[Nfbwv-talk] That All May Read
Smyth, Charlene R
Charlene.R.Smyth at wv.gov
Mon Mar 17 15:33:03 UTC 2014
That ALL May Read
Spring 2014
"Unrated" Commercial
Audio Books
In future issues of Talking Book Topics, you may notice that some titles
are tagged "unrated." These titles are commercial audiobooks introduced
as the result of recently formed partnerships between NLS and some
commercial audiobook producers to increase the number of books in our
collection and decrease the amount of time it takes to distribute
bestsellers and other popular titles to our patrons.
Many of these audiobooks have yet to be released in print at the
time that NLS receives them, so we cannot determine whether these titles
contain sex, violence, or strong language. In lieu of the standard NLS
notices for sex, violence, and strong language, these books will be
marked "unrated," which means that the book may or may not contain any
of the three. We can tell if a book is listed as unrated, however, we do
not know the content of the book. Please let us know if you do not wish
to receive unrated books.
WV 150-Celebrating the
WV Sesquicentennial 1863-2013
Thanks to all of you who joined us in the Library Commission's reading
challenge, WV Reads 150, during 2013. Twenty patrons from Special
Services read 3,868 books! Kudos to all of you!
Your team has read 150 titles! It's time to celebrate! The West
Virginia Center for the Book invites you and your team to a reception in
honor of your reading accomplishment! The event will be held Saturday,
March 22, 2014, from 1-3 PM in the J. D. Waggoner room of the Culture
Center, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, West Virginia
Meet ten West Virginia authors in the Great Hall and tour the WV
State Museum. Books and other WV handcrafts will be available for
purchase at the WV State Museum Gift Shop. Prize Drawings will be held
throughout the reception. For information call 304-558-3978
Accessible RX Labels
Have you ever needed someone to tell you what your prescription is or
been confused about what medication it is that you need to take? The
Digital Audio Label by AccessaMed inc. is the solution.
This 1 inch wide by 2 inch tall device permanently attaches to
any prescription container, at the push of a button, a person with
vision loss can now hear all the information that is on a print label.
The name of the patient, the name of the medication, the dosing
instructions, pharmacists phone number, rx number, name of the Dr.,
color, shape size, and all warnings.
The Digital Audio Label by AccessaMed does not require any
additional equipment in order to read a bar code, QR code, or RFID tag.
When a prescription is refilled, a new Digital Audio Label will be
permanently attached to the prescription container or packaging.
For more information you can go to : accessamed.com
<http://accessamed.com/>
or call: 360-696-5955.
Start asking your pharmacist to carry the Digital Audio Label by
AccessaMed.
FREE Screen Reader
GW Micro and Microsoft Corp. have partnered to make Window-Eyes
available to users of Microsoft Office at no cost. Window-Eyes is a
screen reader that enables people who are blind, visually impaired, or
print disabled to have full access to Windows PCs and makes the computer
accessible via speech and/or Braille.
To better deliver Window-Eyes to the people who need it most, GW Micro
and Microsoft have collaborated on this global initiative, available in
over 15 languages, to enable anyone using Microsoft Office 2010 or later
to also use Window-Eyes for free. Access to technology is critical to
people who are blind or visually impaired in order to have the same
opportunity to compete in the workplace
Eligible customers, using Microsoft Office 2010 or higher, are
able to download a full version of Window-Eyes at
www.WindowEyesForOffice.com <http://www.WindowEyesForOffice.com> . The
website provides download instructions as well as additional details
about this offer.
GW Micro and Microsoft Corp. have partnered to make Window-Eyes
available to users of Microsoft Office at no cost. Window-Eyes is a
screen reader that enables people who are blind, visually impaired, or
print disabled to have full access to Windows PCs and makes the computer
accessible via speech and/or Braille.
