LIBRARY USERS OF AMERICA Newsletter Fall, 2003 Published by the Library Users of America, Inc. An affiliate of the American Council of the Blind President: Sharon Strzalkowsk i Editor: Tom Mitche ll LUA Website: http://libraryusers.tripod.com Produced by: (Name of Company) TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial 2 President’s message 4 Contests! 5 NLS, A Historical Perspective 6 SAL 8 The Art of Reviewing Books 9 Gordon Gould 11 2003 NLS Collection Advisory Group 12 Downing Receives Card Award 15 Price Receives Henly Award 16 “Supersized” Information Stations Debute at Ohio Libraries 18 NLS Catalog Moves to Voyager System 19 Magazines Wanted 28 PBS DVD’s Available 28 Talking Book Sleep Switch 29 Bookport 30 Officers and Board 33 This issue is dedicated to the memory of LUA Board member, John Taylor EDITORIAL Some of you who have been associated with LUA in the past will probably be saying: "What's he doing back?" The story gets to be a long one, and probably boring to most of you, but suffice it to say that I just got mad at the last taped production of the Newsletter, and thought I could do it better. When I called to offer my services, several people asked if I would once again take the reins as editor, and after thinking about it for a couple of days, I said yes. In the last issue, I thought I was hearing the death knell for the Library Users of America. The tone of some of the articles sounded like LUA was on its last legs and in grave danger of expiring. However, in talking recently with the Presidency and members of the LUA Board of Directors, I think that this is a gross exaggeration. We have a board right now that is as enthusiastic as I have ever seen it. If you look at the names of your board on the back of this issue, you will see the names of dynamic, hard-working people with a vision for LUA and what it should be doing. And that vision includes working for the membership of LUA and seeing to it that each of you, if you wish, can have a voice in what this organization can, and should, do. My goal as editor of this newsletter is not only to reflect that vision, but also to bring together articles that will be timely, informative and helpful to those of you who enjoy using libraries. We have been perceived in the past by many people as an organization that exists to criticize NLS and always complain about its shortcomings. Even when I was editor years ago, that was never my focus, nor will it be now. But neither is it the focus of the Library Users of America. Indeed, a recent survey that we took indicates that most readers are generally pleased with NLS and its programs. But in today's world, there are now more resources that can provide literature in other than printed formats, that we can take advantage of. And much of the time, those sources can include a local library, or your computer. Now, I know that there are many of you out there who don't have a computer, and are getting tired of articles that aim toward the computer user. I've been there myself. I've often felt that same angry feeling when inquiring about some information and am told what the Internet address is. But in today's world, and especially for blind and visually-impaired people, computers are going to become more and more important, and soon, we may all find it necessary to have some acquaintance with computers and their technology. So you will see some articles that will include information for computer users, but at the same time, I will also insist that where possible, information for non-users will be included as well. However, regional libraries for the Blind, and some sub-regional libraries are still doing great things that aid their constituents, some of which may be new ideas to other readers throughout the country. If your library is doing something that you think is innovative or if you know of some service which you believe LUA members across the country may be interested in, we want to hear about it. If you feel that there is a service LUA could provide, and think that others might like your idea, we want to know that, too. In other words, if you have something that you believe might be an interesting article for this newsletter, send it in. You can either send it to me in Braille, or via e-mail. My contact information is on the last sheet of this magazine along with the Board of Directors. I don't promise to publish everything, but I will read it. Last but not least, I want to be sure that this newsletter is meeting your needs. If it doesn't, I'm always open to suggestions. Please, let me hear from you. Tom Mitchell President's message By Sharon Strzalkowski Hello Everyone. I'd like to introduce myself and explain how I got into LUA; then tell you a bit about our board, and a lot about how you can become involved in our LUA projects. I am Sharon Strzalkowski of Massachusetts. I grew up in Delaware and have been a talking book user since childhood. I walked into a LUA board meeting a couple of years ago, simply out of curiosity, and because I had already been serving on the advisory council for our local talking book library. From that point, I have learned about the organization and, more especially, that the library can be more than those wonderful talking books and Braille books that we all rely on. I have begun to attend library concerts and lectures, and have now gotten a library card so that I can borrow music recordings and the like. My accumulation of computer knowledge has been slow, and in fact, I am just beginning to learn about another source of books, audible.com, through which you can get very new books on a subscription basis. (Yes, it does seem strange to have to pay for books, as that is something rather foreign for most of us!) I am a beginner in understanding these new avenues of information retrieval, and will have to decide as I go along how much of this I would like to tap. At whatever point you are in your exploration of new information forms, or whether you have no opportunity to explore them at all, please stay with us in LUA, and we will try our best to send articles of interest your way. Now onto the board. We have been very fortunate indeed to be able to attract a diverse group of members to our board. We have people of various ages, interests, and library affiliations and computer knowledge. All have a common interest in helping blind people gain access to as much information as they would like to have. Finally, some things that you can do to assist LUA. A fundamental need, of course, is to maintain our treasury, and so it will be important to you to take