Vol. 53, No. 1 Summer 2023

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JOIN US IN THE GARDEN

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You’re invited to a fun & special event presented by the Arizona Talking Book Library! Friday, October 20th from 8:00am to 9:00am there will be a guided tour at the Elsie McCarthy Sensory Garden – located at 7637 N 55th Avenue in Glendale.

A little about the Elsie McCarthy Sensory Garden: Elsie McCarthy was a long-time Valley resident and an avid gardener. She continued her gardening throughout her life even after she lost her eyesight. Through a bequest in Elsie McCarthy's will, she donated the money for "the purpose of establishing, purchasing, improving, expanding or maintaining a scented and tactile garden for the visually handicapped." Her only requirement was that the garden be dedicated to her father, Robert Henry Bourdon.

The main entry to the sensory garden contains a tactile map, giving the visually impaired a way to feel the individual areas of the garden and understand its layout prior to exploring. The Talking Book Library has partnered with the City of Glendale’s Parks & Rec department to gather information about the garden’s scope. We will be giving a tour and talking about the native plants and their sensory components as we go! It is a small garden and wheelchair friendly, however please note there are no restrooms on site. We would love to have you join us for this hour-long program!

If you would like to attend, please RSVP by calling 602-255-5578.

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ACCESSIBLE GARDENING

Are you interested in creating your own garden? Staff at the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled have provided a list of gardening books for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have mobility issues. You can either download these titles through BARD or contact the library to mail your requests to you on a cartridge.

DB052241 – Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities
By Janeen R. Adil
An avid gardener provides tips and techniques for adapting garden format and methods for people with limited mobility. Explains advantages of containers, raised beds, and vertical gardens. Chapters discuss appropriate tools; choosing vegetables, herbs, flowers, vines, and ornamentals; and starting children in gardening. 1994.

DB043253 – The Enabling Garden by Gene Rothert
A step-by-step guide to barrier-free gardening for people with disabilities and older adults. Provides a checklist for assessing one's gardening abilities, then offers advice on selecting appropriate structures, tools, equipment, plants, and garden designs. 1994.

DB057787 – Gardening through Your Golden Years by James W. Wilson
Former cohost of PBS television show The Victory Garden shares wisdom gathered from "seasoned" gardeners on the benefits of continuing this hobby into old age. Includes tips to minimize fatigue and other ailments, describes laborsaving methods, and offers all kinds of advice. 2003.

DB049080 – Accessible Gardening by Joann Woy
Advises gardeners with special needs on ideas, tools, and methods. Topics include garden design and layout, raised beds, container and tabletop gardening, easy composting, watering, lawn care, and accessories to facilitate physical tasks. An appendix lists sources of tools, supplies, and information. 1997.

DB040311 – The Able Gardener by Kathleen Yeomans
Nurse and gardener Yeomans covers general aspects of gardening while emphasizing adaptive techniques such as using raised beds, back-saving tools, and easy-care plants. If the gardener is visually impaired, she suggests designing with plants that are fragrant, textured, edible, or even audible. Included are exercises for gardeners and mail-order sources for plants, seeds, and supplies (including adaptive tools). 1992.

Braille:

BR016677 – The Nature-Friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People by Marlene A. Condon
Birds and Blooms magazine field editor's guide to cultivating an ecological, low-maintenance garden to serve as a habitat for native species. Environmentally conscious techniques stress reducing lawn area and eliminating chemicals. Discusses using natural fertilizers and pesticides, creating ponds, and observing wildlife. Offers tips for elderly and disabled gardeners. 2006.

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READER ADVISOR LISA SAYS GOODBYE

I’m Lisa, the Reader Advisor who takes care of alphabet letters S through Z, and it’s with mixed feelings that I’m taking this opportunity to say goodbye to the patrons of the Arizona Talking Book Library.

I’ve accepted a position as an Educational Enrollment Counselor for a school, and I’m leaving my position with the library on Friday, June 23rd. While I’m excited for the new opportunity ahead of me, leaving the library is bittersweet.

It’s been wonderful getting to know so many of you these past three and a half years! I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with the lovely patrons and the dedicated, hardworking staff members at the Arizona Talking Book Library. I wish all of you the best!

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BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2023

In 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources. And the challenges faced by school and public libraries continue to rise. These are high numbers!

So now more than ever, it’s important to reflect on the freedom to read, and what better time than Banned Books Week? This is an annual event, typically held during the last week in September, which serves to drive national attention to the harms of censorship. Banned Books Week was co-founded in 1982 by Judith F. Krug: librarian, freedom of speech proponent, critic of censorship, and director for the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Librarian Association in 1967. Krug also served as executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation in 1969.

This year’s celebration will be October 1-7, 2023, and the Talking Book Library plans to join in. Traditionally, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs during this week, continuous readings of banned and challenged books. Nowadays readers can participate through a “virtual” read-out by submitting a short video of themselves reading from a banned book or talking about censorship.

We’re hoping to find volunteers to read from a Braille book for the project, one that has been listed as a top-challenged book by the ALA. Submitted videos may be featured on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel. We’re sure school and public libraries from around the country will be submitting videos, and we’d love for a talking book library to have representation as well!

