Vol. 51, No. 1 Summer 2021

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FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR

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JANET FISHER

I hope you are experiencing the spirit of summer—whether it includes revitalizing your spirit, relaxing outdoors or at the pool, or finding ways to avoid the higher temperatures.

At the Arizona Talking Book Library, summer is marked by the Summer Reading Program. As this program is winding up, I hope that you have taken advantage of opportunities to read new books and perhaps found more areas of reading interest you can pursue in the future. No matter your age, the Summer Reading Program is open to you each year.

The Book Chat group is winding down another year of discussions, and looking forward to a new year of book chats starting up again in November. If you are interested in reading the selected book each month (November through August) and discussing it with others, contact the library so we can tell you more about it and sign you up.

We continue to include details in this issue on moving through the multi-book cartridges. We hope that this information is helpful to you. If you have more questions about this or the double-sized mailing address card, let us know.

Happy reading and good health to you!

Janet Fisher, Administrator

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VICKI (READER ADVISOR) SAYS GOODBYE AS SHE RETIRES

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VICKI RIDER

I began working as a Talking Book librarian on October 20th, 2014. Since that day I have gotten to know many of you and your reading preferences. And now I find myself – almost seven years later – bidding you goodbye, because as of July 30th, 2021, I will be retired!

I came to library work late in life, in my forties, and it has been my great pleasure to serve library patrons of all types, in both public and specialty libraries. However, being able to provide NLS’s Talking Book Library service to all of you has been the best library job I could imagine. Knowing that this service is so meaningful in your lives is extremely gratifying, and I will miss you all. And rest assured, whoever replaces me will take good care of you!

I’m not sure what my retirement holds, but I do hope to move out of Arizona to an area closer to family, where the leaves change color in the Fall and perhaps there’s even a little bit of snow. Time will tell, and I wish you all the best!

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MAIL TIPS

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Mailing cards have moved to a new format—folded mail cards which include a printed list of books on each cartridge. If your book cartridge arrives with the folded mail card, you can just remove the card when you mail it back. We have applied a label to each multi-book mailing container so it can be mailed back to us without the mail card. As a bonus, you can even keep the list of books for future reference!

NOTE: If your library book, magazine cartridge, movie or machine does not have the new folded card, please turn over and reinsert the card for mailing.

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WHINE-A-THON FUNDRAISER RESULTS

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Thanks to all of you, your friends, and others who are interested in the Arizona Talking Book Library for donating to the Arizona Friends of Talking Books during the 2021 Whine-a-Thon fundraiser. Congratulations also go out to all whose names were drawn for gift cards and other prizes. All winners were contacted through letter or phone to inform them of their prize.

It is heartwarming to see the support coming in for our recording program, volunteer program and projects that our Friends make possible through these funds and other contributions/grants that the Friends bring to the library. 100% of the proceeds from this fundraiser go to support of the Arizona Talking Book Library and the many programs it offers. Your financial assistance is critical in enabling the Friends to continue to provide support to those programs.

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NEW DIRECTOR NAMED FOR NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE

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Jason Broughton has been selected as the new Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress, following the retirement of Karen Keninger.

Prior to joining the Library of Congress, Mr. Broughton was the first African American to serve as Vermont State Librarian. In this role, he engaged in strategic planning for the Department of Libraries and establishing a long-term vision for the State Library. Previously, Mr. Broughton held numerous positions at libraries in South Carolina and Georgia.

His first day at NLS is scheduled for Monday, September 13. Please join us in welcoming Jason Broughton to NLS.

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TECHNOLOGY HELPS US CONTINUE TO SERVE YOU

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As we have moved through this pandemic, many of the staff of the Arizona Talking Book Library have been working in remote locations — most from home. This variation in location has helped the Arizona Talking Book Library remain open and continue its services. It also ensured to the best of our ability to maintain a safe and healthy environment within our library.

Voicemail is one of the tools we are using to make sure that we get your calls. We appreciate your patience as we continue to use this method to record your messages. [Please remember to say and spell your name when you call.]

Our library staff are proud to continue providing talking book services.

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A WORLD OF BOOKS

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In 2019, the United States became a party to the Marrakesh Treaty, to “facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled.” This treaty enables us to work with other countries to exchange accessible-format books. The National Library Service has acquired additional titles in 8 languages so far: Arabic, French, German, Greek, Polish, Spanish and Vietnamese. We even have access to new titles in English! The list of new books grows almost daily.

Have you ever wanted to learn another language? There’s never been a better time, and studies show that using two languages daily may delay cognitive decline.

