to the top of 

the leader board. Kelly Warren, WTBBL's receptionist, traveled down to
Castle Rock, Washington, to participate in the 5K Family Fitness Walk and
Fun Run called "I TOPPED THE ROCK to Save the Library!!," an event to
support the Castle Rock Public Library. The benefit, which took place on
June 20, raised funds for the library. Like many small libraries across
America, the Castle Rock Library is in danger of having to close its doors
to the community.  

The event, which was supported by Secretary of State Sam Reed, brought out
staff members from several divisions of the Office of the Secretary of State
(OSOS). Agency staff took their commitment to library services for all
communities to the streets and ran or walked through the neighborhoods of
Castle Rock. 

For WTBBL's Kelly, this event was her first race since conquering cancer. To
help with her rehabilitation, her doctor recommended running, which is
exactly what Kelly wanted to hear. Kelly has been running since the 9th
grade and can often be seen leaving WTBBL ready for her nightly jog home.
The "Top the Rock" event was the first 5K that Kelly has competed in since
her diagnosis, and it was a huge success! Kelly won the Women's Runner
Division, earning herself a gold medal to symbolize her accomplishment.  

Everyone at WTBBL is very proud of all the OSOS staff members who traveled
to help this library in trouble. We are all especially proud of our Kelly,
who is not only a gold-winning runner, but is one of the greatest assets to
the WTBBL team. Great job, Kelly!  

Interested in volunteering at WTBBL?

We are looking for Talking Book and Machine Inspectors, News and Program
Readers for our Evergreen Radio Reading Service, Book Narrators, and workers
for special library projects. For more information, contact David Junius at
(206) 615-0417 or djunius at secstate.wa.gov.

Join the WTBBL Legacy Society

When you establish a bequest to benefit WTBBL in your will, you help assure
for years to come that patrons have access to an extensive library that
meets their needs for recreational and educational reading.

To honor your commitment to this important service, you will be inducted
into the WTBBL Legacy Society.  As a member of the Legacy Society, you will
inspire others to join you in supporting WTBBL. You will also receive
advance notice of WTBBL special events and new programs.

For more information on making a bequest or about the Legacy Society, please
contact Carleen Jackson at (360) 902-4126 

or by e-mail at giving at secstate.wa.gov.

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