note of the dues notice which comes out at the end of the year. Dues are $12 a year, and will be payable to our treasurer, Pat Price, who does everything in her power to make sure that people are contacted in the format of their choice. The money raised helps us with convention program costs, newsletter production and the occasional board conference call. A second, and vital thing, that you can do is to become a member of one of our working committees. You can share your talent in membership recruitment, fundraising, helping with the newsletter, or helping to create next year's convention program. A commitment to a committee does not involve a huge amount of time, but it certainly will relieve the board members from carrying all of the responsibility, Plus, it will help you to meet other library users and learn of their experiences in this ever-growing field. Please contact me if you would have an interest in one of these committees, and I will get you in contact with the right person who is chairing that group. You will find at the end of this issue a list of board member contacts. Please feel free to contact any of us in the format that works best for you. It gets lonely up here, trying to know what our members want and need, so do your part and help us to grow this great affiliate! Thanks for listening, and keep reading! THE PASSING OF JOHN TAYLOR John Taylor of Des Moines, Iowa, one of our LUA Board members, and a founding member of the American Council of the Blind, died Thursday October 9. John, whose name has been prominent in the ACB since its inception 42 years ago, was a nationally-recognized figure in work for the blind, and held many positions in the ACB and its affiliates, and was always helpful to members of our organization, whether long-time members, or new-comers. In informing us of his death, LUA Past president Winifred Downing said “When I think about men whom I admire, my phrase of compliment is: He was a lovely man!” See the article about John Taylor in the October, 2003 Braille Forum Contests! Library Users of America is running two separate contests, which we hope will be of interests to some of you. 1) Just as the Braille Forum has a sort of mission statement at the beginning of each of its issues, we would like to do the same thing at the beginning of each of our newsletters as well. This should be a statement suggesting LUA’s purpose in a simple short sentence. Entries for this contest should be submitted by November 30, and will be judged by the LUA Board of Directors. Send all entries for this contest to: Sharon Strzalkowski, 127 June Street #3, Worcester, MA 01602, or e-mail them to her at strzal@charter.net 2) We would also like someone to come up with a good name for this Newsletter; something better than just the Newsletter. Entries for this contest will be judged by the LUA Publications Committee, and should also be submitted by November 30. Submit all entries for this contest to the editor, Tom Mitchell, 978 West 1200 South, Woods Cross, Utah 80487, or e-mail them to me at tommit50@hotmail.com. The winner of each contest will receive an audio cassette book, and both winners will be announced in the next issue. NLS, A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE by Winifred Downing On Wednesday of convention week, members of the Library Users of America and the Braille Revival League heard Kim Charlson, Director of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, Watertown, MA, trace the development of libraries for the blind in the United States. Well into the 1860s, blind adults had few if any Braille books to read. Those that were available came from small collections at schools training blind children; and the Braille characters in which these books were expressed varied from school to school with the Howe Press at Perkins producing material in Boston line type, an extremely difficult medium for reading. Perkins tried but failed in an effort to convince the federal government to fund a national project. In 1868 eight books in Braille were presented to the public library in Massachusetts, thus establishing the first public library collection for blind persons; and reading rooms developed in urban areas where books were read aloud. Though in some places, children learned Braille in schools for the blind, the adventitiously blind had no access to such teaching; and adults in rural areas, even if they had learned Braille earlier, had no access to any reading material at all. The first library for the blind was opened in Albany, New York, in 1896, serving the blind from that location to the present day and now joined by the library in New York City. In 1897, the Library of Congress opened a reading room with 500 books; and in 1904, legislation initiated in 1899 to cover Braille correspondence was expanded authorizing the free matter privilege for books. The Librarian of Congress in 1910 decided that the service for the blind was not the province of the Library of Congress since it did not relate to scholarship or research, and that the District of Columbia public library was the proper location for books of a recreational nature to be read at home. Subsequently, the reading room with all its books was transferred to the District of Columbia Public Library with only reference materials being distributed throughout the country from the former location with its remaining staff member. In 1912, the first consumer action was initiated when four blind persons appealed to four senators pleading that a national library in the Library of Congress should serve blind persons. Their effort was so successful that the reading room was restored to its original place of operation with the large sum of $1,200 appropriated to fund the service rather than the $7,500 requested. In 1931 the Pratt-Smoot Act establishing the division of services to the adult blind and initiating talking books was passed with an appropriation of $100,000. Children's books were added to the library's responsibilities in 1952 and Braille music in 1962. Eligibility was extended to persons who had other physical disabilities that prevented them from accessing ordinary printed material. Members of the audience reminisced about mailing Braille books in brown wrapping paper, the size and weight of talking books, and the fact that talking books were not permitted to be given to children under 18, because having them might discourage their use of Braille. SAL By Jill O'Connell The following product was described during the combined BRAILLE and LUA meeting. Sal which stands for speech assisted learning