The original item was published from September 24, 2018 12:38 PM to September 25, 2018 8:33 AM
Kansas Talking Books News Update – Fall 2018
From the Director’s Desk
Hello! Summer was busy around these parts and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Look for Maggie, Cathy, Melissa, Mary, Richard, and myself at health fairs, conferences, senior fairs, and all sorts of events throughout your area in the coming months.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Summer Reading program. Congratulations to our weekly prize winners and our two Grand Prize winners . Enjoy your gift cards. Huge thanks to our Advisory Council for providing the prizes, their financial support makes this all possible.
As the weather cools off, the days become shorter, and you find yourself inside reading more and more, please remember that we can increase the number of books you receive. Contact a Reader Advisor if you need to change the number or type of books you are receiving.
Read on!
–Michael Lang, Director
Phone-In Book Club
The holiday season is approaching quick and we know how busy everyone gets. But we hope you’ll take a break from the hustle and bustle, and join us for the second phone-in book club on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018, featuring The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer DB 67526, now a Netflix movie.
Annotation: London, 1946. Writer Juliet Ashton corresponds with Dawsey Adams and other members of a literary society created as a front during the Nazi occupation of the British channel island Guernsey. Through letters, Juliet learns about their wartime experiences. Intrigued, Juliet sails to Guernsey, where she finds new inspiration. Bestseller. 2008.
The discussions will be held at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (noon). If you would like to participate or have any questions, call the office at 1-800-362-0699, or email us at KTB@ks.gov. Be sure to let us know which time you prefer. The book will be mailed to all participants one month in advance. We will call the day before the discussion with a reminder about the book club call.
We look forward to having you join us for an entertaining discussion.
In Search of BARD Testimonials
Are you a BARD user? Don’t you just love it? Will you help us spread the word? If you answered yes to these three questions, call or email us and let us know how you feel about BARD.
The Great American Read
“The Great American Read is an eight-part PBS series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels as chosen in a national survey.” If you’ve been paying attention and want to be more involved, head over to our list of audiobooks available on BARD.
There are five episodes left.
"Heroes" (Premieres Tuesday, September 25, 2018 8/7c)
"Villains and Monsters" (Premieres Tuesday, October 2, 2018 8/7c)
“What We Do For Love” (Premieres Tuesday, October 9, 2018 8/7c)
“Other Worlds” (Premieres Tuesday, October 16, 2018 8/7c)
"Grand Finale" (Premieres Tuesday, October 23, 2018 8/7c)
Check your local listings for details.
WebOPAC Users, We Want You!
Kansas Talking Books is in the process of updating our WebOPAC, the online library catalog. By the time this newsletter reaches you we should have a test site up and running. If you currently use the WebOPAC for book searches, requests, and/or placing holds, we would like your input. Call or email us to learn how you can help.
Audio-Reader Update
We have had a few questions about the future of the Audio-Reader program after KU’s announcement that they will be gradually defunding the radio reading service. The following is a message from Audio-Reader Development Director, Beth McKenzie.
“For 47 years, the University of Kansas has supported Audio-Reader through an annual appropriation. Due to budget constraints, the university will gradually decrease its annual support during the next three fiscal years and cease support entirely by the fourth year. In the immediate, programs and services will be maintained at the current level. We will continue to work diligently to deliver content and information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through our live radio broadcast, online streams, Telephone Reader service, Special Request program and Audio Description.
Audio-Reader will provide clear and timely communication of any planned program changes with our listeners, supporters and key constituents. We will continue to serve blind, visually impaired, and print-disabled people of Kansas, Missouri, and across the US to the best of our abilities, within our new funding structure.
The most significant way you can help is to become a donor. Information about one-time giving or our monthly sustainer program can be found at https://reader.ku.edu/budget.
We at Audio-Reader remain dedicated to serving our listeners, and with support from volunteers, donors, and the community, we will work to ensure our services continue long into the future.”
News from NLS
2018 NLS National Conference Recap
F.A.R. -- Future Access Reimagined.
The future was at the forefront of every session at the NLS 2018 National Conference of Librarians Serving the Blind & Physically Handicapped (LBPH); from small changes that will streamline book production and ordering for staff to long range goals that will transform the way our patrons access materials.
The days of one book on each audio cartridge are numbered; multi-book cartridges are already the norm in some libraries and new software will make this process available to us soon.
The potential for the next generation player is, at this point, endless. Pilot projects in wireless audiobook delivery are underway and will help shape the next gen player. The NLS Engineering Division is exploring voice controls, audio streaming, on demand delivery, and a variety of other options. The ultimate goal is to remain relevant as technology advances, while still serving a very specific population with a very wide range of technical proficiency across the entire country.
