News
January-March 1997, Vol. 28, No. 1

ISSN 1046-1663

National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The Library of Congress

Technical standard to be developed for digital talking book

The digital talking book, the next-generation library access
medium for blind and physically handicapped individuals, took a
step closer to reality when NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke
announced that NLS has initiated the development of a technical
standard through the National Information Standards Organization
(NISO).
     A major development for the NLS program, the NISO digital
talking-book standard will address problems of control, audio
quality, media compatibility, copyright protection, ease of
international interlibrary loan, and affordability. Parties
participating will include patrons, patron advocacy
organizations, media producers (both volunteer and commercial),
rights owners, equipment producers, and librarians.
     NISO is the only organization accredited by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain
technical standards for information services, libraries,
publishers, and others involved in the business of creation,
storage, preservation, sharing, accession, and dissemination of
data. There are currently more than fifty American National
Standards used by such organizations. Some of the best-known
standards are CD-ROM Volume and File Structure (NISO/ANSI/ISO
9660), Information Retrieval (Z39.50), Information Interchange
Format (Z39.2), International Standard Serial Numbers (Z39.9),
and Common Command Language (Z39.58). (See article below.)
     "At present, library access for patrons is well served by
analog cassette tape technology," Cylke says. "This technology
has enjoyed the acceptance and economy found in the consumer
entertainment market for more than two decades. However, as
digital technology gains favor in the marketplace, analog
cassettes are likely to become less attractive from both the
financial and consumer-preference standpoints. These two forces,
economic and preferential, will ultimately converge to motivate
change. This NISO standard development program will allow the
change from analog to digital to be controlled and consistent
with the interests of all concerned."

Development of the standard
In announcing the project, NLS research and development officer
Michael Moodie, who will direct project activities, outlined the
scope and application of the digital talking-book standard.
     According to Moodie, "The standard will define minimum
performance requirements for next-generation patron-access
equipment and will also describe optional features. The standard
will be written in a digital context, but it will not define the
software or hardware internals of a particular implementation or
type of equipment. Emphasis will be on performance
characteristics and control. Potential implementers would include
manufacturers of digital and analog hardware, developers of
multimedia authoring, and presentation software and media
producers."
     Patricia Harris, executive director of NISO, announced that
NLS, as the sponsoring organization, will chair the standards
development committee. Representatives will be invited from the
American Council of the Blind, Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, American
Foundation for the Blind, American Printing House for the Blind,
Blinded Veterans Association, National Federation of the Blind,
and Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Other organizations
from both the public and private sectors will be included, along
with representatives of engineering and library interests.
     Howard White, editor of the American Library Association's
Library Technology Reports, will serve as liaison between NISO
and the NLS-sponsored effort.
     Commenting on the complexity of the undertaking, John
Cookson, head of the NLS Engineering Section, says, "The impact
on users moving from existing practices to the new digital
standard must range from `virtually transparent' (products
seemingly the same to the user but with technical improvements)
to `profound' (products with a range of options for the more
technologically sophisticated patron).
     "The foregoing impact statement focuses on the blind and
physically handicapped patron. However, there is an
infrastructure of `users' who support and implement the library
system. This wider community includes librarians, producers of
talking books and magazines, both commercial and volunteer,
equipment manufacturers, and software developers. The new
standard will, again, range from transparent to profound in
impact on this community. For example, audio studios may continue
to narrate into conventional analog equipment while their product
would become usable only by processing through digital encoding
software that is not found in today's production stream," Cookson
concluded.

Implementing the standard
Brad Kormann, chief of the NLS Materials Development Division,
also commented on the value and potential implementation of the
project.
     Kormann says, "The entire user community will be motivated
to use this standard. The existing system is analog cassette
tape, while the standard will define a system that will be
digitally based but not restricted to any particular distribution
media or implementation. Because of this fundamental
incompatibility, change from the existing system will require a
transition where use of both systems overlaps. Timeframes for
introduction of new equipment are dependent on the commercial
development and availability of adaptable consumer electronic
hardware and software products."
     According to Kormann, "Anticipating an additional ten years
of acceptable and economical use for cassette tape means that the
standard must be finished within five years to allow for a
five-year transition period."
     In closely related activities, NLS has also researched other
standards including MPEG-4, which is an ISO/IEC standard in
development under JTC1/SC29/WG11. Also related are HyTime, the
Information technology-Hypermedia/Time-based Structuring Language
ISO/IEC 10744, and the Standard Generalized Markup Language
(SGML) ISO 8879.
     For further information, contact Michael Moodie: e-mail
mmoo@loc.gov or telephone (202) 707-5108.