is manufactured by Freedom Scientific and was developed by Sally Mangold, a longtime teacher of the blind. It is an interactive program for teaching Braille. Braille sheets are placed on the touch screen of the unit. Slight pressure on the Braille causes SAL to speak. This is a unique system that combines paper Braille, bar coding, a pressure-sensitive pad and synthesized speech to create a stand alone Braille learning station. Through the use of speech and graded lessons, the student is able to progress at his or her own speed. Sal is not designed to replace the Braille teacher but as a learning tool when the teacher is not available. The speech is quick to give encouragement for correct answers. This innovative new product has great potential for making learning Braille fun and for motivating students whether children or adults. THE ART OF REVIEWING BOOKS by Winifred Downing One of the speakers on the program at the Library Users of America convention in Pittsburgh, PA, last July was Bob Hoover, the book reviewer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His job, he says, is the best job in the country because it keeps him reading all the time and permits him to know of interesting developments in the book world like the publication of Hillary Clinton's autobiography. She received $8 million in anticipation of the writing, and 25 thousand copies were sold in the first week, leading to speedy reprints. As more reviewers and ordinary readers, however, analyzed the book, enthusiasm waned; for it proved to be less forthcoming than many had hoped, responding, apparently, to political necessities and motives. During the 19th century the literacy rate in the United States was modest; but as the 20th century developed, more and more people read and expressed an eagerness for more books and information about them. Since New York early became the center of book publishing, it was there that reviewers began their book discussions. Books competed with radio and movies, but they were found to give more extensive treatment of any subject they addressed and had the additional advantage of being regarded as works of art. The paper which is Hoover's employer has a daily circulation of about 4 thousand and on Sundays, when he does his reviews, 6 thousand. With his background as an English major and his early experience as a reporter, he learned how to read and write, and he is still surprised at the number and variety of books being produced. Receiving 650 to 700 books per week (three times the number of a year ago) means that the reviewer must develop a method of categorizing the material for judgment, not taking the time for how-to books, books on dieting, etc. but reserving attention for the 100 main-line books. He also pays some reviewers to help him sort through, read entirely, and choose for treatment those of the greatest merit and interest. Well recognized authors will probably always receive attention, but heed must also be paid to first-timers, even though many may never be heard from again, to keep the literary pool expanding. It is important to direct his column toward children's books, particularly to encourage boys entering high school to continue reading rather than devoting all their energies to video games. At least one light, funny book should be included in each month's selections, and a balance must be retained between fiction and nonfiction even though there are now four times as many nonfiction books offered each year. Although the subject of such a book may be universally attractive, the reviewer must be vigilant. Recently, for instance, the 160th biography of John F. Kennedy was published but proved to have little new material other than a few additional medical facts. Hoover fielded a number of questions, especially concerning the best way for ACB to advertise and market People of Vision, the history of the American Council of the Blind. It is important and fascinating reading for all members of LUA available for purchase now, in various electronic formats, and soon in recorded and Braille media from the National Library Service. Gordon Gould By Jill O'Connell Gordon Gould was the featured narrator at this year's ACB convention, and as is the practice, he spoke at the LUA afternoon session. He is a narrator for the American Foundation for the Blind and lives in New York. He has been recording for 32 years and has recorded over 500 books so thinks he holds the record having done even more than Alexander Scourby. One of his favorite books was Dante's The Divine Comedy translated by John Chiardi. But it was recorded without what Mr. Gould believes to be the indispensable notes accompanying the book. His monitor for the recording of this book was a young man not "into poetry," but by the time they had finished, he was so completely under its spell that he bought a copy of the Divine Comedy for his girl friend. Gordon Gould wished he could have had the same influence with his own children, a boy and a girl. He was also impressed with Herman Melville's Moby Dick and considers it one of the best recordings he has done. He is an actor as well and was in the original New York production of Amadeus. He also replaced Alexander Scourby as the voice on the TWA ads and considers that Amadeus and TWA are responsible for sending his children through college. He was also in The Merchant of Venice production in which Dustin Hoffman played Shylock. Gordon Gould was involved in CBS Radio Mystery Theater. He grew up in Chicago and wanted to be a radio actor because "that's what Chicago did." However, he had to go to New York to make this dream a reality. He stressed the importance of breathing techniques and the difference in that regard between working on the stage and in front of a microphone; this is particularly important now with digital recording being done as it is extremely sensitive. He had a habit of running his fingertips across the page and had to break himself of this. Gordon Gould was the last American actor to play Sherlock Holmes on radio. In answer to a question he stated that he thoroughly enjoys recording for Choice Magazine Listening which he has been doing now for about a year and a half; he had nothing but praise for the editors. He learned that acting on radio was far different from reading books where the listener wants to do his own interpreting. He has recorded a few of his Radio Mystery Theater plays but has no recordings of any of the books he has narrated. Gordon Gould worked for six years in Repertory Theater which folded finally simply because it was too expensive. It