A new pilot project for e-braille readers is about to launch across the LBPH network. A small user test has been completed in Massachusetts and patrons responded positively to their experiences. Hopefully, we will soon be able to get an e-braille reader into the hands of any patron who wants one.
-Michael Lang
Service Spotlight: Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
Beach Museum of Art
October 20, 2018, 2-3:30 p.m.
October is Blindness and Visual Impairment Awareness month and the Beach Museum of Art is offering visitors a chance to smell, hear, taste, and feel some of the art on display in the galleries from 2:00-3:30 p.m. on October 20th.
The tour includes a Sensory Station focused on the Silk Road, part of the Museum’s Silk Road Through Kansas programming series. Participants can feel and smell some of the items that were traded along the Silk Road, including cinnamon and cloves, silk items, porcelain, and jade.
Several stations in the galleries will include verbal visual descriptions, special magnifying devices, and touchables to allow visitors to experience art works with all their senses. Guests can also learn more about art making processes in the UMB Theatre, including printmaking techniques used by featured artist Norma Bassett Hall and Sumi painting.
Featured special exhibitions:
• Chipping the Block, Painting the Silk: The Prints of Norma Bassett Hall
• Culture Mismaster Zhang Hongtu
• Picturing Kansas
Everyone is invited to this event. It’s a great chance to use all your senses to experience the featured exhibitions.
Free admission and parking, 14th & Anderson, Manhattan, KS
785.532.7718 | beach.k-state.edu
Readers’ Advisor Recommends: YA for Adults
Young adult books are not just for teens. Filled with heartaches, triumphs, magic, friendships, fantasy, action and more, these books are entertaining for adults of any age. So if you find yourself looking for your next read, or are feeling young at heart, try one (or more, LOL) of these exciting Young Adult novels.
DBC05142 – Wide Open by Larry Bjornson
Abilene, 1871. Will Merritt is fiercely protective of the cattle trade that made his father's fortune. Idolizing cowboys, Will and his friends are drawn to Abilene's exotic Texastown district--a powder keg of saloons and brothels so notorious that the mayor has hired Wild Bill Hickok to police it. Still, Abilene boils with deep divisions between cattlemen and farmers. Then Will's father reveals a secret that challenges Abilene's future and makes the Merritts outcasts. Award winner. Contains some strong language and some violence.
DB 74112 – The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene
A miracle drug may have given sixteen-year-old cancer patient Hazel a few more years, but she is still depressed. Then Hazel meets cute Augustus during a support-group meeting and her world shifts in unexpected and inspiring ways. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. Commercial audiobook. 2012.
DB 62431 – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Death narrates the tale of nine-year-old Liesel from 1939 to 1943 in Nazi Germany. Liesel copes with a foster family, air raids, her friend Rudy, and a hidden Jew, sustained by the books she steals. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2006.
DB 76406 – Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
1986. After socially painful circumstances toss Eleanor and Park together, they form an unlikely--and extraordinary--romance. Although the two sixteen-year-olds know that the odds of remaining together forever are slim, they find the courage to try. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2013.
DB 65403 – The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Spokane Indian Reservation. Fourteen-year-old Junior--beset with physical problems caused by brain damage--transfers to an all-white town school. Called a traitor by his best friend and Tonto by his new classmates, Junior uses humor and wit to bridge the cultural divide. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2007.
DB 67159 – City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Fifteen-year-old Clary witnesses Jace, Alec, and Isabelle attacking a punk rocker in a Manhattan nightclub. She discovers that the three teens are Shadowhunters, warriors who kill demons. After her mother disappears, Shadowhunters take Clary in, and she learns her family history. Some violence. For senior high readers. 2007.
DB 73203 – Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, society is divided into five factions. During the Choosing Ceremony, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must pick her lifelong faction. But Beatrice discovers she is an anomaly--a divergent--who does not fit anywhere. Some violence and some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2011.
DB 87441 – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
When sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses the fatal shooting by a police officer of her childhood best friend, Khalil, she is afraid to speak out. But remaining quiet and safe is difficult with rising tensions between the police and the community. Violence and strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2017
DB 67938 – Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with an extreme and often-feared skill, Katsa struggles with hers--the "grace" of killing. When she first encounters Prince Po, whose grace is incompatible with hers, she doesn't foresee the bond that will form between them. Some violence. For senior high readers. 2008.