To better deliver Window-Eyes to the people who need it most, GW Micro
and Microsoft have collaborated on this global initiative, available in
over 15 languages, to enable anyone using Microsoft Office 2010 or later
to also use Window-Eyes for free. Access to technology is critical to
people who are blind or visually impaired in order to have the same
opportunity to compete in the workplace
Eligible customers, using Microsoft Office 2010 or higher, are
able to download a full version of Window-Eyes at
www.WindowEyesForOffice.com <http://www.WindowEyesForOffice.com> . The
website provides download instructions as well as additional details
about this offer.
Free Audio Bibles
Audio Bibles for the Blind offers five English Bibles that can be read
using an NLS digital talking-book player. These include the King James,
New King James, English Standard (dramatized), New Century/International
Children's Bible, and World English Bible. A New King James New
Testament with verse navigation is also available for patrons with
advanced players. The audio Bible is available in twenty-five other
languages, including Farsi, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew,
Mandarin, and Spanish. To receive a free audio Bible send a blank
cartridge or a USB flash drive to Audio Bibles for the Blind, PO Box
621, Bradenton, FL 34206. For a $15 donation, Audio Bibles for the Blind
will supply the cartridge. For more information send correspondence to
the address above, call 888-566-2194,
e-mail Allen Decker at
adecker at auroraministries.org,
Or visit www.audiobiblesfortheblind.org.
iPad User Guide Available
iOS Success: Making the iPad Accessible-a Guide for Parents and Teachers
is available for purchase from National Braille Press. The book, assumes
the reader has never used an iPad, gives step-by-step instructions for
all accessibility features of the iPad and shares tips for pairing
external devices displays, setting up accounts to buy apps, and using
iBooks, the Cloud, and Dropbox. It includes tips from blind students.
Large-print costs $28. Braille, eBraille, DAISY, ASCII, MP3, and MS Word
editions are $20. Purchase online at www.nbp.org or call toll-free
800-548-7323.
Returning Machines
When you return items to Special Services you should return
everything that came in the original container. When you receive a
machine please keep the box and all of its contents. You will need
these items upon returning the machine. Believe it or not we reuse all
of the instructions and the Styrofoam. The plastic bag is used for
shipping the containers. Lastly, the box is a specified shape for the
machines and it is already labeled free matter. You can put everything
back in and send it back to us, for FREE!
Youth Summer
Programs
The Louisiana Center for the Blind has two exciting summer programs for
blind children and youth. This 3-week Buddy Program is geared to
students in grades 4-8, and the 8-week Summer Training and Employment
Project (STEP) Program is designed for students entering the 10th, 11th,
or 12th grades in the fall of 2014.
2014 Buddy Program Brochure
http://is.gd/AvGxa7
2014 STEP Program Brochure
http://is.gd/mEKrRT
________________________________
The 2014 Buddy program, is a
three-week summer fun and learning program for children ages 9 to 13.
The dates are July 12-August 2, 2014.
The Buddy Program offers an opportunity for blind children to make
friends and have fun in a positive and secure setting as well as to
learn and practice alternative techniques of blindness while building
self-confidence. Students participate in many exciting activities in the
Twin Cities area.
Questions? 612-872-0100 (ext. 251), toll-free 800-597-9558,
email cguggisberg at blindinc.org.
application www.blindinc.org <http://www.blindinc.org/>
Player Battery Life
Some of you have been experiencing battery problems with your
machines. Well, help may be on the way. We have several machines that
have been fixed and won't mislead you about the actual number of hours
left. If your machine will play for 12 hours your machine is in good
working order. However, if your machine says it has 29 hours of playing
time and it plays for less than 12 hours, call Special Services and we
will send you a replacement machine.