Pimsleur	Living Language	Other
DBF04919 -- Irish DBF04920 -- Japanese DBF04922 -- Korean DBF04932 -- Cantonese DBF04939 -- Portuguese DBF04951 -- Hebrew DBF04953 -- Italian DBF04955 -- Spanish (Latin Am.) DBF04956 -- Thai DBF04927 -- Indonesian DBF04976 -- French DBF05001 -- Russian DBF05003 -- German	DB087039 -- Drive Time French DB087040 -- Drive Time Italian DB087041 -- Drive Time German DB087042 -- Drive Time Japanese DB087043 -- Drive Time Spanish	DB057058 -- Spanish for Dummies DB083399 -- eTicket Spanish DB084028 -- Starting out in Japanese

Ready to practice? These magazine subscriptions are available in audio:
Das Beste aus Reader’s Digest (German)
France-Amérique: Le Journal Français des États-Unis (French)
La Voz (Spanish)
People en Español (Spanish)

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BOOKS FOR THE SUMMER, 2021

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By Vicki Meyers

Summertime and the reading is easy… Right? Here are some titles to keep you going during the hot season – some romance, some mystery, some poetry, and even a summer seafood cookbook. Enjoy!

Summer Breeze: A Novel
By Nancy Thayer
Narrated by Eleanor Walker-Jenkins
DBC03946
In this warm, romantic, and moving novel, the lives of three women – a restless stay-at-home mother, an aspiring artist newly escaped from New York, and a daughter back in town to help her ailing mother – intertwine one summer along the shores of an idyllic lake in the Berkshires.

The summer of lost and found
By Mary Alice Monroe
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
DB103655
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Linnea is furloughed from the aquarium job she adores. To complicate matters, her new love interest, Gordon, struggles to return to South Carolina's Isle of Palms from England. Meanwhile her old flame, John, turns up from California and is quarantining next door. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

For Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious, Sustainable Cooking
By Barton Seaver
Narrated by Jean Kriedberg
DBC03813
Pairing easy-to-follow seafood recipes with invaluable insights on sustainability, a top chef serves up scores of dishes in this cookbook that is as good for the palate as it is for the planet.

Summer Snow: New Poems
By Robert Hass
Read by the author
DB098754
Collection of poems by Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Apple Trees at Olema (DB 73030) and Time and Materials (DB 66784). Subjects considered include human relationship with the natural world, loss, and desire. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

A Fine Summer's Day
By Charles Todd
Narrated by David Hartley-Margolin
DB080527
England, 1914. The story of the last case the Scotland Yard detective tackled before he was forever changed by World War I. Trying to solve a series of murders of well-liked members of various communities, young Inspector Rutledge travels across England looking for similarities and clues.

Mira James Mysteries Summer Bundle
By Lourey, Jess.
Narrated by Jill Fox
DB098544
Mira James fled her small town for college. Now she reluctantly moves to tiny Battle Lake, Minnesota, where she housesits, works at the library and the newspaper, and solves murders. Includes May Day, June Bug, Knee High by the Fourth of July, and August Moon. Descriptions of sex, some strong language, and some violence.

Summer (Book 4 in Seasonal Quartet series)
By Ali Smith
Narrated by Juliette Burton
DB100537
In the present, Sacha's family is in trouble. Meanwhile, the world's in meltdown with climate change and a pandemic, and the real meltdown hasn't even started yet. In the past, it's a lovely summer. A different brother and sister know they're living on borrowed time. Unrated.

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HOW TO ACCESS MULTIPLE BOOKS ON A CARTRIDGE

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When you receive a cartridge with multiple books on it, you can access the books in one of two ways: The Easy Way and the Bookshelf Mode.

#1 - The Easy Way

1. When you reach the very end of the book or initial instructions, press the green, rectangular Play button.

2. The machine will then prompt the patron to, “Press the Play button again to go on to the next book.” Go ahead and press the play button again, and the machine will start playing the next book.

#2 - Bookshelf Mode (Skipping over books, etc.)

1. Insert the cartridge in the player and turn the power on by pressing the red, circular Power Button.

2. Press and hold the green, rectangular Play button for about 3 seconds until the player beeps and says “Bookshelf” and announces the number of books on the cartridge.

3. Tap the Rewind or Fast Forward button, located on each side of the green, rectangular Play button, to select the next book. The book title will be announced. To advance to the next title, just press the Fast Forward button again, or tap the rewind again to go to the previous book.

 

 

 

4. Once you get to the title you want to read, press the green, rectangular Play button. The player will exit Bookshelf Mode and start playing the selected title.

 

 

 

 

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