Indiana Insights
Maggie Ansty, Editor
317-232-3684 or 1-800-622-4970
e-mail: lbph@library.in.gov
Volume XXXV No. 2
Spring 2012
Dream Big...READ this Summer!
We will once again be holding a summer reading program for patrons from the ages of 5-18. The benefits of participating in a summer reading program go beyond the fun prizes; children who read regularly during the summer are shown to perform better on reading comprehension tests when returning to school than peers who do not read during the summer.
There are two themes for this year’s program; the theme for the children’s program is “Dream big…READ!” while the theme for the teen program is “Own the Night”. Reading lists for Braille, Large Print, and Digital materials will be provided to get participants started, but any book borrowed from the library and read during the summer will count towards your reading total. Prizes will be distributed at the end of the program, once all borrowed summer reading materials are returned to the library. Eligible readers will receive application information in the upcoming weeks.
Mark your Calendar for the 2012 Vision Expo
The 2012 Indiana Vision Expo will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Indiana State Library. For over six years the Indiana Vision Expo has provided an opportunity for people with vision loss, their friends, families, and service providers to learn about the resources available that help promote independent living. It is also a great opportunity to meet the Talking Book staff as well as fellow Talking Book patrons.
Vendors returning for this year’s Vision Expo include the American Printing House for the Blind, Bosma Enterprises, Humanware, the Hadley School for the Blind, and Seedlings Braille Books for Children. There are also several new vendors participating in this year’s Vision Expo.
People planning on attending this year’s Expo are encouraged to also participate in the Indiana Vision Walk, which will once again be held prior to the start of the Expo outside of the library. More information on the 2012 Vision Walk can be found at www.fightblindness.org/indianapolisvisionwalk.
Each Vision Expo since 2006 has been more successful than the last; please help us continue that trend this year! Check out www.indianavisionexpo.org for more information, including a full list of participating vendors, as it becomes available.
Greetings from the Editor
It is my pleasure to be the new editor of Indiana Insights as well as the new Regional Librarian for the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library, taking over the job previously held by Autumn Gonzalez. While I am new to this particular job, I have been with Talking Books since the summer of 2010. When I started working here, I was primarily taking care of the library’s daily circulation, which is a very important job. On a typical day we can send out as many as 1600 books and receive just as many back from our patrons, so it always kept me busy! I was also always happy to help out in other areas of Talking Books as I was needed.
In October, when Carole Rose retired, I took over a lot of her duties and in February was named the new Regional Librarian. I have had the chance to talk to quite a few patrons on the phone already and look forward to continuing to speak with and meet you all in the upcoming months, especially at the Vision Expo in September.
We are lucky to have such a great, helpful staff here in Talking Books who have made the recent staff changes as smooth as possible!
New Catalog of Large Print Books Available
For patrons receiving large print books, a new catalog is available. The catalog contains a list of large print books added to our collection in the past year; it includes many mysteries, westerns, romances, and bestsellers. To borrow a copy of this catalog, please call the library and make your request.
New from Indiana Voices
The Indiana Voices program records books and magazines about Indiana or by Indiana authors so that they may be enjoyed by Talking Book Patrons. The narration and proof reading of these books is done entirely by a fantastic group of volunteers. There are over 50 titles currently available in the Indiana Voices collection. We encourage all patrons to sign up for the Indiana Voices program to receive these books. Here are a few of the newest offerings:
Proper Suda (IDB00054) by Mike Whicker
From the Author of Invitation to Valhalla (IDB00001), Proper Suda is the story of Suda Mae Jackson, a teenage girl from England living in Southern Indiana in the 1920s. Suda enjoys a normal teenage life until she finds herself in a conflict with the leader of the local Ku Klux Klan. Eighty years later, Joe Rocker, captain of his high school football team, stumbles upon Suda’s diary and is captivated. Some missing pages leave Joe with a mystery he must solve.
True Brew: A guide to Craft Beer in Indiana (IDB00055) by Rita Kohn
During the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, Indiana craft beer brewers sat down with their friend and fellow beer aficionado Rita T. Kohn for in-depth interviews on the trials and tribulations of pursuing their passion. The result is a fascinating social history of the growth of handcrafted beer within the state.
Who Shot the Spatzies? (IDB00056) by Margaret Clem
Lifted from the pages of the author's childhood Memory Journal, this charming story sets out clearly and candidly what she witnessed during three years of the Great Depression. She also presents the joy children can find in the most unusual events.
Call the library today to request these titles or any previous offering of the Indiana Voices program.
Discover the Indiana State Library
While the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library is part of the Indiana State Library, it is just a small part of what the State Library has to offer residents of Indiana. The State Library has vast collections on Indiana and its history, historical Indiana Newspapers, State and Federal government documents, genealogy, and manuscripts, all of which are here for residents of Indiana to make use of. The building itself, built in the 1930s, is something every resident of Indiana should see and enjoy. Librarians are always available to answer reference questions in person, by phone, or on the internet.
The library also puts on free public service programs on a variety of topics throughout the month. Information about upcoming events can be found online at: http://www.in.gov/library/events.htm. Upcoming programs include:
Genealogy for Night OwlsThursday, May 3, 5:30—8:30
This free event at the Library will include a Genealogy orientation tour, “ask-an-expert”, snacks, and door prizes. People wanting to attend can register at 317-232-3689 before April 30.