Online educational
opportunities
More than 100 accessible free and fee-based online courses on a
variety of educational subjects and life-training skills are available
from CANnect (www.cannect.org), a consortium of agencies and schools
whose mission is to create leading-edge educational opportunities for
blind and visually impaired individuals, their families, and
professionals who work with them. Courses include two Microsoft Excel
offerings by the Carroll Center for Blind, and a barrier-free
information technology course by the Equal Access to Software and
Information (EASI) organization. More information, e-mail
rachel.rosenbaum at cannect.org
WRITING CONTEST
Submissions to the WV Fiction Competition, sponsored by the WV Center
for the Book and The Shepherd University Foundation, are invited before
the deadline on May 1, 2014. The competition is open to any resident of
the State or student going to school in the West Virginia. The
competition is open to all ages, and any original, unpublished work of
fiction, between 500 and 2,500 words, can be submitted.
A panel of writers, editors, and creative writing instructors
will choose finalists, and the 2014 Appalachian Heritage
Writer-in-Residence (AHWIR), Homer Hickam, will select first, second,
and third place prize winners from these finalists. For information and
submission guidelines, see
http://www.shepherd.edu/ahwirweb/new_writers.html. Also contact Dr.
Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, Appalachian Heritage Writers Project Director, (
Sshurbut at shepherd.edu); Susan Hayden, WV Center for the Book,
susan.g.hayden at wv.gov
<https://exchgs1.shepherd.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=9640e8bb55fe46e5b7a11c6a3
4d88caf&URL=mailto%3asusan.g.hayden%40wv.gov> ,
304-558-3978, or Brenda Feltner, Administrator of AHWIR 304.876.5207,
5220, BFeltner at shepherd.edu.
NEW SERVICE
Please Note this service may not be compatible with screen readers.
Enlargment on iDevices is dependent on the originating format of the
magazine.
State Library Services, a division of the West Virginia Library
Commission, is now offering digital magazines to the West Virginia
Legislature, state employees and the public at large, through an online
service called Zinio. Zinio for Libraries offers State Library Services'
patrons the latest editions of such magazines as Newsweek, Popular
Science, Reader's Digest, mental_floss and more. Patrons can download
copies of the latest issue, which they can view on a smartphone, tablet
or computer. Internet access and a library card from WVLC are the only
requirements to check out Zinio magazines. See the State Library
Services' web portal
https://www.rbdigital.com/wvlibrarycommission/service/zinio/landing
<https://www.rbdigital.com/wvlibrarycommission/service/zinio/landing?>
To request a library card,
Send your name, address, phone number and email address to State Library
Services at wvlcref at wv.gov <mailto:wvlcref at wv.gov> . For information
about titles available through State Library Services, call (304)
558-2045 or send an email to wvlcref at wv.gov <mailto:wvlcref at wv.gov> .
Microsoft Announces Scholarship
Microsoft announces the Microsoft DisAbility Scholarship: intended to
empower and enable high school students with disabilities to (a) go to
college, (b) realize the impact technology has on the world, and (c)
target a career in the technology industry. This new program was
started by, and is supported by, Microsoft employees who will select
promising high school seniors who require financial assistance in order
to enter and successfully complete a vocational or academic college
program. This non-renewable $5000 scholarship will be paid to the
recipient's Financial Aid Office by the Seattle Foundation on behalf of
the DisAbility Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Microsoft.
Contact: DisAbility Employee Resource Group, Microsoft Corporation
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/programs/microsoftdisabilitysch
olarship.aspx
Learning Ally Offers Scholarships
Each year, Learning Ally awards over $50,000 to outstanding students
with visual and learning disabilities through our National Achievement
Awards
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_CAvmLhMkzMbG_2cD5yXBSYoHZF7CibLcAQx3BxO
Kk2uc5lEO3oqWdlJE8awH7kxrZC4WgYziNl0XTsu7mZjROdH1Fu9_HLy-tHXptWwkchvD72p
tUWoCnJy7Oq86U3R> .