was at this time that he saw an article in the New York Times about talking books and went for an audition. He kept calling back for about six weeks and was finally given the book Deliverance by James Dickey. This book was a real challenge as most of it was dialogue between four men living in Georgia, so he had to create voices for them in order that they could be distinguished by the listener. It wasn't until after they spoke that the person speaking was identified so much notation on his copy was necessary. In answer to a question from the audience he told us about the book he disliked doing most. In fact, he just recently finished recording it. It is called Argall. I checked the latest Braille Book Review and it was not yet listed. The main reason for his dislike is that it is written in a faux Elizabethan style with much changing of the spelling of names etc. This was the third in a series of books, this one having to do with the Jamestown colony. His advice was to "avoid this book like the plague." Gordon Gould's very pleasant, informal style made this narrator's presentation one of the best LUA has been privileged to hear. If he used any notes at all, the audience was certainly not aware of it, and the experiences he related with his sense of humor bubbling through were a delight. 2003 NLS COLLECTION ADVISORY GROUP by Pat Shreck COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS (in Priority Order) May 21-23, 2003 Please Note: At this point, NLS has not made an official response to these recommendations. 01. NLS increase production of adult and young adult fiction with African-American protagonists. 02. NLS expand its print/Braille selections from 35 to 40 titles a year, with the five additional titles being equally divided between grades K-3 and 2-4. 03. NLS produce all titles in a sequential series with all titles in that series to be produced in the same format(s) 04. NLS feature biographical and/or news information about narrators in each issue of TBT. 05. NLS seek for more series books of high interest to boys grades 4-7. 006. NLS produce more nonfiction books for K-3 and 2-4 on animals, science, sea life, plants, biographies, history and other countries. 07. NLS complete the collections of Nebula and Hugo Award winners. 08. NLS continue to select clean, religious, spiritual, inspirational fiction titles and that the annotations of these titles reflect their clean, religious, spiritual and inspirational nature. 09. NLS produce the NASCAR schedule in Braille. 10. NLS seek more humorous books for young adults. 11. NLS produce more historical fiction in Braille. 12. NLS increase production of fiction and nonfiction books in Spanish for all ages. 13. NLS produce in Braille more biographies of persons of historical and cultural significance. 14. NLS produce more titles on space exploration and astronomy. 15. NLS increase production of books about new age spirituality and alternative beliefs. 16. NLS tone index chapters of all books. COMMENDATIONS 01. We commend NLS for its continued production of medical books on such topics as diabetes, Alzheimer's, and macular degeneration. 02. We commend NLS for producing more bestsellers in Braille as well as some audio. 03. We commend NLS for the timely delivery of high demand books such as the Harry Potter series. 04. We commend NLS for continuing to produce books that reflect cultural diversity. 05. We commend NLS, and in particular Judith Dixon, for the development and production of Web Braille and for the continuing effort to make the NLS catalog more user friendly. 06. We commend NLS for improving the overall quality of collections for children and young adults, and for producing more popular and award-winning titles for these audiences. 07. We commend all narrators for their tireless efforts and professionalism. 08. We commend NLS Director Frank Kurt Cylke for furthering the NLS mission by promoting interest in financial support for the NLS program. 09. We thank the NLS Collection Development Section, Jim Herndon and staff, for the outstanding organization and facilitation of this meeting. 10. We thank Chairperson Ever Lee Hairston and Secretary Renee Snowten for their excellent leadership and work on the committee. DOWNING RECEIVES CARD AWARD Winifred Downing, received the George Card Award at the national convention of the American Council of the Blind in Pittsburgh, PA last July. The award, in memory of George Card, is given each year to a blind person who has contributed substantially to the lives of blind people and the field of work for the blind, and who has served as a role model for others. In her acceptance remarks, Winifred said that, in view of the criteria governing the choice of the award recipient, two thirds of the people in the hall that night were also eligible to receive it and that, therefore, while she was honored and grateful for the distinction, she accepted the Award as a representative for the many others who should also be so honored. The plaque presented is indeed handsome done on wood in a metal frame. The background for the printed words is black and the braille is off white with both the print and braille letters done in gold. What the plaque says in braille is: The George Card Award of the American Council of the Blind is presented to Winifred Downing for her many contributions to the community of blind and sighted people alike and her continuing efforts to assure full integration of people with visual impairments in every aspect of their lives.” PRICE RECEIVES HENLY AWARD During a recent ceremony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vision World Wide founder, president and managing editor Pat (Patricia) Price was awarded the prestigious 2003 Vernon Henley Memorial Award for her lifelong endeavors to make a positive difference in the media -- in radio, TV, magazines, daily newspapers and Cyberspace -- which have resulted in changing public attitudes to recognize the capabilities of people who are blind. When presenting the award, Charles S. P. Hodge, Chair of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) Board of Publications, cited the many ways in which Ms. Price has creatively and uniquely used her talents and journalistic skills to make a positive difference in the lives of those experiencing vision loss for the first time, as well as those who have been meeting the challenge of blindness for years. Mr. Hodge said, "Not only did she serve as a member of the ACB Board of Directors from 1981 to 1989 and as the ACB National Secretary from 1989 to 1995, she has also led numerous