The original item was published from June 11, 2020 1:01 PM to June 11, 2020 2:15 PM
From the Director’s Desk
I want to thank each of you for your continued patience as we navigate the changes required to keep our staff and patrons safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following paragraphs outline changes we have made to our daily procedures.
We are isolating all incoming books and players for 4 days (96 hours) before being handled by staff. After isolation, items are cleaned, inspected, and returned to the shelves for circulation. This will delay the turnaround time for you to receive new books. If you are experiencing delays, please contact us to increase your book limit. I also encourage you to return books as soon as you finish them to expedite the check in process.
All reader advisors are working offsite. When calling please follow the prompts in the voicemail to reach the correct individual or wait on the line to leave a message. No visitors are allowed into the library until Emporia State University reopens to the public and no volunteers are reporting to the library to record books at this time.
I would be remiss if I did not recognize the hard work of the entire Kansas Talking Books staff during these challenging times. They have all stepped up to deal with constant uncertainty and navigate an ever-changing timeline. The readers’ advisors have found creative solutions to meet patron needs while working from home. Our circulation staff has learned on the fly how to complete tasks that the readers’ advisors can’t accomplish remotely and managed a number of days with extraordinary mail volume.
Aaron, Amanda, Becca, Debbie, Dylan, Kathy, Maggie, Nataly, and Suzanne thank you for all of your hard work. I appreciate your willingness to step up to serve our patrons.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me directly at 620-341-6287 or email me to discuss them.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep reading.
–Michael Lang, Director
KTB Updates
50th Anniversary Celebration Goes Virtual
Join us July 15th at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Kansas Talking Books Service. Unfortunately, we have had to cancel our Open House event but will still be celebrating online.
This virtual event will feature speakers celebrating the history and future of Kansas Talking Books. It will be held using Zoom web conferencing system. Zoom allows users to connect online or by telephone.
It will be recorded for later viewing. Information about our schedule and speakers will be updated at https://kslib.info/KTB50.
Use the following information to join the Zoom meeting:
Meeting ID: 976 1916 1708
Join by Phone: 1-346-248-7799 or 1-312-626-6799
Join with One tap mobile: 16699006833,,97619161708# or 12532158782,,97619161708#
Max McCoy Author Talk July 1st
We are excited to announce our first ever author talk. Join us Wednesday, July 1 at 3:00 p.m. for a virtual presentation and discussion with award-winning journalist and author Max McCoy.
Local author Max McCoy will discuss his book, DBC06565 Of Grave Concern, Ophelia Wylde series Book 1, his other writings, and answer questions from patrons. McCoy is a Kansas resident and works for Emporia State University. We encourage participants to submit questions ahead of time by emailing or calling Kansas Talking Books.
The virtual discussion will be held using Zoom web conferencing system. Use the following information to join the Zoom meeting:
Meeting ID: 977 882 2531
Password: kstb
Join with One tap mobile: 16699006833,,9778822531#
Join By Phone: 1-346-248-7799 or 1-312-626-6799
Imagine Your Story: Summer Reading 2020
Dive into your imagination with KTB’s 2020 “Imagine Your Story” summer reading program. The program started June 1st, but there is still time for patrons to join and discover great books to fuel their imagination.
We are excited to announce that this year we are using a web-based system called Reader Zone for our summer reading program. The Reader Zone mobile app or website can be used to log your reading and see how you’re progressing with reading goals in real time. This means no more paper reading log to fill out (unless needed).
Every patron who participates is entered to win weekly prize drawings, get themed book recommendations, and find activities and crafts for all ages and abilities on our website at https://kslib.info/1356/Summer-Reading.
Join our summer reading program at https://readerzone.com or sign up through the Reader Zone mobile app. Use the code d32c4 to access our summer reading program and choose your age group to find your reading goal.
Phone Book Club, September 9th.
Join us by phone on Wednesday, September 9th to discuss DB 92214 The Good Neighbor: The life and work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King.