Scholarship programs include:
The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Awards for high school
seniors who have learning disabilities
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_CAvmLhMkzN740lx2XsXRcVeD61gDW-gqA8Ef05U
B7Qiyt1uZu8gbucK6g8Q-VXFnQBUk23pi7ymbey7dYYNy1ltj43DDhV1D04i9Wo0sU94SJjx
JkcCrM7qWBytal5DZqnDwhzDTO6EmXG__7NcqA==>
The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards for college seniors
and graduate students who are blind or visually impaired
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_CAvmLhMkzO2N1olzbP2V8bjDT4TmzXHZT63SddK
gKJlg0y6gNBjBbjBPEOvhfzlAhe1oGXRQq1disoXIdhPY8f-DGQbEa0PxQXSxUYXY8c0Qn_X
niWCiW2x7c1TfvGM7au0zy9PFi6sXESMi9rKNQ==>
The three top winners from each program receive a $6,000 scholarship
award and joins us in a national celebration in Washington, DC.
Deadline March 10, 2014
NFB Scholarships
Are you a legally blind college student living in the United States or
Puerto Rico? This annual program offers 30 scholarships worth from
$3,000 to $12,000 to eligible students, from high school seniors
beginning their freshman year in the fall semester of 2014, up through
grad students working on their PhD degrees. These merit scholarships are
based on academic excellence, community service, and leadership. In
addition to the money, each winner will receive assistance to attend the
July 2014 NFB Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. To apply, read the
rules and the Submission Checklist. Applications are accepted for five
months, from November 1, 2013, to March 31,2014.
Email: scholarships(c)nfb.orq
Deadline: March 31, 2014
Go to www.nfb.org/scholarships <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships> for
complete rules and requirements
Participate in WV Reads 150+
If you participated in the West Virginia Reads 150 last year, please
consider joining Special Services in participating in the West Virginia
Reads 150+, reading challenge. The year-long reading initiative
encourages West Virginians to read 150+ books in any format from any
source, during the course of 2014. Books can be on any topic, fiction or
non-fiction; they must be read between January 1-December 31, 2014.
People can read 150+ books individually, or create teams to read 150+
books collectively. Libraries across West Virginia are encouraged to
form teams to compete. Teams are unlimited in numbers. All ages and
groups can participate - friends, co-workers, families, book discussion
groups, classmates, community service groups, scout troops, church
groups. If children are too young to read on their own, kids can have
their parents read to them. Families can use Summer Reading Program
reading toward their West Virginia Reads 150+ tally. If you have
questions about WV Reads 150+, please contact Jordan Frederick in
Special Services.
Bluetooth Speakers for all of your iDevice Needs
Submitted by patron Brad Hodges
www.ultimateears.com
<file:///C:\Users\E021200\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary%20In
ternet%20Files\Content.Outlook\N45SIVJ2\www.ultimateears.com>
brad.hodges at yahoo.com
For those of us who are hooked on BARD Mobile running on our
Apple iOS devices, there aren't many downsides to making the switch from
hardware playback of our DTB's. That is, perhaps with one exception, the
relatively low audio level of iPhones, iPods and iPads. Enter Bluetooth
speakers, a category of personal electronics which has exploded onto the
scene in the past year or so. A visit to Best Buy reveals dozens of
options ranging in size from an audio cassette to a boom box of
yesteryear, and prices from less than $50 to over $250. Well known
manufacturers, JBL - Bose - Polk, and newcomers, Beats -JawBone and
Ultimate Ears are only a few of those lining up to help you solve the
dilemma of obtaining high quality sound from a smartphone or tablet.
I decided I wanted to get a bluetooth speaker for myself. After
reading many reviews, and auditioning several speakers I settled on the
Ultimate Ears Boom Mini Speaker/Speakerphone, also priced at $99.
The Boom Mini is a solid, rather chunky device which can sit
easily in your hand. Measuring approximately 4 and one half inches wide,
by 2 and one quarter inches high by 2 and one half inches deep, the Boom
Mini is covered on the top, ends and bottom by a, charcoal gray,
rubbery material. The front and rear faces are covered by a perforated
metal grill of a contrasting color. The overall impression is that of
durable construction and a careful attention to high quality
manufacturing.