ANSI: The American National Standards Institute

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has served in
its capacity as administrator and coordinator of the United
States private sector voluntary standardization system for
seventy-eight years. Founded in 1918 by five engineering
societies and three government agencies, the Institute remains a
private, nonprofit membership organization supported by a diverse
constituency of private and public-sector organizations.
     Throughout its history, the ANSI federation has maintained
as its primary goal the enhancement of global competitiveness of
U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and
facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity
assessment systems and promoting their integrity. The Institute
represents the interests of approximately 1,300 companies, 35
government agencies, and more than 260 technical, trade, labor,
and consumer groups through its headquarters in New York City and
its satellite office in Washington, D.C.
     ANSI does not itself develop American National Standards
(ANSs), but serves as an impartial organization that, through its
procedures, validates the general acceptability of the work of
technical experts. It ensures that the standards-writing group
uses democratic procedures that give everyone who will be
"directly and materially" affected by the use of the standard an
opportunity to participate in the development work or to comment
on the document's provisions. It assures users that those
interested in the work reached consensus on the standard's
provisions and that the document is technically sound and does
not conflict with or unnecessarily duplicate other national
standards.

Standards development
Standards are developed in one of two ways: by accredited
standards committees or by accredited standards organizations.
Committees are staffed by credentialed individuals from industry,
business, academia, and government. They operate under a specific
scope of activity and forward their work to ANSI for review.
Accredited organizations are independent groups with a specific
membership that operates under procedures approved by ANSI, or
they may submit their work to the canvass process where it is
reviewed by an ANSI-approved list of technical experts before
being submitted to ANSI. ANSI also publishes and sells standards
to the general public.
     ANSI voluntary standards include more than 100,000 product
standards developed by more than 400 standards-development
organizations, including government, industry, technical
societies, trade associations, and companies. There are hundreds
of thousands of standards users, including companies of all
sizes; federal, state, and local government agencies;
universities, colleges, and trade schools; businesses;
consultants; and individuals.

International role
One of the best indicators of the strength of the U.S. system is
the government's extensive reliance on, and use of,
private-sector voluntary standards. Pursuant to OMB Circular
A119, federal government agencies are required to use voluntary
standards for regulatory and procurement purposes, when
appropriate. State and local governments and agencies have
formally adopted thousands of voluntary standards produced by the
ANSI federation, and the process appears to be accelerating.
     ANSI promotes the use of U.S. standards internationally,
advocates U.S. policy and technical positions in international
and regional standards organizations, and encourages the adoption
of international standards if they meet community needs.
     ANSI is the sole U.S. representative and dues-paying member
of the two major non-treaty international standards
organizations, the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO), and, via the U.S. National Committee (USNC), the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
     The ISO is the world body that coordinates the development
and approval of standards as International Standards. Its scope
of work covers all fields with the exception of electrotechnical,
which is coordinated by the IEC. Today, most of the industrial
world participates in ISO/IEC activities.
     ANSI, a founding member of the ISO, is one of five permanent
members to the governing ISO Council, and one of four permanent
members of ISO's Technical Management Board. U.S. participation,
through the U.S. National Committee (USNC), is equally strong in
the IEC. The USNC is one of twelve members on the IEC's governing
Committee of Action, and the current president of the IEC is from
the United States.
     Through ANSI, the United States has immediate access to the
ISO and IEC standards development processes. ANSI participates in
almost the entire technical program of both the ISO and the IEC
and administers many key committees and subgroups. As part of its
responsibilities as the U.S. member body to the ISO and the IEC,
ANSI accredits U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (U.S. TAGs) or USNC
Technical Advisors (TAs). The U.S. TAGs'(or TAs') primary purpose
is to develop and transmit, via ANSI, U.S. positions on
activities and ballots of the international technical committee.

NLS calls service forum

NLS has announced a forum to review service patterns and to
project appropriate approaches to meeting the future reading and
information needs of blind and physically handicapped persons.
The meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C., September 3-5, 1997,
will bring together leaders of the blind community, major library
organizations, cooperating service organizations, and federal
agencies.
     During the three-day gathering, participants will evaluate
library service for blind and physically handicapped persons over
the past sixty-five years, while looking toward the reading needs
of the future. Attendees will focus on strategies for meeting
needs traditionally provided by a variety of different types of
libraries--public, special, government, college and university,
and research. Participants will examine service in each of these
areas and identify platforms for filling the future information
requirements of blind persons.
     Papers will be solicited from representatives of
organizations that were instrumental in founding the Library of
Congress talking-book and braille program, namely, the American
Foundation for the Blind, American Library Association, American
Printing House for the Blind, and the Braille Institute of
America.
     Also invited to take part in the deliberations will be
consumer organizations and other service agencies, such as the
National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the
Blind, as well as Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and
representatives from the network of libraries working together
with the Library of Congress in their service to blind
individuals.