other national and international organizations in many leadership capacities. Tonight, however, she is being recognized for the role she has played in the media to present a positive image of people with visual impairment by emphasizing their capabilities and concerns rather than focusing on outdated stereotypes and misconceptions." "Through the use of her web site, the Internet, numerous publications in print, large print, audiocassettes, computer diskettes, CDs, Braille, and electronic formats," Mr. Hodge continued, "Ms. Price has distributed information worldwide about programs, products, and services that are designed to motivate, encourage, and empower those with vision loss, including the totally blind, deaf-blind, and partially sighted, to live meaningful and productive lives." When accepting the award, Ms. Price commented that since she has experienced perfect sight, deaf-blindness, total blindness for many years, and now severe hearing loss and low vision, she has learned first-hand that information provides hope and empowerment. For those reasons she has felt compelled to focus her attention on providing not only relevant and timely information on all aspects of life, but also providing it in all accessible formats. She also said that because she knew Vernon Henley personally, receiving the award was most meaningful and significant because of the many ways his life had impacted her goals personally and professionally. In Closing, she said, "Thank you so much ACB for this great honor. Please know that by presenting this award to me you have given me another goal for which to Strive, and for that I shall be forever grateful." The Vernon Henley Memorial Award was established in 1988 to honor a sighted individual who created and first produced ACB Reports, a radio presentation distributed to radio reading services around the country. Mr. Henley, a resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma until his untimely death, dedicated his life to encouraging and training visually impaired journalists. "SUPER SIZED" INFORMATION STATIONS DEBUT AT OHIO LIBRARIES Submitted by Pat Price (From Vision Enhancement Vol. 8 No. 2, 2003) In an effort to make the Internet and library databases even more accessible to everyone who visits, two Ohio public libraries have introduced new oversized Internet stations. Both the Woodbourne Library in Dayton and Centerville Library in Centerville have installed a station complete with a large print keyboard and oversized screen specially designed for individuals who suffer from macular degeneration, visual impairments, or have a hard time reading the existing commands on regular keyboards. All keys are easy to see: 1-inch square, 4 times normal size. This allows for more time working and less time hunting for the correct key. Each station also includes a trackball mouse, eliminating wasteful and tiring hand and wrist movements. In an interview with Cindi Klinck, Library Director, she said that these new Internet stations, in addition to an extensive collection of large print materials and books on CD and tape, show the library's commitment to making its collection and other information resources accessible to all its patrons. For more information on the oversized Internet stations, call the Centerville Library at 937.433.8091 or the Woodbourne Library at 937.435.3700. 937.433.8091. Fax: 937.433.1366. Contact person: Georgia Mergler - gmergler@wcpl.lib.oh.us. Web: www.wcpl.lib.oh.us The Washington-Centerville Public Library is located at 111 West Spring Valley Road, Centerville, Ohio 45458. The Woodbourne Library is located at 6060 Far Hills Ave., Dayton, OH 937-435-3700. NLS catalog moves to Voyager system NLS has announced the migration of the International Union Catalog to the Voyager Integrated Library System. The Voyager catalog, which went online in May, offers catalog searchers a number of advantages over earlier catalogs, and it may be used to expand other bibliographic services, according to Robert Axtell, head of the NLS Bibliographic Control Section. "It has a much more robust range of keyword searching options than previous catalogs and adds the ability to browse name and subject headings. Search results can be sorted, and the catalog is updated daily, not weekly," Axtell says. Voyager is an integrated library system (ILS) that manages online tools for cataloging, acquisitions, circulation, and public access around a single unified bibliographic database, so that a record for the same book will not have to be held and maintained by four separate library systems. "Voyager is popular among academic, research, and national libraries, for which it was designed," Axtell explains. "The system is supported by a small army of specialists at the Library of Congress and is continually upgraded." Voyager has the virtues and disadvantages of a system designed to find relevant records in very large files. It has powerful search features, but they come at some cost to its ease of use, if only because of the multitude of choices it offers. Additionally, Voyager tends to have busy screen layouts that may seem to pose unnecessary complications to searchers using assistive technology. "The number of patrons using our catalogs has been growing steadily since our first web catalog in the mid-nineties," Axtell observes. "We realize that many of our patrons are new to computers and catalogs, so we are mindful that our catalog should be both accessible and relatively easy to use." Text-Only interface developed "Voyager allows only limited customization of its screens, but the Library discovered an approach to Voyager that has allowed us to design another interface," Axtell continues. The Z39.50 standard for computer-to-computer information retrieval provides a way for searchers in one catalog system to search a remote catalog based on a different system without having to know anything about that system. Like most integrated library systems, Voyager supports this standard. By their nature, Z39.50 interfaces tend to be simple and generic, as the standard imposes a stripped-down set of common search types that can be used in different systems. It also provides NLS with the ability to design screens without the tables and graphics in the Voyager catalog. But instead of using the standard to search remote catalogs, NLS decided to use the simpler interface for the purpose of searching its own catalog. Custom-designed Z39.50 search forms were devised, including one that emulates the basic Web-BLND screen. "We had to conduct several test loads, test record import from our production