The controls of the Boom Mini are located both on the top and
rear of the speaker. Three controls are located on the top. From left to
right the are, volume Down, Bluetooth Control, and Volume Up. Each
control is etched into the rubbery surface of the Mini and can be
identified by touch. A minus symbol, circle and a plus symbol indicate
the three controls respectively. Two etched, vertically oriented markers
separate the three active controls.
Examining the rear of the Mini reveals a slightly recessed
region in the middle of the perforated grill. Orienting the back facing
the user, and moving from left to right, the On/Off control, Micro USB
charging connection and 3.5MM Audio Input plug can be identified.
Setting up the Boom Mini is both quick and convenient, thanks in
large part to a few well considered audio cues which Ultimate Ears has
designed into the unit. Moving the On/Off switch to the position closest
to the USB port turns the unit on. A guitar-like cord indicates that the
unit is charged and active. Pressing and holding the circular Bluetooth
button for several seconds will place the Mini in Bluetooth pairing
mode. This status is indicated by the sound of a minor interval. From
this point the conventional Bluetooth setup for your device can be
followed. Upon successful pairing, and every time your Mini pares to
your device a guitar-like cord will be heard.
Ultimate Ears offers a companion iOS app, UE MINI BOOM (Free)
from the App Store. If there is any aspect of the Boom Mini's
performance which falls short in terms of usability it is the design of
this app. Several functions of the Mini can be controlled from the app,
and not from the hardware controls. These include equalization and the
previously mentioned sounds, referred to as "Alert Tones. After opening
the "MINI BOOM" app, explore the screen to locate three adjacent buttons
"btn doubleup", btn learn" and "btn settings". The Double Up function
allows two Mini's to be configured as a stereo pair of speakers, while
Learn provides information and a kind of manual. Settings reveals
Speaker Name, Battery Level, EQ Setting Alert Sounds, On or off, Speaker
Firmware and Speaker Serial Number. Opening the EQ Setting provides 3
choices. Out Loud, the default setting, Intimate, for small rooms and
Vocals, for talk radio, podcasts and movies.
The performance of this small and marvelously designed speaker
is nothing short of remarkable. All audio is presented with a full
bodied richness far in excess of what you would expect from a package so
small. The Mini also avoids the unpleasant artifacts of bad
equalization which can detract from audio performance in speakers of
this kind. NLS titles sound uniformly clear and crisp without becoming
hard edged. The Mini connects without a hitch each and every time I turn
it on, and the pleasant cords let me know of it's status along the way.
The battery runs for at least 12 hours listening at moderate levels to
both NLS titles and other audio content. For some NLS books, changing
the EQ from the Out loud to Vocals reduces the rumble which is audible
on some older analog transfers. And when it's time to recharge, a subtle
"chuff" "chuff" every few minutes lets me know.
Upcoming WVLC Holidays
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 Primary Election Day
Monday, May 26, 2014 Memorial Day
Friday, June 20, West Virginia Day
Friday, July 4, 2014 Independence Day
Watch First Run Movies with
Audio Descrption with a New APP
Solo-Dx on MovieReading, is the first ever auto-syncing audio
description app available for first-run movies. Download the app,
download the description track, go to the movie theater, and enjoy! Even
if you arrive late, you can simply hit "sync" and your audio description
will pick up in the right place.
http://solo-dx.com/movie_reading/index.html
Shawn Lemieux, Technology Librarian
Special Services
West Virginia Library Commission
1900 Kanawha Blvd. E
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone-304-558-4061
Fax-304-558-6016
In State Toll Free-1-800-642-8674
www.librarycommission.wv.gov
shawn.n.lemieux at wv.gov <mailto:shawn.n.faircloth at wv.gov>
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