[NFBWATLK] FW: [wtbbl] WTBBL's Spring 2017 "Reading Matters" newsletter

Fri May 5 19:59:57 UTC 2017

From: WTBBL [mailto:wtbbl at list.statelib.wa.gov] 
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2017 12:45 PM
To: PEGGY MARTINEZ <peggymartinez10 at icloud.com>
Subject: [wtbbl] WTBBL's Spring 2017 "Reading Matters" newsletter

Reading Matters is provided in text, pdf, Web-braille and audio versions on
our website at http://www.wtbbl.org/newsletter.aspx.

READING MATTERS

Spring 2017

David Junius, Editor

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

2021 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121-2783

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Phone: 206-615-0400 • Statewide toll free: 1-800-542-0866

wtbbl at sos.wa.gov <mailto:wtbbl at sos.wa.gov>  • www.wtbbl.org
<http://www.wtbbl.org> 

THAT ALL MAY READ...

********

>From the Director by Danielle Miller 

        Dear WTBBL Friends – When you have an open door and a desire to
exchange experiences, unexpected things can happen, like developing new
connections and making friendships 7,000 miles away. Hosting a participant
in the Professional Fellows Program at WTBBL did just that when I was
offered the opportunity to travel to Egypt this winter as part of a
reverse-exchange program. 

        The trip was made possible by Hands Along the Nile Development
Services, Inc. (HANDS), an administrator of a Professional Fellows Program
(PFP) of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. I traveled with a group of hosts from Seattle, Philadelphia and
Washington, D.C. I had hosted Samia Talaat, a Professional Fellow focused on
disability advocacy, while my four colleagues had hosted women’s rights
Professional Fellows.

        My time spent in Cairo was filled primarily with site visits to
nongovernmental organizations working in disability-related areas and
attending presentations on issues of disability rights and women’s rights in
Egypt. My colleagues and I also had the opportunity to present on proposal
writing and our own organizations. We also had some time for sightseeing,
and you can’t go wrong beginning an adventure with a trip to the pyramids.

        Among the organizations I visited, the Al Hassan Foundation for
Differently Abled Inclusion, provides customized wheelchairs and offers
programs like accessible transportation, help with starting small
businesses, and promotion of social awareness. I had the opportunity to see
someone getting fitted for a customized wheelchair and saw the impact that
access to prosthetics, improved mobility, and support has on people’s
independence and lives. 

        Takfik Namati TV is a channel serving people with disabilities.
Started by a blind photographer and run by a staff of many persons with
disabilities, a broad range of programming is offered. The channel’s goals
are seeking the rights of the disabled, linking people to education and
employment, holding computer trainings for people who are blind, and much
more.

        The Federal Egyptian Association for Intellectual Disabilities has
the vision of empowering and integrating people with intellectual
disabilities into all levels of Egyptian society. One of the major
components of the association is “Work for All,” a training and employment
program. I had the honor of meeting two young men who participated in Work
for All and now work for a car manufacturer, one changing oil and the other
washing cars. They take great pride in their work, and their employer
attended our meeting, speaking very highly of their reliability, commitment,
and quality of work.

          As luck had it, one of the Professional Fellows worked at the
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, or Library of Alexandria, so we were able to
arrange a day trip to tour the library as well. The Library of Alexandria
has several specialized areas and collections, but the most directly related
to WTBBL was the Taha Hussein Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This library-within-a-library provides computers with screen readers and
magnification for patrons and audiobooks to read while in the library.
Library programs include art education as well as orientation and mobility
training. There is also a recording studio where books in Arabic are being
produced in DAISY format for audio readers.

        The hospitality and kindness I experienced in Egypt made for a
wonderful travel experience. Meeting the people working in disability
advocacy and going on the site visits were the high points of the trip, and
I look forward to continuing new relationships and exploring opportunities
for collaboration. 

        I am very grateful to the staff at HANDS, the Professional Fellows,
and all the Egyptians who shared their time and knowledge with me. I deeply
appreciate what I’ve learned from this exchange and from the culture, spirit
and dedication of the people and organizations. Hopefully we will continue
to share experiences and build bridges, and WTBBL can carry on as a good
role model for library services for people unable to read standard print in
the United States.

********

Greetings from the State Librarian! by Cindy Aden

       Here at the Washington State Library, we are in the midst of a
library-wide strategic planning process. It is a good exercise to bring the
staff together. All of the staff members who serve at WTBBL, in the nine
prison and two state hospital libraries, and in the main, Tumwater-based,
library that serves the Legislature and provides programming, services and
training to all types of libraries across the state, are learning more about
how they contribute to the success of all those we serve at the State
Library.