Annotation: Biography of the creator and star of the children’s television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Traces the personal, professional, and artistic life of Rogers (1928-2003), drawing on interviews, oral histories, and archival documents to show a man fiercely devoted to helping children. Commercial audiobook. 2018
All of us know Mr. Rogers and have a special place in our hearts for him. Learn more about him and join other Kansas Talking Book patrons in discussing this book and his life. Discussion sessions are at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
To sign up, call 1-800-362-0699 or email KTB@ks.gov and let us know which session you would like to join.
News from NLS
Magazine on Cartridge Update
As of June 1, both Magazine on Cartridge (MOC) producers have returned to their production facilities and begun recycling returned cartridges and distributing a backlog of magazines. Contingent on any delays that may be caused by local post offices, we are hopeful patrons will again have regular delivery of MOC by month’s end.
BARD Website Upgrade
The BARD website was upgraded on Friday, June 5. The upgrades for BARD users include:
- You can now subscribe to favorite book series. When a book in a series becomes available on BARD, the book will be added automatically to the Wish List. If you have notifications turned on, BARD will send an email letting you know that the book is now ready to be downloaded from the Wish List.
- A new tool is available from the BARD main page to manage subscriptions.
- You can now change the BARD interface to display text in Spanish.
- BARD account-holders cannot reuse any of their previous eleven passwords.
- You will not be able to change your own password (using the reset password link on the login screen) more than once per day.
- BARD will no longer accept special characters in new passwords. When creating a new password, account holders should not include special characters, such as @, !, or &. NOTE: If a current password contains a special character, there is no need to create a new one. Existing passwords that use special characters will not be rejected by the BARD system.
Services Spotlight: Audio Reader Network Update
In March, when Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued the stay at home order, Audio-Reader volunteers and staff quickly scrambled to set up home studios in order to keep our audience informed with current, local news and information. From a makeshift studio of an ironing board serving as a desk, a microphone, laptop and a Minnie Mouse desk lamp to a professional voice-over artist’s home studio, we rallied over 40 people from around the country to read over 50 local, regional and national newspapers, keeping our 24-hour programming alive. There might be the occasional barking dog or crowing rooster but the news was read and disseminated in a timely fashion.
If you want to hear the newspaper from your local community (or even a community far away) contact Audio-Reader at http://reader.ku.edu/application-service or call 800-772-8898. You can listen on your Amazon Echo (Alexa) device by activating the Audio-Reader Skill, on the phone by calling 800-335-1221, go to http://reader.ku.edu/listen or by requesting a closed circuit radio.
Readers’ Advisor Recommends: Black Lives Matter
The death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has sparked Black Lives Matter protests denouncing police brutality worldwide. The following list features books discussing racism, the systems that perpetuate racism, and ways to combat racism to build a better world.
Middle Grade Books
DB 93035 We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson.
Poems, letters, personal essays, songs, and other works from children's authors such as Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Andrea Pippins, Sharon Draper, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Ellen Oh. Anthology empowers youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow. Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6. 2018.
DB 90875 Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
While playing with a toy gun, twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a white police officer. He observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys, including historical figure Emmett Till. Contains some violence. Commercial audiobook. For grades 5-8. 2018.
Young Adult Books
DB 85862 Black Lives Matter by Sue Bradford Edwards and Duchess Harris.
Explores police shootings and vigilante violence toward African Americans in the United States, community reactions, activist-driven protests, and court proceedings surrounding the trials. Highlights the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement, and a call for change. Some violence. For senior high and older readers. 2016.
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 93228 Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro.
Struggling with panic attacks and grief over his father's death, high school junior Moss organizes a protest against his school's racist administrators that leads to a brutal police response. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2018.
DB 98161 Light it Up by Kekla Magoon.