Duplicating machines a boon to network

High-speed duplicating machines once used to make counterfeit
music tapes are finding their way to NLS regional libraries. The
new procedure is the result of a cooperative venture between the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and NLS.
     Such machines, which are seized as evidence by local law
enforcement agencies, were once routinely destroyed to prevent
their falling back into the hands of tape pirates.
     In the first of a series of donations nationwide, seven
Telex 6120 machines worth a total of $55,000 were given in June
1996 to the Braille Institute Library Services in Los Angeles.
Each machine is capable of making eleven copies of both sides of
a sixty-minute tape in less than two minutes.
     "This equipment was being used to rip off both artists and
consumers and now it will be used to enhance many people's
lives," said Steven D'Onofrio, head of RIAA's Anti-Piracy Unit.
     "In many cases, state and federal laws demand these
materials be auctioned off or forfeited," said Frank Creighton,
associate director of the RIAA Anti-Piracy Unit. "The confiscated
recording equipment is usually taken to a dump site and crushed
by a tractor to make the parts unusable," Creighton said.

Interagency cooperation
RIAA officials explained the routine destruction in a September
1995 guest lecture to the Library of Congress Copyright Office,
which registers copyrights for the recording industry. Attending
the briefing was Mary Levering, former chief of the NLS Network
Division, who is now associate register for National Copyright
Programs.
     "I know a community that could use this equipment," she told
RIAA representatives.
     Shortly thereafter, NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke and
D'Onofrio reached an agreement, later formalized in a memorandum
of understanding, for the nation's libraries in Georgia for the
blind and physically handicapped to receive the confiscated
duplicating equipment. Previously it had been used to make bogus
copies of rap, pop, hip-hop, country, and Latin music that sold
for $3 to $5 each by illegal vendors in inner cities and flea
markets.

Network benefits
After receiving the equipment, Dr. Henry Chang, director of the
Braille Institute Library Services, said: "These duplicators have
strengthened our capability to produce more tapes, which benefits
our patrons by providing better service. We have already
increased our tape duplication over 16 percent. In October, we
duplicated a total of 6,708 cassettes.
     "The duplication is a vital element in the overall library
services. Our duplicators are used to produce locally recorded
books, to make extra copies of NLS books on reserve, to duplicate
an average of 3,000 cassettes of NLS magazines, and to replace
defective tapes."
     Two of the machines were seized in February 1995 from a shed
by Baldwin Park, California, police responding to a call for a
domestic dispute. No one was arrested. The other machines were
seized in March 1995 by the Northern Regional Surveillance and
Apprehension Team of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Five people were convicted of violating consumer labeling laws.
     Additional equipment turnovers have occurred or are
scheduled to occur in Georgia and Texas. Taken together with the
California equipment, a total of eighteen pieces worth a total
estimated value of $108,000 are to be donated to NLS libraries.
     In Atlanta, two Telex 6120s with two recording units each
and a tape imprinter that stamps names on cassette cartridges
were given to the Georgia Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped on October 16. The $29,000 worth of machines will
help the library shorten a year-long waiting list for
bestsellers.
     The library is issuing the machines to subregional libraries
in Georgia for three months at a time. The subregional libraries
have already begun to use them to reproduce local newspapers and
newsletters for blind and handicapped readers of talking books.
"Since we here in Atlanta don't have local recording of
newspapers, I thought it would be good to get them out to those
that do," said Linda Koldenhoven, Georgia regional librarian.
     The machines had been seized by the Cobb County Sheriff's
Department in October 1992 from an illicit factory in Roswell,
Georgia, capable of producing 1.8 million cassettes a year, a
potential loss of $18 million to the recording industry.
     In Austin, Texas, two 6120 "lines" of equipment with two
recording units each, a total of six machines, were to be donated
to the library before the end of the year. "We'll use the
duplicators to produce extra copies of books in high demand,"
said Texas regional librarian Dale Propp. "When we announce Texas
authors and subjects in the newsletter, we get tons of requests
from people. We can very quickly spin out thirty, forty, or fifty
copies with the machines."
     The machines were seized in June 1995 by the Houston Police
Department. The pirate had been producing 40,000 counterfeit
tapes a week in his house.
(photo caption: At Braille Institute Library Services (from left)
Shamsi Katebi, assistant director; Tina Herbison, circulation
services manager; Tad Tadesse, information technology manager;
and Dr. Henry Chang, director, are pictured next to the
much-appreciated recording equipment.)

