The original item was published from December 20, 2019 8:38 AM to December 20, 2019 12:13 PM
From the Director’s Desk
Hello Friends!
Holiday season is upon us and I hope you are able connect with family and friends over the next few weeks. We will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day to do the same.
We will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Kansas Talking Books next year, with a number of events. First up is, Kansas Talking Books Week, March 2-6. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook/Twitter for updates.
See below for more KTB updates, NLS news, and reading recommendations to get you ready for 2020.
Keep warm, keep reading, and I’ll see you next year.
–Michael Lang, Director
KTB News
Save The Date: July 15, 2020.
Mark your calendars for our 50th Anniversary Reception and Open House during the afternoon of Wednesday, July 15th at Kansas Talking Books on the Emporia State University campus. More details will be provided in the spring/summer newsletters.
Phone Book Club: March 11
Bring Your Own Book. Talk about a book you like and hear what others are reading in this low stress book sharing opportunity. Discussion sessions are at 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. (noon).
To sign up call 1-800-362-0699 or email KTB@ks.gov, and let us know which session you would like to join. On the 11th we will call you. All you have to do is answer the phone.
Digital Talking Book Machines
Digital Talking Books Machines (DTBMs) are provided free to patrons through the National Library Service. As such, patrons have a responsibility to ensure players are kept clean and in good condition. Please do not write, draw, or paint on the players.
Return machines to Kansas Talking Books when you receive a replacement player or no longer need it, to ensure that other patrons will have access to machines when they need them. Machines can be returned with Free Matter for the Blind postage designation. Resale or attempted resale of these machines is unlawful.
Braille Calendars
We have a small number of 2020 braille calendars available. If you would like one, please let us know. They will be mailed on a first come, first serve basis until they are gone.
From the State Librarian
Census Day is April 1, 2020!
Beginning in March 2020, every household in Kansas will receive a postcard with instructions to complete the 2020 Census. It can be answered online, by phone, by sending back a paper form, or by responding to a census enumerator. The census only takes about 10 minutes to complete and only asks 10 questions. Census forms will be available in 13 languages and the census guide will be available in braille, large print, American Sign Language, and non-English languages.
The Census count takes place only once every 10-years, so it is important to get the count right. Census numbers are used to distribute over $6 billion dollars in federal funds to the state of Kansas every year and every uncounted person costs the state of Kansas around $2,000 annually for at least 10-years; so an uncounted family of 5 is a loss of $100,000 over 10-years.
Those dollars help provide essential programs in our state such as WIC, School Breakfast programs, Head Start, Pell Grants, Vocational Rehabilitation services, foster care programs, and Section 8 Housing Assistance, just to name a few.
Let’s make sure the every Kansan is counted once, only once, and in the right place! For more information about the 2020 Census, visit kansascounts.org.
- Eric Norris, State Librarian of Kansas
News from NLS
Yankee Magazine
An audio edition of Yankee: New England’s Magazine is now available for download from BARD and also for subscription through the Magazine on Cartridge program.
Published bimonthly, Yankee is a trusted guide to the best of what New England has to offer. Since 1935, each issue offers an insider’s perspective on the region’s people, traditions, and lifestyle with special focus on its unique travel destinations, history, and culinary delights.
Readers’ Advisor Recommends: Looking to the Future
As we approach the year 2020, read the unique views these books from different decades offer of the coming year.
1950s
DB 16847 The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein
Annotation: Science-fiction stories about the period of imperial exploitation, from the early 1970s to the year 2020.
1970s
DB 08824 Frankenstein Unbound by Brian W. Aldiss
Annotation: In the year 2020 Joe Bodenland is suddenly transported back in time to 1816 and Geneva, Switzerland. There he meets Victor Frankenstein whose monster has escaped and killed a boy.
1990s
DB 45902 Toward the End of Time by John Updike
Annotation: In the year 2020 following a nuclear war with China, wealthy retiree Ben Turnbull chronicles a year of his New England country club life. Occupied with romantic dalliances and beset by social chaos and decay, Turnbull struggles with his own physical and spiritual decline. Strong language and descriptions of sex.
2000s
DB 63369 The Eagle’s Throne by Carlos Fuentes
Annotation: In 2020, after Mexico protests the U.S. invasion of Colombia, the Americans cut off all electronic communications within Mexico. Forced to write letters, various ambitious Mexicans vie for power under ineffectual president Lorenzo Terán, including María del Rosario Galván, her protégé Nicolás Valdivia, and other Machiavellian types. Strong language. 2002.
2010s
DB 93443 Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield
Annotation: In 1788, Alice Payne is a notorious highway robber known as the Holy Ghost. In 1889, Major Prudence Zuniga has failed seventy attempts to change history. In 2020, only something new can change the course of a war in time, and Alice Payne might be just what's needed. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Services Spotlight
Audio Description: the visual made verbal
Through the support of Audio-Reader Network, audio description of live theater is provided free of charge at the following performances in Lawrence, KS. Headsets are available for checkout in the lobby.
- Lied Center of Kansas
- The Color Purple: January 23rd at 7:30 pm
- Russian National Ballet: Don Quixote: February 16th at 2:00 pm
- Peking Acrobats: February 18th at 7:00 pm
- Beautiful: April 22 at 7:30 pm
- Theatre Lawrence
- The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): January 25th at 7:30 pm & January 26th at 2:30 pm
- Yours, Anne: March 7th at 7:30 pm & March 8th at 2:30 pm
- Silent Sky: April 25th at 7:30 pm & April 26th at 2:30 pm
- Hello Dolly!: June 20th at 7:30 pm & June 21st at 2:30 pm
Recent Kansas Produced Books
DBC17258 Magnificent Midnight’s Marvelous Memories by Tally L. Russell
Annotation: Tally was compelled to write this book to share her experiences with Therapeutic Horseback Riding. Tally had ridden horses since she was 4 years old and longed to have a horse of her own. Welcoming Midnight into her life was a dream come true for Tally. She conveys the story of the incredible 10 1/2 years she and Midnight shared together. An underlying theme of the book is the mindset of how there are infinite possibilities when one believes in oneself, and that one's greatest dreams can come true! For grades 2-4.
DBC17265 Blackbeard’s Last Fight by Eric A. Kimmel
Annotation: In 1718, off the coast of North Carolina, a young cabin boys assists in the final capture and execution of Blackbeard the pirate. For grades 2-4. Contains some violence.
DBC14998 Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski
Annotation: Four fearful chickens venture out to see the farmhouse, with humorous results. For preschool-grade 2.
DBC14984 Las 4 estaciones desde el gran árbol by Britta Teckentrup
Annotation: ¡Busca en los escondites del gran árbol y encontrarás todo un mundo lleno de vida en cada página!
DBC14978 Si yo fuera un gato by Paloma Sanchez Ibarzábal
Annotation: Si yo fuera un gato es una propuesta divertida, a modo de juego, que permite tomar conciencia de la realidad (vivencias, emociones, necesidades…) del otro con el objetivo último de entenderlo mejor.
Upcoming State and Postal Holidays
Wednesday, December 25th – Talking Books Closed & Postal Holiday (Christmas)
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 – Talking Books Closed & Postal Holiday (New Year’s Day)
Monday, January 20th, 2020 – Talking Books Office & Postal Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
Monday, February 17th, 2020 – Postal Holiday (Washington’s Birthday)
Contact Information for Kansas Talking Books
1 Kellogg Circle, Box 4055
Emporia, KS 66801
1-800-362-0699
620-341-6280
Email Kansas Talking Books
Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
kslib.info/talking
Talking Books Talk Blog
KTB On Facebook
On Twitter : @KSTalkingBooks