TBC Open Wed - Fri

The Talking Book Center is open normal business hours today, tomorrow, and Friday. We will be closed on Monday for New Year's but will reopen Tuesday morning to resume our regular hours of 9am - 6pm weekdays. Call for some new books!

Lions Club Brings Glasses to Local Recipients

The Georgia Lions Club has a nice article in this week's Athens Banner-Herald. The club has donated eye exams and glasses to over 600 local residents.

Read the article at: http://onlineathens.com/health/2011-12-19/lions-club-offers-eye-care-uninsured-and-needy.

NLS Videos

The National Library Service (NLS), which runs the Talking Book Program from the Library of Congress, is putting out videos which help explain different features of the digital Talking Book program. More videos are being added, but one very good one about the Bookshelf feature is already up. Keep checking back to this page for more updates!

http://www.youtube.com/nlsmdd

TBC Powerpoint

The Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services has put together a great Powerpoint presentation about Talking Books Services. Check it out!


www.swgrl.org/Presentation.pdf

Terry Kay Book Signing

Local author Terry Kay will be signing his new books this Sunday from 1-3pm at the Athens Barnes & Noble store on Atlanta Highway. Stop by and pick up some books for Christmas gifts! Reading is ALWAYS in season!

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2011-12-14/kay-plans-book-signing-sunday

Holiday Closings

The Talking Book Center will be closed the following days:


Friday, December 23
Monday, December 26
Tuesday, December 27
Monday, January 2


Call now and get books for the holidays! And remember that BARD is open 24/7 for you to download books. If you have questions about BARD or need help getting started, call us at 1-800-531-2063.

Sources for NLS Cartridges

If you are a BARD user, you have two options for storing your digital Talking Books. You can use a standard flash drive or you can order a cartridge like the ones NLS provides. Here are some places you can purchase customized cartridges:



(Taken from: http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html. Visit the link for the most up-to-date information).




American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH)


1839 Frankfort Avenue


P.O. Box 6085


Louisville, KY 40206-0085


(502) 895-2405


800-223-1839 (Toll-free customer service in the U.S. and Canada)


http://www.aph.org/


Contact: Customer Servicemailto:Servicecs@aph.org









Howell Mobility Products


717 Louis Avenue


Royal Oak, MI 48067-4603


(248) 548-1788


(248) 548-1788 Fax (call first)


http://www.howellmobility.com/ canes@howellmobility.com









National Federation of the Blind


Independence Market


200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place


Baltimore, Maryland 21230


http://www.nfb.org/


(410) 659-9314, extension 2216


(410) 685-2340 Fax


IndependenceMarket@nfb.org









Perkins Products


175 North Beacon St


Watertown, MA 02472


(617) 972 7308


(617) 926 2027 (fax)


http://www.perkinsproducts.org/, Talking Book Accessories section


adaptivetech@perkins.org









Twin Ports Low Vision Center


Duluth Lighthouse for the Blind


4505 W. Superior Street


Duluth, MN 55807


(218) 624-4828 Ext. 119


(800) 422-0833 (toll free)


(218) 624-4479 Fax


http://www.lighthousefortheblind-duluth.org/lvstore/









Vistas


Braille Institute


741 North Vermont Avenue


Los Angeles, CA 90029


(323) 663-1111, Ext. 1245


(323) 663-0867 Fax


http://www.brailleinstitute.org/

New Lens is Implanted in the Eye

A new corrective procedure for failing eyesight is available, called Visian. This implantable lens is surgically implanted under the cornea, rather than worn on top like traditional contact lenses.



The procedure can be quite expensive, typically running about $10,000 or more. To read more about this, please visit CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/22/health/implanted-lens-procedure-nearsightedness/index.html?hpt=hp_bn10.

2012 NFB Writing Contest

An email from NFB about the annual writing contest:

2012 NFB Writing Contest

The annual youth and adult writing contests sponsored by the Writers Division of the NFB will open January 1st and will close April 1st.

Adult contests, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and stories for youth are open
to all entrants eighteen years and over.

The Youth Writing Contest, poetry and fiction, are to promote Braille literacy and excellence in creative writing. Entries will be judged on creativity and quality of Braille. The age groups for these authors is divided into grade levels: Elementary, Middle and High School.

Prizes for contest winners range up to $100 for adult categories and up to $30 for youth categories. All contest winners will be announced at the Writers Division business meeting during the NFB national convention to be held in Dallas, Texas, the first week of July, 2012. In addition, shortly after convention, a list of winners will appear on the Writers Division Website, www.nfb-writers-division. net. First, second, and third place winners in each category will be considered for publication in the Writers Division magazine, Slate & Style. For additional contest details and
submission guidelines, go to the Writers� Division Website, www.nfb-writers-division.net

Blind Man "Sees" With His Ears

Daniel Kish, a blind resident of Maine, uses echolocoation to determine his surroundings. This involves making a clicking sound and then determining what objects are around him by the sound that bounces back.



Kish teaches other blind people how to use this skill through his non-profit organization, World Access for the Blind.



To read about this amazing ability, please visit the CNN.com story about Mr. Kish.