If you would like to volunteer to be part of this awesome initiative, contact Sara at [email protected].

Curious to read a book that has been challenged across the country? Call your librarian to find out what’s available or visit us online at az1a.klas.com/browse/basicbrowse.jsf#Browse5.

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NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE (NLS)

Get To Know The Many Faces of BARD

NLS staff members offer tips, answer questions, and demonstrate new features of BARD, the BARD Mobile app, and BARD Express each month during The Many Faces of BARD. This online event is open to all patrons and is held at 7 p.m. eastern time on the second Thursday of every month. Get details on upcoming sessions and Zoom login information at www.loc.gov/nls/about/services/many-faces-of-bard.

(Remember that the start time will change in Arizona depending on the time of year.)

Magazine News

These audio magazines have been added to the collection and will soon be available for download on BARD and on cartridge through the mail. Call the library to subscribe!

Prevention Magazine (Monthly): A guide to feeling your best, head to toe, inside and out through expert advice, fresh ideas, and health secrets.

Scientific American (Monthly): Covers research, ideas and knowledge in science, health, technology, the environment and society.

Selecciones del Reader’s Digest (Monthly): Spanish-language version of Reader’s Digest.

The Sun Magazine (Monthly): An independent, ad-free magazine that publishes personal essays, short stories, interviews, and poems by established and emerging writers from all over the world.

Vanidades (Monthly): Spanish-language magazine covering current fashion, news and beauty tips, national and international celebrities, the intimacies of royalty, as well as entertainment, cooking, decoration, art and culture.

Wax Poetics (Semiannually): Music magazine covering everything from hip-hop, to funk, techno, jazz, and beyond.

Yoga Journal (Quarterly): A source for yoga pose instruction, sequences, free video class, guided meditations, and information on the yogic lifestyle.

Applications for 2024 summer internships

Applications for the 2024 Erica C. Vaughns Aspiring Leaders Internship Program are due November 1. The program offers legally blind college students and recent graduates an opportunity to work at NLS for 12 to 15 weeks over the summer in areas of study or interest.

The program was renamed this year in memory of Erica Vaughns, who created and managed it and was a dedicated NLS employee for nearly 20 years until her death in February.

Details on the internship program are online at www.loc.gov/nls/about/internship-program.

You May Be Eligible for Additional Equipment or Accessories

Did you know that qualified patrons who are hard of hearing (as certified by an audiologist or physician) can request a high-volume digital talking book machine and stereo headphones at no cost?

NLS also provides a free breath switch that is intended for those who are unable to use the buttons on our digital talking book machines. The USB breath switch provides control of all functions of the machine using sip-and-puff actions. It comes with a shirt clip, removable mouth tube, and inline moisture filter.

To request either item or to learn more, call the library at 602-255-5578.

Book and Magazine Production Delays

NLS is working to address book and magazine production delays that impact the timely upload of materials to BARD and the physical distribution of materials to patrons. Delays have been caused by ongoing problems with the new production and inventory control system that NLS began using last year. Producers are diligently working through the backlog, with priority being given to new books added to the collection and bestsellers. We apologize for the impact these production delays are having on patrons, and assure you that NLS is working with all parties to reduce the backlog as quickly as possible.

FLQ is now ILQ

Looking for the latest non-English language books? The publication formerly known as Foreign Language Quarterly is now International Language Quarterly. This reflects a broader change, as NLS has shifted its terminology to better represent its non-English language materials. “International” embraces the fact that languages other than English are not only spoken abroad, but also right here in the United States. In fact, the NLS collection includes books in Native American languages that predate the arrival of English. The latest issue of ILQ, available at www.loc.gov/nls/ilq, includes recently digitized books in Algonquian and Cherokee, as well as a wide selection of books in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and other languages.

Get To Know the NLS Music Collection

The NLS Music Section is home to the world’s largest collection of accessible music scores for a variety of instruments across nearly every genre. It also offers a wide selection of music instruction and appreciation materials for beginners and experienced musicians alike. Learn more about the collection at www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/music-materials.

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CONNECT ARIZONA

The Arizona Talking Book Library is a branch of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. We wanted to make you aware of a special service that is supported by another part of our agency.

The Connect Arizona Digital Navigators are a team of library staff from around the state who provide one-on-one phone assistance to help Arizona communities get online. They serve as a free tech support hotline for digital learning and information on accessing low-cost internet and computer offers.

Connect Arizona Digital Navigators are here to help you:

• Learn to use your computer, cellphone, tablets, or other devices
• Find public Wi-Fi
• Find discounted internet plans and devices
• Troubleshoot your technology
• And much more!

They are available to help you by phone, text, or email.

For FREE assistance:

Phone: 602-529-1519
Email: [email protected]
Online: www.connect-arizona.com

They have recently expanded their hours! Arizonans now have access to one-on-one technical help, troubleshooting, tutoring, and Affordable Connectivity Program enrollment help Monday-Friday 9 am to 8 pm, and on Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm.

This program is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records,
a division of the Arizona Secretary of State, with federal funds from
the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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