control system, and configure the Voyager catalog." Finally, a set of context-sensitive help pages was created by webmaster Tom Martin and bibliographer Catherine O'Connor, both of the NLS Network Division, to explain the proper use of Voyager. Each help screen contains a link to each of the others and, together, they constitute a virtual online users' manual. These links include an FAQ page that will grow as users' difficulties, if any, become more apparent. Every screen for searching or displaying records in Voyager contains a link to the help pages. The Voyager online public access catalog (OPAC) itself is markedly different from previous catalogs and will take some getting used to. But through online help screens and e-mail support, NLS will be able to support its far-flung base of users. A primer of catalog searching To distinguish the Z39.50-based search forms from those provided with Voyager, the sets will be referred to as the NLS Text-Only catalog and the NLS Voyager catalog. I. The NLS Text-Only catalog The Text-Only catalog has three search forms. The Single Term Search form is about as simple as it can get: there is one box for entering a single word or phrase. The system will retrieve all records from the database which contain this phrase anywhere in the record. The question mark may be used for truncation. The Quick Search form is a copy of the Basic Web-BLND search form. It has boxes for entering names, titles, keywords (i.e., a word or phrase anywhere in the record) plus a drop-down list box for limiting searches to NLS holdings only and another to limit retrieval to certain formats. The Multiple Term Search form allows the reader to enter up to three fields including names, titles, keywords, location, and format, and to set restriction or combination requirements (and/or/not). II. NLS Voyager catalog The Basic Search screen is the starting point for Voyager. It displays a box in which to enter search terms and a list of six search types from which to select. The search type determines how the system will interpret the search terms. It is important to understand the differences between the search types. Keyword. This search is designed to be as simple as possible, but it also tends to be imprecise. It retrieves any words that are entered from anywhere in the catalog records. A small number of special symbols can be used to refine searching. A plus sign (+) in front of a word or phrase indicates that the word must appear in the retrieved records. An exclamation point (!) in front of a word or phrase means that it must not appear in the record. Words can be entered in any order, but the use of quotation marks around a phrase calls for retrieval of the exact phrase in its entirety (e.g., "tax reform" will find all instances of the phrase tax reform but not every occurrence of the individual words tax and reform). A question mark at the end of a search term denotes truncation (e.g., tree? Will retrieve tree, trees, treehouse, Treece, etc.). These symbols will not work in the index searches, described below. Keyword searches should be used when it is not clear where words or phrases relating to the material in question are likely to fall in catalog records, when terms may appear in different places in different records, or when there are no results using other types of searches. Records are displayed in the order determined by a relevancy algorithm, which considers (1) uniqueness of search terms within the database; (2) proximity of search terms to each other within the catalog record; (3) number of different search terms present in a catalog record; (4) number of times a search word is present in catalog record fields (e.g., subject heading field, author field, title field) in which the terms occur; and (5) the "weight" assigned to the field where the terms occur (name, subject, and title fields are assigned a greater weight than most other fields). Index searches (also called browse searches) are used to search for traditional catalog access points: name, title, subject, and call number (used in the NLS catalog to search for book numbers). They are left-anchored with automatic truncation, which means that words must be entered in the correct order, starting with the first word of the heading being searched. The special restrictive symbols quotation marks, exclamation point, plus sign, and question mark of the Keyword search and the Command Keyword search (discussed below) will not work with index searches. Intervening commas, periods, and apostrophes should be omitted when conducting these searches. The Title Index can be used to search for titles of books and series. If searching the full title does not produce satisfactory results, enter only the first few words of the title. Initial articles (a, an, the, das, el, la, etc.) in any language should be omitted, as should intervening commas, periods, and apostrophes; hyphens, however, should be retained. Unlike the other index searches, Title Index searches can be used with limits (explained below). This search should be used when the title of the work is known. If one is unsure how the title begins, a Keyword search could be more effective. Name (Author/Narrator) Index searches for names of persons and organizations responsible for the content of a publication. Enter the person's name, last name first. The system will retrieve an alphabetical list of name headings beginning with the name closest to that entered along with the number of records attached to each heading. The list will also contain cross references indicated by the More Info icon so that if one enters Clemens, Sam, the list will contain a pointer to Twain, Mark. Use the Subject Index to search for works about a person or organization. The Subject Index searches for Library of Congress subject headings. It will produce alphabetical lists of subject headings beginning with the heading closest to what was entered. The list also contains cross references indicated by the More Info icon that lead from terms that are not used in the Library of Congress system to similar subject headings that are in use and may be helpful. This search is useful when the researcher knows the correct subject heading or is attempting to discover the correct heading. The Book Number Index searches for the book number assigned by the owning library. The search will produce a list of book numbers, starting with the number closest to the search term. For NLS book numbers, a space should be left after two-letter prefixes (RC 50000) but not after three-letter prefixes (BRA18500); and leading zeroes