Biography of the Blind wins design award

James Wilson's classic editions of Biography of the Blind,
reissued in a commemorative edition sponsored by the Friends of
Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in
North America and by NLS, was selected for the prestigious Fifth
Biennial AIGA 50 design competition. The Washington, D.C.,
chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) selected
50 works from the 573 entries submitted to represent the area's
best design efforts for an exhibit in April 1997 in the gallery
of the American Institute of Architects.
     Wilson's biographies of blind individuals were originally
published in four separate editions from 1821 to 1838. This
528-page reissue edition combines all Wilson's biographies under
one cover and contains notes by research librarian Kenneth
Stuckey of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown,
Massachusetts (see News, July-September 1996).
     The author, James Wilson (1779-1845), was born in Richmond,
Virginia, and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While on a
voyage to England when Wilson was four years old, both of his
parents died at sea and he became blind due to smallpox. He was a
self-educated man whose major literary interest was documenting
the achievements of blind persons.
     Robert L. Wiser of Archetype Press, Inc., of Washington,
D.C., designed and composed the book. In the colophon, Wiser
describes the typography:
     "James Wilson's Biography of the Blind was first printed in
1821 by D. Lyons in Belfast, Ireland. Three subsequent editions,
printed by J.W. Showell in Birmingham, England, followed in 1833,
1835, and 1838. Wilson's biographies and introductions are
reproduced here in facsimile and are taken, for the most part,
from the later English editions.
     "The editorial commentary for this new comprehensive edition
was composed in Monotype Bulmer, based on types cut by William
Martin for the Shakspeare Printing Office of William Bulmer.
Dedicated to the ideals of fine typography, Martin and Bulmer
collaborated on the nine-volume "Boydell Shakspeare" (1792-1802),
as well as Poems of Goldsmith and Parnell (1795) and The Chase by
William Somerville (1796).
     "Martin's font combines beauty with functionality,
anticipating the modern style of Bodoni while retaining qualities
from the transitional style of Baskerville. The type is
characteristic of its era and similar to the fonts used in the
original English editions of Biography of the Blind. The digital
version of Bulmer used in this book was first released in 1994
and redrawn in the Monotype Type Drawing Office by Ron Carpenter
following a study of Bulmer's printed works and extensive
research into the hot metal versions of the 1930s.
     "Biography of the Blind was...printed by The Stinehour Press
in Lunenburg, Vermont, on 60-pound Glatfelter Offset."
     The Friends organization has donated five hundred print
copies of Biography of the Blind to state libraries and selected
international institutions, including 240 copies for distribution
by the World Blind Union. NLS has added the book to its
collections in both braille and audio formats, with availability
to patrons anticipated in early 1997.
     Copies are still available for purchase by contacting
Friends of Libraries for the Blind, 1555 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036, telephone (202) 462-9600, fax
(202) 462-9043. Cost is $16.95 for the paperback edition, $22.95
for hardcover. Prices include shipping and handling. A free
annual membership in Friends is included with the purchase of
either edition.
(photo caption: Prime movers behind the award-winning Biography
of the Blind were Robert Wiser (left), designer of the text, and
Keith Krueger, executive director of the Friends, which sponsored
the reissue of the nineteenth century work. Photo by Yusef
El-Amin.)

Longtime reader finds NLS friendly

NLS staff got to meet a special guest and a particular friend of
libraries for the blind and physically handicapped in September
1996. Randy Reid has been reading talking books for more than
three decades and has been completely dependent on them for his
education.
     Shortly after Reid and his father visited NLS, Director
Frank Kurt Cylke received the following letter.

"My son Randy and I are extremely indebted to many members of
your staff who gave us an exceptional tour of your facility on
Friday morning September 27th.
     Randy is forty-five, blind, and has cerebral palsy. He
started reading talking books when he was eight. Since there was
no class in school for his multiple handicaps, he received all
his education from talking books. From these books he also
learned vocabulary and sentence structure so that at age twenty
he memorized the shape of every number and letter and how words
were spelled, and started communicating on a word board with
raised letters, attached to his wheelchair.
     You can understand why it has been a dream and a goal of
Randy's to visit your library service. So his forty-fifth
birthday gift from his Mom and Dad was to fulfill that wish.
     There were many people who made our visit complete, starting
with Officer Jackson, who made the parking arrangements, and
Beverly Massie, who arranged for our guide.
     Freddie Peaco gave us an outstanding presentation of the
activities and responsibilities of each department and arranged
for further explanations from representatives of each department.
She also deciphered Randy's request for a cassette of Magazines
in Special Media (magazine index), which he couldn't get at home
because no one understood what he wanted.
     Ruth Foss found the status and book numbers of titles that
our own library said were not available. Ed Pitts explained how
the books were first made, and Bob Mainhart told us how books
were inspected and what happens to bad tapes. Lloyd Rasmussen and
Freddie showed Randy how to use the new combination tape and disc
player and its advantages and disadvantages compared to his C-1.
Linda Redmond popped into our group to meet Randy and make sure
his questions, which were many, were all being answered. Michael
Moodie gave Randy some souvenirs, which Randy proudly displayed
when he returned to his residential facility.
     Thank you very much for allowing Randy's dream to be
fulfilled.
     Gratefully,
     Kirk Reid"
("Since there was no class in school for his multiple handicaps,
he received all his education from talking books.")