Recent Locally Produced Books: Notable Non-Fiction
Adult Non-Fiction
DBC02499 – 140 Years of Soul: A history of African-Americans in Manhattan, Kansas 1865-2005 by Geraldine Baker Walton.
Kansas became a state in 1861. Manhattan was founded in 1855, and African-Americans have lived in Manhattan since 1865. One of the original nine Black citizens was J. Henry, a ten-year-old boy from Missouri. We don't even know his first name. He was just an entry in the census records. And so the story begins.
DBC08730 – Harvey Houses of Kansas: Historic Hospitality from Topeka to Syracuse by Rosa Walston Latimer.
Fred Harvey's iconic Harvey House was the first to set the standard for fine dining and hospitality across the rugged Southwest. In 1876, the first of Harvey's depot restaurants opened in Topeka, followed just a few years later by the first combination hotel and restaurant in Florence. Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls introduced good food and manners to the land of Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and raucous cattle drives.
Juvenile Non-Fiction
DBC05152 – Temple Grandin: How the Girl who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery.
An authorized portrait about Grandin's life with autism and her groundbreaking work as a scientist and designer of cruelty-free livestock facilities describes how she overcame key disabilities through education and the support of her mother. For grades 5-8.
DBC08689 – Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange.
Examines the life of Martin Luther King's wife, Coretta, who in her own right, was a civil rights pioneer who experienced the injustices of the segregated South and who continued her husband's mission after his assassination. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14922 – How to Survive as a Firefly by Kristen Foote.
Provides a unique take on insect science that will entertain and educate. If you've ever wondered how these fascinating beetles grow and glow, and you like to laugh while you learn, this book is for you! For grades K-3.
DBC14930 – How to Survive as a Shark by Kristen Foote.
Provides a unique take on fish science that will entertain and educate. If you've ever wondered how to think and swim like a shark, and you like to laugh while you learn, this book is for you. For grades K-3.
DBC14944 – Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter.
A tribute to the life of the iconic jazz entertainer Josephine Baker. Depicts her disadvantaged youth in a segregated America, her unique performance talents, and the irrepressible sense of style that helped her overcome racial barriers. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14952 – Baby Penguin by Aubrey Lang
The story of growing king penguin chicks and their life in the colony. For grades K-3.
DBC14956 – Lots of Grandparents by Shelley Rotner and Shelia Kelly.
Celebrates the many types of grandparents and their special bond with their grandchildren. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14942 – La Bella Durmiente : Mis Primeras Lecturas by Gaby Goldsack. Una princesa bella duerme muchos años debido a un hechizo. Solo un príncipe valiente la puede despertar. For preschool-grade 2. Spanish Language.
DBC14957 – Lots of Spots by Lois Ehlert.
A collection of poems about animal camouflage and adornment. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14958 – Moon Bear by Brenda Z. Guiderson.
Moon bears, or Asiatic black bears, get their name from the white moon-shaped blaze on their chests. Sadly, there are more moon bears in captivity than in the wild, as the animals are being farmed for their commercially valuable bile. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14960 – Polar Bears by Mark Newman.
Introduces polar bears, describing their physical characteristics, eating habits, hunting behavior, and the threats they face from people and global warming. For grades K-3.
DBC14967 – That is My Dream by Langston Hughes and Daniel Miyares.
An African-American boy faces the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice, but he dreams of a different life--one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun. For grades K-3. 2018 Kansas Notable Book
BONUS: New Halloween Books for Kids
DBC08684 – Haunted Party by Iza Trapani
In this counting book that introduces the numbers from one to ten, a ghost and his supernatural friends have a party on Halloween night. For preschool - grade 2.
DBC08685 – Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin.
Farmer Brown does not like Halloween, but the animals hold a Halloween party in his barn. For preschool-grade 2.
Upcoming State and Postal Holidays
Monday, October 8th – Postal Holiday, No Mail (Columbus Day)
Monday, November 12th – Talking Books Office Closed (Veterans Day)
Thursday, November 22nd – Talking Books Office Closed (Thanksgiving)
Friday, November 23rd – Talking Books Office Closed (Thanksgiving)
Monday, December 24th – Talking Books Office Closed (Christmas)
Tuesday, December 25th – Talking Books Office Closed (Christmas)
Contact Information for Kansas Talking Books
Mailing Address:
1 Kellogg Circle, Box 4055
Emporia, KS 66801
Phone:
1-800-362-0699 (Toll-free In State Only)
620-341-6280
Email:
KTB@ks.gov
Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
kslib.info/talking
Our Blog: https://kslib.info/talkingbooks
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kansas.talking.books.service
On Twitter : @KSTalkingBooks