       Planning for new initiatives does bring up some uncertainty for us,
too, for we are at risk of losing federal funding. The Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency established in
1996, provides federal funding to all state libraries. Part of the
president’s 2018 budget proposal includes the elimination of IMLS. Funding
from IMLS supports many of the activities and staff at WTBBL — the annual
federal contribution is over $300,000 from a state library allocation of
over $3 million.

       We will be working hard to get the message out about the importance
of federal support for library services in this state. Part of that story is
how all of you have been positively impacted by WTBBL. We have received some
wonderful testimonials that we included in funding fact sheets we created
for all Washington congressional districts. Feel free to share these fact
sheets with your federal lawmakers if you want to tell your story of why
this funding matters. The fact sheets are on our website at
www.sos.wa.gov/library/ <http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/>  under
“Publications.” 

       We have also created legislative district fact sheets for our state
legislators, for this year we hope to get initial funding from the state
Legislature to start work on a new building that will combine the State
Archives and State Library. It’s a tough year to ask for capital money, but
the need for new facilities is great. Having a new building will help staff
work more effectively and protect our one-of-a-kind collections from damage
and overcrowding.

       So, we are planning, while casting a hopeful eye forward. Thank you
for telling your stories. Your continued support and testimonials help
underscore the value of WTBBL and the State Library. 

********

Youth Services Update by Marian Mays

          Spring has arrived, and change is in the air at the WTBBL Youth
Services Department. We’ve got many fun programs in store over the next few
months. Summer is approaching quickly! 

          In February, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Braille
Challenge at the Washington State School for the Blind. It was great to see
so many students having fun and promoting braille literacy. WTBBL also
hosted a regional Braille Challenge event on February 18, with Oskar the
Blind Cat as our guest of honor. An art show, Experience Art 2017, was on
April 23rd, a wonderful celebration of multisensory art created by WTBBL
youth patrons. 

          Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to present four
multisensory story times to various elementary school classrooms in Seattle
and Tumwater. Multisensory story time takes place every Friday at 11:30 a.m.
here at WTBBL. In March, our once-monthly parent-infant playgroups for
families of children who are blind or visually impaired, presented by King
County Birth-3 Vision Services, merged with our multisensory story time
program. I am looking forward to continuing this great partnership and
promoting the importance of early literacy through play-based interactions.

          Providing outreach services to the local community is an important
part of what we do here at WTBBL. In March, I had the opportunity to present
on WTBBL services to youth services librarians in public libraries across
the state at a Youth Leadership Summit sponsored by the State Library. I
also presented a multisensory story time training at an educators conference
in Bellingham, as well as a BARD presentation in collaboration with Tyler,
our registration and outreach specialist. I’ll be presenting multisensory
story time workshops in the next few months at various conferences
throughout Washington, as well as bringing our accessible gaming lab to
several school districts. 

          Worried about what to do this summer? In April, the Youth Services
Department will be welcoming Elena, a graduate student from the University
of Washington Information School. Elena will be assisting me in creating our
by-mail summer reading program, which is open to all WTBBL youth patrons,
and planning our in-house summer reading events. Stay tuned for further
information and summer reading registration forms! 

          In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at (206) 615-1253
or marian.mays at sos.wa.gov <mailto:marian.mays at sos.wa.gov>  with any
questions about our youth services and programs. 

********

News from the Audio Book Division by John Pai

          In 2016, the audio book production department of WTBBL
successfully completed and uploaded over 200 new titles to BARD. There are
usually about 240 titles in process at any time within the department,
either in recording, reviewing, editing or uploading. It is exciting to be
part of an efficient and dynamic production process. Several of the fruits
of our staff’s and volunteers’ recent labor include:

DBC 195 Seattle Justice, the Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in
Seattle by Christopher T. Bayley. Narrated by Bob Carlson.

          This is the true story of one of the youngest county prosecutors
in the country whose mission was to finally end the system of vice and
corruption that had infiltrated Seattle’s police department, municipal
departments, and even the mayor’s office. 2015.

DBC 334 Revenant, #9 in the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson. Narrated by
Mary Schlosser.

          In the most recent Greywalker novel, turmoil, sickness and
destruction are sweeping through Europe — and their effects are being felt
all the way across the world in Seattle. Harper Blaine and her lover,
Quinton, suspect that Quinton’s father, James Purlis — and his terrifying
Ghost Division — is involved. Following a dark trail of grotesque crimes and
black magic across the Old World, the pair slowly draws closer to their
quarry. 2014.

DBC 558 Threshold by G.M. Ford. Narrated by John Gahagan.