must be included (RC 08235). This search is useful for finding known book numbers or to produce a list of book numbers arranged in order. Command Keyword. Like the Keyword search, this search will retrieve keywords found anywhere in the catalog record, but it offers more options. As in the Keyword search, the question mark and quotation marks are used to indicate truncated terms and phrases. If more than one word is entered (unless enclosed by quotation marks), the terms must be separated by Boolean operators: and, or, not. These tell the system how to combine the requested terms. Parentheses can be used to nest parts of complex searches. Finally, index codes can be used to restrict searching of a word or phrase to certain fields in the catalog record. There are index codes for name, title, series, annotation, content descriptors (tag lines), publication, book number, etc. There is a link to the index codes on every help page and on the examples at the bottom of the Basic Search page. The Boolean operators and index codes will not work in other types of searches. As an example of the versatility of the Command Keyword search, consider a search for all works by Eric Kraft, where it is not certain whether the first name is Erik or Eric or the last name is Craft or Kraft. The works should contain no descriptions of violence or strong language; the word juvenile must not appear in the subject heading, but the word clam should be present in the annotation. The Command Keyword search entry then would read: (nkey "kraft eri?" or nkey "craft eri?") not (k521 violence or k521 language or ksub juvenile) and k520 clam. A quick limit can be added for format. Admittedly these index codes are not terribly intuitive (readers who can remember them would probably not forget how to spell Eric Kraft) but there is a link to a list of the index codes further down among the search examples on the Basic Search page just in case. Quick Limits produces a drop-down list of options for refining the search. Restrictions include recent (one-or two-year-old) books, NLS books, NLS and locally produced network books, NLS Braille books, NLS audio books, or Web- Braille books. Limits do not work with Name, Subject, and Book Number Index searches. This is a good option for a complicated search when the Command Keyword search seems unnecessarily intricate. The list of Quick Limits may change as more is learned about user preferences. The Set Search Limits button brings up a screen for Limits, it offers more options for limiting searches by combinations of holding library (location), year of production, format, and language. These limits do not work with Name, Subject, and Book Number Index searches. Guided Search. In addition to the Basic Search page, there is a Guided Search page. The search pages are linked to each other. The Guided Search is a variant of the Command Keyword, but employs drop-down menus and radio buttons to guide users through the selection of Boolean operators and indexes. While this makes it easier to use, selecting options with the mouse slows down the process. The Quick Limits drop-down list is not available from this screen. Record displays Title Index searches produce a titles list for records matching the search criteria. However Name, Subject, and Book Number Index searches produce a headings list. Selecting a heading from that list will in turn produce a titles list. The titles list contains a drop-down box allowing the reader to re-sort the records by name, title, or date produced (many older records and in-process records do not contain dates and will always appear after the oldest dated records on a descending-date sort). Each record will have a check box to select records for printing or outputting by search term, author, title, and date on the first line and the holding agency or location and book number (if any) on the second line. The title is linked to the Brief Record display. At the bottom of the page is a table for printing, e- mailing, and downloading records. The print option produces a plain text file to print or save to a PC disk drive. Records may also be sent to an e-mail address. One may elect to either print, download, or e-mail selected records or every record on the page. Finally, records may be saved in the MARC21 Communications format if they are to be copied to another MARC system. The following record displays allow the use of the print/save/e-mail table for individual records. One may also move back and forth between records using the same display, or move to different display types. Brief Record Display. This is the default display. It shows the holding agency or NLS location, format, book number, main author, title, series, reissue information, annotation, in-process stage, and, for Web-Braille, a link to the document itself. The name and series fields are highlighted because they are "search redirects," which means that if they are clicked, the system will perform a name or title search, respectively. Subject/Contents Display. This display contains a contents note, if available, plus subject information such as the Dewey decimal number and subject headings. The subject headings are also search redirects. One may move back and forth among the records or select one of the other displays. Full Record Display. This display contains everything in the catalog record (except for some coded fields). MARC Tags Display. This display contains everything in the catalog record displayed with MARC tags and subfield codes. Other features of Voyager Because it is an integrated system, records will no longer need to be exported from a bibliographic database to the online public catalog, so updates are instantaneous. Voyager also integrates name and subject authority records into their respective index searches, creating a flexible structure of cross references in the catalog. Voyager also has a reporting module for the production of reports and exports on the catalog. It is expected that one practical application of this will be monthly downloads of new and revised MARC records that will be made available to network libraries for updating their local systems. This will upgrade the current bibliographic download program in several ways: Information will be more complete than in the past, since the records are exported from a common comprehensive database and not from an autonomous system. Names and subjects will be more uniform because they will be under comprehensive authority control. Records may be captured and distributed at several points in the production cycle: when book numbers are