TBC Closed Monday

The Talking Book Center will be closed Monday, May 31 in honor of Memorial Day. You may leave any book requests on our voicemail at 1-800-531-2063 or email them to us at talkingbooks@athenslibrary.org. We will complete all requests on Tuesday.

Digital Machines

We have many digital Talking Book players on the shelf! If you are a TBC patron and would like to use the digital player, please let us know by calling 1-800-531-2063.

DB/RC Confusion

You may have noticed a change in your "Talking Book Topics" catalog. Beginning with the November/December issue, the catalog began listing titles for digital books as well as cassettes.

At this time, every book produced by the NLS program is available in cassette ("RC"). Many books are also available in digital format ("DB"). When you see a book listed as a "DB/RC", that means you can choose either format of that title. Books listed as only "RC"s are only available in cassette form.

A reminder to all our digital book patrons - keep your cassette player! Our digital book collection is growing, but we still have many more cassettes (currently 2,000 digital titles vs. 65,000 cassette titles). You may request a book that is only available in cassette format, so it will be important to have your cassette player. If you receive a magazine subscription, you will need your cassette player to listen to it as well. Magazines are not expected to be produced on digital cartridge in the near future, although some are available for download through BARD.

If you would like to receive a digital player, please call the Talking Book Center at 1-800-531-2063.

Class for Disabled Voters

This article came from the May 19, 2010 edition of the Athens Banner-Herald:

Voter class aimed at disabled people

By Staff Reports - Athens Banner-Herald

Published Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Friday is the deadline to enroll in a voter training class designed specifically for people with disabilities.

The class, sponsored by People First of Athens and the Georgia Advocacy Office, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 5 at the University of Georgia Institute on Human Development and Disability, 850 College Station Road.

The class is free and lunch will be provided. RSVP by Friday by calling (706) 542-3457 or e-mailing Amanda Alford, IHDD administrative assistant, at amanda@ihdd.uga.edu.

www.onlineathens.com/stories/051910/new_641067322.shtml

Results from TBC Public Forums

Here is a press release from the Georgia Public Library Service about the Talking Book public forums. Thanks to everyone who attended the meetings! There were 240 attendees at 12 meetings - and the biggest crowd of 45 was in Athens!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GLASS MEETINGS SHOW STATEWIDE SUPPORT FOR GEORGIA'S TALKING BOOK CENTERS

The results are in from the series of 12 public meetings held around the state in the first quarter of 2010, and those people who live within an easily traveled distance of a Georgia Talking Book Center (TBC) want their center to remain as is.

Georgia Libraries for Accessible Statewide Services (GLASS) conducted the meetings to give patrons the opportunity to share suggestions for service improvements. The goal is to provide more efficient, effective service to citizens with visual or physical disabilities that prevent the use of regular print materials.

“Those who attended our meetings were quick to point out that they enjoy the personalized service they receive from the committed and knowledgeable staff members at Georgia’s TBCs,” said Lyn Hopper, assistant state librarian for library development.

The GLASS network of 11 libraries and one outreach center serves every corner of the state, offering a variety of programs and support services, including the distribution of Braille and audio materials from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped that are circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail. GLASS network members are strategically located throughout the state, and the network maintains affiliations with each of the state’s nearly 390 public libraries.

“People who live farther away from a center may not get the same browsing opportunities as those who do live near a TBC,” Hopper said, “and mail service from the Atlanta and North Georgia centers to patrons in South Georgia seems much slower than to and within the northern half of the state. So we clearly have work to do to solve these and other issues. But because of the overwhelming need and support for this service, there will be no changes to the GLASS network in fiscal year 2011.”

GLASS Director Stella Cone said that duplication of and within collections needs to be reduced, and that TBC staff members often must spend too much of their time processing mail. “The time spent on mail clearly would be better spent providing personal service to patrons,” she said. “If there’s anything we have learned from these meetings, it’s that the personal touch from a trusted readers‘ adviser is among the most important aspects of what the GLASS network provides.

“Many patrons like being able to visit their accessible library, but they are also happy with service by phone, as long as they have a toll-free number and a consistent and trusted person to help them.”

Cone noted that GLASS patrons and staff who attended the meetings were nearly unanimous in voicing their belief that outreach services should be as localized as possible — ideally in every county or in small, multicounty areas.

“Library systems that don’t currently host TBCs would need staff and staff training for this, and that may not be possible in the current economy,” she said, “so we will be looking at ways to provide a more balanced distribution of service, raise awareness in the areas where no local TBC exists, and better integrate patrons into our services through regular libraries. Mail distribution can be handled anywhere, as long as delivery times are fast.”

Hopper indicated that other opportunities for improving GLASS service include developing Friends groups for the GLASS outlets, partnering with other service organizations, and using current TBC staff — as well as interested patrons — to help train public library staff in the initial sign-up and delivery phases of GLASS service.

The planning team will continue to gather additional data and will meet again this summer to determine and refine the most effective methods for providing statewide services. Information of particular interest to the team includes:
* an examination of the effectiveness and efficiency of the outreach center model (currently used by the LaFayette outreach center and Rome’s Northwest Georgia Talking Book Library);
* a cost study comparing a centralized mailing service to the current model;
* use statistics by county to compare levels of service throughout the state; and
* an online survey and possibly more public meetings to gather input from patrons who live in counties without a local library for accessible services.

A short, online survey about Georgia’s TBCs and the services they provide is now available at www.georgialibraries.org/glass/. GLASS encourages all users of the service, affiliated service providers, and library staff — especially those in communities where no TBC is located — to complete the survey by May 31.

###


For more information, contact:
David Baker
Director, Communications
Georgia Public Library Service
1800 Century Place, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345
404.235.7131 phone
404.235.7201 fax
dbaker@georgialibraries.org

Parents with Disabilities

Have you ever thought about how your day-to-day activities would be impacted if you were disabled? What about being a parent? CNN recently ran an article featuring parents with disabilities - how they cope, and how it makes a stronger bond with their children. You can read the article at:

www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/21/parents.disabilities/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Talking Book Survey

If you have not yet taken the survey at www.georgialibraries.org/glass, please take a minute to do so now. This is your opportunity to give your opinion on how Talking Book Centers should be operated in the future. The survey will only be available until May 31!

Augusta TBC

The Augusta Talking Book Center will be working in a limited capacity from May 1 - June 25 as they move into a new building. Patrons may call and order books, but TBC staff has requested patrons do not try to visit the library during the move. If you are an Augusta TBC patron, you can contact them at (706) 821-2625.

Patrons Can Now Receive More Digital Books

If you are a Talking Books patron using digital books, we would like you to know you can now check out up to 10 digital books at one time. Our collection is growing rapidly and we now have about 2,000 digital books. If you would like to raise the number of books you are receiving, please give us a call at 1-800-531-2063.

We also have extra digital players, so if you would like to use a digital player in addition to (or in place of) your cassette player, just let us know!

"At The Libraries" blog

Mental Floss, an online magazine full of interesting facts and trivia, has started a weekly blog called "At The Libraries". The blog has links to different articles about libraries and happenings at local libraries. Read the first two posts at

www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/53559

www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/54263


and don't miss the Library Value Calculator! See how much money your library saves you!

www.ilovelibraries.org/getinformed/getinvolved/calculator.cfm