          Still smarting from the very public breakup of his marriage and
facing conduct complaints for the use of excessive force, embattled
Detective Sergeant Mickey Dolan is at the end of his rope — and possibly at
the end of his career — when he catches a case that just might turn things
around: the disappearance of the wife and daughters of a powerful city
councilman. 2016.

DBC 196 Too High & Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography by David B.
Williams. Narrated by John Ogliore.

          Residents and visitors in today’s Seattle would barely recognize
the landscape that its founding settlers first encountered. As the city
grew, its leaders and inhabitants dramatically altered its topography to
accommodate their changing visions. In the course of telling this
fascinating story, Williams helps readers find visible traces of the city’s
former landscape and better understand Seattle as a place that has been
radically reshaped. 2015.

********

Staff Pick: Young Adult Fiction by Alan Bentson

          Recently, I discovered a young adult fiction writer who I think
would appeal to readers of all ages while exemplifying what is good about
the genre. 

          I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (DB 74112). The NLS
annotation says: A miracle drug may have given 16-year-old cancer patient
Hazel a few more years, but she is still depressed. Then Hazel meets cute
Augustus during a support-group meeting and her world shifts in unexpected
and inspiring ways. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers.
Commercial audiobook. 2012.

          It may be hard to imagine that a realistic book about two cancer
patients falling in love would be cheerful and uplifting, but this book is
definitely a joy to read. The two main characters’ humor and toughness in
the face of terrible suffering come through on every page. The minor
characters are all well-drawn, with not a flat or throwaway character in the
bunch. Our hero and heroine visit Amsterdam to meet their favorite author,
and this allows Mr. Green to make some satirical digs at his own profession.

          As often happens in young adult fiction, the characters are a bit
nerdy and precocious. This gives the book a satisfying philosophical heft,
at the price of making most of the dialogue unrealistic. At the book club
where I read this book, some of the members who were cancer survivors did
not like the descriptions of treatment or the presence of death and did not
find the book as cheerful as I did. 

          There is a blind character in this novel, but his troubles are
portrayed very evenhandedly, and he is not portrayed as being better or
worse off than the other patients. One of the virtues of young adult fiction
is its conciseness. This talking book runs less than eight hours but is
filled with incidents and ideas. A lot of longer novels don’t have this much
variety. I am looking forward to more books by John Green.  

********

Braille Department Update by Ed Godfrey

        On March 1, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) announced
the publication of Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille
Transcription, 2016, Pre-Publication Release. This update of the 2011
edition is available for download from the BANA website,
www.brailleauthority.org <http://www.brailleauthority.org> , both as print
(PDF) and braille (BRF) files.

          In April, WTBBL hosted a training for our volunteer transcribers
and proofreaders, and teachers of the visually impaired from schools in the
area to discuss the new BANA rules. This meeting and others like it that we
host every year help us all stay on the same braille page and make sure we
are doing our best work. Thanks to all of our braille volunteers! Here are
seven recently added books available as embossed braille and digital braille
files for download from BARD:

BRW 1385 Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg. Transcribed by Kathleen Baginski. 

          Joseph Licht left his wife and five sons after he fell in love
with another man. Now, 20 years later, he has invited his sons to dinner in
an act of reconciliation. Some sexual content. 2008.

BRW 1416 Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal
Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan. Transcribed by Carol Studer. 

          Biography of Seattle photographer Edward Curtis (1868-1952), who
in 1900  became enamored of Native American culture. Sponsored by J.P.
Morgan, Theodore Roosevelt and others, Curtis spent three decades living
with different tribes, creating films, and producing the 20-volume
publication The North American Indian. Discusses Curtis’ legacy. National
Book Award. 2012.

BRW 1422 The Huckleberry Murders: A Bo Tully Mystery by Patrick F. McManus.
Transcribed by Tanya Allison. 

          Blight County, Idaho, Sheriff Bo Tully finds three young men,
apparently farm laborers, lying by a huckleberry patch, each shot in the
back of the head. Tully has his hands full with the rare triple murder as
well as the disappearance of rancher Orville Poulson, whose so-called
caretaker, Ray Crockett, has entrenched himself on Poulson’s property. 2010.

BRW 1436 The Double-Jack Murders: A Bo Tully Mystery by Patrick F. McManus.
Transcribed by Gail Viscione. 

          The third novel in the series finds Sheriff Tully with his hands
full of elusive killers, eccentric backwoods characters, and irresistible
women in this latest romp through the wilds of Blight County, Idaho. 2009.

BRW 1424 Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay by Llyn De
Danaan. Transcribed by Gail Viscione. 