assigned, when the book is completed, or whenever records are subsequently upgraded. Magazines Wanted Gloria Broderick, is looking for back issues of the Magazine of the Month on cassettes, and Access World for January-Febrary, and March-April, 2003, and issues of Our Special covering 1998-2002. If you have any of these materials, please contact her at 613 East ORange Grove Blvd., Apt. 2, Pasadena, CA 91104 gloria@pmpmail.com. PBS DVD’s Available Mary Watkins at WGBH announces new PBS DVD’s available now. These titles have not previously been released on VHS, nor does it appear from her information that they will be. Unfortunately, they do not include talking menus. For information on titles and prices, visit www.wgbh.org, or contact: Mary Watkins Outreach Director Media Access Group at WGBH mary_watkins@wgbh.org http://access.wgbh.org 125 Western Avenue Boston, MA 02134 617 300-3700 v/fax 617 300-2489 TTY Talking Book Sleep Switch Submitted by Pat Price Have you ever fallen asleep while reading a Talking Book on cassette? If so, you’ve probably experienced the “joy” of trying to find your place by rewinding the tape until you hear a part you remember reading. This is a time-consuming task at best and often leads to frustration. The good news is that there is a way to avoid this. The Talking Book Marker, invented by Jim Daily, a talking book reader from Montana. He enjoyed reading his books in bed but often fell asleep. The marker is a hand-held switch which can be plugged into the Remote (REM) jack located at the opposite end of the headphone jack on your cassette player. The very light-weight pressure on the switch starts the machine. As long as you are awake, your grip keeps the cassette playing. But should you fall asleep, your pressure on the switch loosens and the player stops. This simple but very useful device may be purchased from any of the following sources: Jim Daily, 835 Emma Street Butte, MT 59750 Price: $15.95 Maxi-Aids 800-522-6294 Item#: 3026103 Cost: $12.99 Independent Living Aids 800-537-2118 Item: 757804 Price: $19.95 Bookport Submitted by Pat Price (From Vision Enhancement Vol. 8 No. 2, 2003) The new Book Port, a flexible book reading device from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) makes it possible to read computer text, web content and digital audio anywhere and at any time. It consists of a small, portable unit with a keypad and earphones, plus accompanying software. Since it features both text-to-speech capabilities and digital audio support, you may read electronic files (with synthetic speech) or digital recorded books (with human speech). It contains state-of-the-art hardware such as a universal serial bus (USB) connector and a Compact Flash card slot for removable mass storage. Book Port also acts as a recorder, letting you take audio notes on the material you read. With the included software and cable lets you use your PC to transfer material to the unit, disconnect it and take it anywhere to read on the go. In addition to the thousands of public domain electronic books free over the Internet, Web Braille from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), as well as the recent electronic books available for purchase over the Internet, such as bookshare.org,, if you have a scanner and optical character recognition (OCR) software, you can scan your own books or other material, load them onto Book Port, then read them anywhere. To summarize, Book Port users will be able to: • Read DAISY Digital Talking Books, • Read contracted Braille in Braille Ready files, • Play MP3s in stereo • Send web pages directly to Book Port from Internet Explorer • Record audio memos • Navigate among files or within a book • Navigate by letter, word, sentence, paragraph, page, or section items (for audio files. Book Port navigates by finding pauses in narration) • Control pitch, speed, and volume of speech • Choose synthetic speech voices • Hear the file name, size, current position (as a percentage), page number, and the last modified date • Add text to the search memory, then find every occurrence of that text in the file • Delete files or lock to prevent deletion • Set Sleep timer to turn unit off after a set amount of time • Lock keys so you can put it in your pocket or purse Requirements to Run Software: • Windows ME or higher • 64 MB of RAM • 15 Megs of Hard Drive Space to Install Software • Pentium 166 MHz or Faster Processor • CD-ROM Drive Includes: • Book Port unit with built-in keypad, earphone/bud jack, and microphone • Earbuds • One Compact Flash card • USB cable for connecting • CD-ROM with Book Port software, electronic manual, and over 1700 e-books • Two AA batteries • 90-day limited warranty Note: Additional Compact Flash cards are available from any computer or electronics dealer. Price: $395 Contact: APH, PO Box 6085, Louisville, KY 40206-0085. V: 800-223-1839. V: 502-895-2405. E-Mail: info@aph.org. Web: www.aph.org . Library Users of America Officers & Board 2003-2004 President: Sharon Strzalkowski 127 June Street - #3 Worcester, MA 01602 (H) 508-363-3866 strzal@charter.net Vice-President: Paul Edwards 20330 NE 20th Court Miami, FL 33179 (H) 305-692-9206 pedwards@mdcc.edu Secretary: Rachel Ames 898 S Hill Ave Fayetteville, AR 72701 (H) 479-521-9676 silverbd1@aol.com Treasurer: Patricia."Pat" Price 5707 Brockton Drive - No. 302 Indianapolis, IN 46220-5481 (H) 317-254-1185 (F) 317-251-6588 pprice@indy.rr.com Immediate Past President: Winifred Downing 1587 - 38th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122 (H) 415-564-5798 wmdowning@mindspring.com DIRECTORS Michael Garrett 4427 Knottynold Houston, TX 77053 (H) 713-433-4911 megarrett@ev1.net: Earlene Hughes 203 Montefiore St - #301 Lafayette, IN 47905 earlene.hughes7@verizon.net Barry Levine Functional Therapy & Rehabilitation, P.C. 14301 Golden Oak Drive Homer Glen, IL 60441 (H) 708.645.7700 barry@functionaltherapy.net Jill O'Connell 279 Church Lane Carlotta, CA 95528-9715 (H) 707-768-3254 jillocon7@northcoast.com> John Taylor 2012 - 40th Place Des Moines, IA 50310 (H) 515-279-2817 teriretir@aol.com Newsletter Editor Tom Mitchell 978 W 1200 South Woods Cross, UT 84087-2007 801.299.1060 tommit@50.com Webmaster: Pat Price Membership Inquiries to Pat Price at info@visionww.org --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: jcsheehan@comcast.net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrBzv.bWgGtD.amNzaGVl Or send an email to: LibraryUsers-unsubscribe@topica.com TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. 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