Told from multiple viewpoints, Shae Tatum, an unarmed thirteen-year-old black girl, is shot by a white police officer, throwing their community into upheaval and making it a target of demonstrators. Strong language and some violence. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2019.
DB 98926 Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature adapts Ibram X. Kendi’s award-winning book Stamped from the Beginning (DB 89293). Reynolds discusses how racist ideas started and were spread, and how they can be discredited. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2020.
Adult
DB 82201 Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Columnist and editor for the Atlantic Monthly examines the history of contentious race relations in America. He reflects on the ways racial inequality plays out in his personal past and in the twenty-first century, and imagines the world his teenage son may inherit. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2015.
DB 85936 The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race edited by Jesmyn Ward.
Collection of seventeen essays addressing the experience of race and racism in twenty-first century America, edited by the author of Salvage the Bones (DB 74033). Includes pieces by Claudia Rankine, Natasha Trethewey--former United States Poet Laureate--Daniel José Older, and Edwidge Danticat. 2016.
DB 87690 They Can't Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery.
An examination of the frequent clashes between the police and the black community in the early twenty-first century, including the death of Michael Brown. The author conducts interviews with victims’ families and activists and poses the question, "What does the loss of any one life mean to the rest of the nation?" Violence and strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2016
DB 89293 Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
A historian traces the history of anti-black racist ideas throughout American history by focusing on five notable intellectuals: Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W. E. B. DuBois, and Angela Davis. Analyzes the insidious impact of racist ideas on government policies. Some strong language. 2016.
DB 90119 When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors.
Khan-Cullors, a cofounder of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, recounts her experiences as an artist and activist. Describes her personal history growing up in Los Angeles and the founding of BLM after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Presents calls to action to combat racism in America. Contains strong language and some violence. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
DB 91860 White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.
Antiracism educator explores counterproductive reactions white people have when discussing racism. Topics include the intertwining of racism and white supremacy, racism after the civil rights movement, the impact of race on the lives of white people, defining the term "white fragility," and more. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2018.
DB 92142 So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo.
Collection of essays addressing questions regarding the racial divide between white and black Americans. Topics covered include what is racism, ways to discuss race, privilege, intersectionality, police brutality, affirmative action, the "N" word, cultural appropriation, microaggressions, the model minority myth, moving the conversation forward, and more. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
DB 96351 How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
Award-winning author theorizes what an antiracist society might look like and how individuals can play a role in building it. Discusses the roles of ethics, history, law, and science in racial justice. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019.
DB 97415 Hands Up, Don't Shoot: Why the protests in Ferguson and Baltimore matter, and how they changed America by Jennifer Cobbina.
Examination of effects and experiences of local residents and protestors around high-profile police killings of young black men. Discusses the Black Lives Matter movement, policing tactics during the protests surrounding these deaths, and the larger effects on American society. Draws on interviews with locals. Violence and strong language. 2019.
DB 98638 Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall.
Collection of eighteen essays examining feminism and its need to intersect with race, class, and sexual orientation. Topics discussed include gun violence, food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, earning a living wage, and access to medical care. Violence and strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
DB 98751 Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad.
Twenty-eight day guide to examining the ways white supremacy influences your life. Provides exercises to assist in dismantling those thought processes. Topics include definitions, anti-blackness, racial stereotypes, allyship, power differentials, and continuing the work. Includes a foreword by Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility (DB 91860). Commercial audiobook. 2020.
Upcoming State and Postal Holidays Reminder
Friday, July 3: Independence Day (observed). KTB Closed
Saturday, July 4: Independence Day. Postal Holiday
Monday, September 7: Labor Day. KTB Closed & Postal Holiday
Monday, October 12: Columbus Day. Postal Holiday
Contact Information for Kansas Talking Books
Address:
1 Kellogg Circle, Box 4055
Emporia, KS 66801
Phone
1-800-362-0699
620-341-6280
Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Email
KTB@ks.gov
Online:
Talking Books Talk Blog
On Facebook
On Twitter