          Katie Kettle Gale was born into a Salish community in Puget Sound
in the 1850s. With her people forced out of their accustomed hunting and
fishing grounds, she sought her fortune in Oyster Bay. Steeped in sadness —
with a lost home and a broken marriage, children dying in their teens, and
tuberculosis claiming her at 43 — Katie’s story is also one of remarkable
pluck, a tale of hard work and ingenuity, bad luck and gritty initiative.
2013.

BRW 1427 Mink River by Brian Doyle. Transcribed by Kathleen Baginski.    

          In a small fictional town on the Oregon coast there are love
affairs and almost-love-affairs, mystery and hilarity, bears and tears,
brawls and boats, a garrulous logger and a silent doctor, rain and pain,
Irish immigrants and Salish stories, mud and laughter. It’s the tale of a
town, written in a distinct and lyrical voice, and readers will close the
book more than a little sad to leave the village of Neawanaka, on the west
coast of Oregon, beneath the hills that used to boast the biggest trees in
the history of the world. Some strong language and descriptions of sex.
2010.

For younger readers:

BRJ 1404 Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russel-Brown.
Transcribed by Joan Moritz. 

          Melba Liston grew up surrounded by music in Depression-era Kansas
City and Los Angeles. All through her family’s home, notes stirred and
rhythms bubbled. Even though her first trombone was almost bigger than she
was, she couldn’t keep her hands off of it. Self-taught and determined, she
ended up becoming a virtuoso who collaborated with many 20th century jazz
greats, despite facing many barriers as an African-American woman. Grades
2-5. 2014.

********

Volunteer Spotlight on Brian Padgett

        For many years I was an actor, though the cliché was true for me, as
waiting tables paid my bills. I worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
for a couple of seasons before moving to New York City where my wife and I
lived for nearly a decade. Along the way, I decided to forgo acting as a
profession, and I attended law school and became an attorney. 

          Several years ago, we pulled up our stakes in New York and moved
to Seattle where I continued to practice law. After being here awhile, I was
working on a jury trial in Superior Court, which is always fun. It’s kind of
like theatre of the law, and many of the same skills apply. 

          One day in court, I had to read the deposition of a medical expert
who could not appear to testify. This is a difficult task. Jurors wonder why
some attorney is reading to them instead of an actual doctor presenting
testimony, but I will say that my background has given me the tools to be
fairly engaging in what is too often a very boring section of trial.

          Now, there is a rule in a jury trial — it’s perhaps the biggest
rule — that the jurors do not talk to the attorneys until after they have
given their verdict. The judge tells the jurors at the start, “If you see
one of the attorneys at the coffee shop, don’t be offended if they see you
and run out the door. Any contact is improper and could lead to having to do
the trial all over again with a new jury.”

          So imagine my surprise when at the end of a day of trial, in front
of opposing counsel and the judge, the alternate juror (the extra juror they
have on hand in case another juror has to be excused) approached me to ask
me a question. I froze, and the bailiff informed the juror that she was not
permitted to talk to me. That was a new experience, let me tell you. 

          At this point my interest was piqued! Once the verdict was read,
we were free to speak with the jurors. I asked one of them why the alternate
had tried to speak with me.

          “She’s cool! She’s the executive director of a braille library,
and it sounds amazing,” he said. “She thought you would be good at reading
the books. That’s why she wanted to talk to you.”

          That sounded interesting, and since there was no longer any
problem with me talking to her, I did a little cyber-investigating, got her
name and office number, and gave Danielle a call.

        Danielle was great! She told me what WTBBL does and how I could
contribute as a book recording volunteer. I was intrigued, looked into the
library further, and set up an audition to give it a try.

          That was about a year ago and I have enjoyed spending time reading
books for WTBBL. It’s a great place with fantastic people who work together
to do important things. I am lucky to be a part of this team and happy that
I tracked down that unconventional juror to find out what she wanted!

        My first two books were Star Wars Rebels: #1, The Rebellion Begins
(DBC 352) and The Story Behind the Dragon Boat Festival (DBC 167), and I am
currently working on Penpal by Dathan Auerbach (DBC 6896).

********

This time every year we send out our annual report, which highlights what
we’ve done and says thank you to those who have helped us serve you, our
patrons. We’re reminded each year of how remarkable our friends and
supporters are and are extremely grateful for the gifts you’ve given to make
the last year such a great success.

        Since July 1, 2016, we’ve had more than 1,350 amazing friends donate
more than $84,000 to WTBBL. Thank you! This is an incredible accomplishment,
and we recognize that we couldn’t do everything we do without your support. 

        Thank you again for your continued support of WTBBL! If you ever
have questions regarding a gift to our organization, please contact Laura
Mott at laura.mott at sos.wa.gov <mailto:laura.mott at sos.wa.gov>  or (360)
902-4171.

-------------------- 
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