Clue to Researching the 1940 CensusSaturday, May 19, 10-11 am in the History Reference Room
Learn ways in which to search the newly released 1940 census, including the use of city directories, and other finding aids. The discussion will also cover the contents of the 1940 census.
The Genealogy department also hosts orientation sessions twice a month to teach people about the resources available in the library for Genealogists and where to find them. A schedule can be found online or by calling 317-232-3689.
We hope you can stop in and make use of the other great collections and programs the library has to offer!
Digital Magazine News
It is our hope that, over the course of the year, more magazines will begin to circulate on the new digital cartridges. Unlike the magazines produced on cassettes, all magazines produced on digital cartridges will have to be returned. The loan policy on these digital magazines will be the same as the policy for the digital books; patrons may borrow materials for thirty days and may renew their materials once for an additional thirty days. The more responsible everyone is with returning these digital cartridges, the more magazines we will be able to produce in this format for everyone to enjoy.
Smithsonian, a magazine currently circulated by the library in cassette format, is now available to download from BARD. If you currently have a subscription to Smithsonian and would prefer to download it, please let the library know. Be sure to check BARD regularly for any new magazines that may become available to download.
NFB-Newsline
By Lee Martin, Indianapolis Chapter - National Federation of the Blind
Students, adults, and seniors of Indiana, you have easy, independent access to several Indiana newspapers as well as national publications, anywhere and at any time, with NFB-NEWSLINE®, a FREE service of the National Federation of the Blind.
Using your landline or mobile phone, you can read Indiana newspapers such as the Indiana Associated Press wire feeds, Evansville Courier Press, Indianapolis Star, Muncie Star Press, and the Northwest Indiana Hammond Times. Additionally, you can read national papers such as the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal as well as popular magazines such as Time (including Time For Kids), Wired, The New Yorker, Science News, Rolling Stone, The Economist, Vanity Fair, and Vogue.
NFB-NEWSLINE®, sponsored by the Indiana State Library, allows those who cannot read conventional newsprint due to a visual or physical disability to access over 300 publications as well as television and job listings over the telephone, on the Web, or by download to digital talking book players or MP3-playing devices.
If you would like more information about NFB-NEWSLINE®, visit http://www.nfbnewsline.org/ (where you can find our application form), write to nfbnewsline@nfb.org, or call (866) 504-7300
Spring Into a Good Book
Spring has officially arrived; shake off winter and enjoy the longer, warmer days with a good book on the front porch (or wherever your favorite reading spot may be). Here are some selections to keep you busy this season.
Who Do You Love: Stories by Jean Thompson (DB69435)A National Book Award finalist, this collection of short stories depicts ordinary people and their basic need for love. With wisdom and sympathy, she writes of their inarticulate longings for communion and grace. Yet even the saddest situations are imbued with Thompson’s characteristic humor and a wry glimmer of hope.
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells (DB69559)In the small river town of La Luna, Louisiana, Calla Lily Ponder bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower for which she is named. When heartbreak hits, Calla leaves the familiarity of her hometown and heads downriver to the untamed city of New Orleans, where her destiny further unfolds. This is the story of a pink-collar heroine whose willingness to remain vulnerable in the face of adversity opens our own hearts to the possibility of love growing from sorrow.
Murder at the Academy Awards by Joan Rivers (DB69590)
On Oscar night, Maxine “Max” Taylor and her daughter, Drew, are on the red carpet interviewing celebrities. During Max's interview with 19-year-old Halsey Hamilton, a best actress nominee, Halsey drops dead. Did she overdose or was she poisoned? The actress had just left Wonders, a posh rehab facility in Pasadena. Whirling into sleuthing mode, Max seeks answers at Wonders, where she signs in as a Sweet'N Low addict.
Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly (DB71741)
Apologize, Apologize! takes us into the perversely charmed world of the Flanagans and their son, Collie (His parents named him after their favorite breed of dog.) Collie comes of age on Martha's Vineyard, trying to make sense of his wildly wealthy, hyper-articulate, resolutely crazy family members: a philandering father, incorrigible brother, pigeon-racing uncle, radical activist mother, and a domineering media mogul grandfather. As Collie searches for his place in the world, he suffers insurmountable loss and grapples for bravery as he struggles to cope with people he has no choice but to love.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (DB72814)
Set amongst the fabled “Lost Generation” which included Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, The Paris Wife brilliantly captures the voice and heart of Hadley Hemingway as she struggles with her roles as a woman—wife, lover, muse, friend, and mother—and tries to find her place in the intoxicating and tumultuous world of Paris in the twenties.
Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library Calendar
Tuesday May 8, 2012 Library Closed
Saturday May 26, 2012 Library Closed
Monday May 28, 2012 Library Closed
Wednesday July 4, 2012 Library Closed
Saturday September 1, 2012 Library Closed
Monday September 3, 2012 Library Closed
Saturday September 29, 2012 Vision Expo
Monday October 8, 2012 Library Closed
Tuesday November 6, 2012 Library Closed
Monday November 12, 2012 Library Closed
Thursday November 22, 2012 Library Closed
Friday November 23, 2012 Library Closed
Saturday November 24, 2012 Library Closed
Monday December 24, 2012 Library Closed
Tuesday December 25, 2012 Library Closed
Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library Hours
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Indiana Insights is a publication of the Talking Book and Braille Library, Indiana State Library. Indiana Insights is also available in braille or on cassette upon request. Any mention of products and services in the Indiana Insights is for information only and does not imply endorsement
Indiana Talking Book Free Matter
and Braille Library for the Blind
140 N Senate Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46204