About the Friends

This nonprofit group supports library programs for blind and
physically handicapped persons in the United States and Canada
through a number of activities and products. The Friends is
associated with national library programs and encourages local
Friends groups in the United States and Canada.
     Individuals, institutions, and corporations may join
Friends. For more information, contact Friends of Libraries for
Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America,
Inc., 1555 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036
USA; phone (202) 462-9600; fax (202) 462-9043.

Network exchange

New York City. Bonnie Birman, new director of the Andrew Heiskell
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, says she is
"excited about this position because it is new, it is
challenging, and it makes an important contribution to the lives
of a large segment of our population."
     Birman has worked in various capacities within the New York
Public Library since 1969. Most recently she served as regional
librarian for the city's Midtown South Region where she
supervised five branches and one specialized unit from 1992 to
1996. She served as a liaison between the branches and the Office
of Branch Libraries and between the New Librarians Committee and
the Continuing Education Committee. Birman also served on the
Internet Advisory Committee and coordinated public relations
events involving the community boards, elected officials, and
support groups.
     In addition, the new director has an extensive technological
background, having served as microcomputer project director in
the Office of Programs and Services from 1989 to 1991. In that
position, she administrated service for fifty public-access
microcomputers, including procuring hardware, software, and books
on technology distributed throughout the New York Public Library
system. She served on the organization's strategic planning
working group on technology and was a member of the task force on
Hypertext and Expert Systems.
     "Currently, I am working on learning as much as I can about
agencies that serve blind and physically handicapped individuals
so that we can work closely together," Birman says. She is
looking forward to meeting other network librarians and to
hosting a tour at Andrew Heiskell Library for the 1997 Northern
Conference in May.

North Carolina. Francine Martin was appointed regional librarian
for the North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NCLBPH) as of October 1, 1996.
     She has worked at NCLBPH since 1988, first serving as
collection and circulation librarian for two years, and since
1990 as patron services librarian. Her previous experience
includes four years as automation librarian at Roanoke-Chowan
Community College in Ahoskie, North Carolina; three years as an
elementary school media specialist; and two years as children's
librarian at Columbus County Public Library, Whiteville, North
Carolina.
     Martin received a master's degree in library science from
East Carolina University, with an undergraduate degree in
English. In addition to completing various continuing education
courses, Martin recently graduated from North Carolina's two-year
Public Manager Program.
     "I love North Carolina, and I love libraries," says Martin.
"The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped is the finest in the world. To serve as regional
librarian and administer this program for our state is a great
honor."
     She further states, "The North Carolina regional library has
a strong tradition of providing personalized service to our
state's eligible citizens. I look forward to the challenge of
continuing that tradition and exploring avenues for improving
service and handling the library's increasing readership and
circulation."
     "We are especially excited about our recent involvement with
the State Library of North Carolina's World Wide Web site
development team," Martin continues. "One of our goals is to
develop the web site and include pertinent information in a
user-friendly format for our citizens with disabilities."
     Martin's plans for the North Carolina regional library also
include surveying braille readers to assess NCLBPH's volunteer
braille transcription service's current focus and determine its
future direction, and to assess space utilization and future
needs for housing its collection.
     "In addition, the State Library of North Carolina is
currently undergoing reorganization," Martin states. "Once this
project is completed, I look forward to working with staff to
develop a long-range plan for the LBPH that will ensure our
service continues and that it develops to meet the reading and
informational needs of our patrons into the twenty-first
century."

Maryland. Elsie Leonard, a staff librarian at the Maryland
regional library, retired on September 30, 1996, after thirty
years of service with the state.
     Leonard, who began her career as a children's librarian in
the public library system, has had a diverse career in
librarianship. She has worked in an academic library, a
professional library for educators, and finally the regional
library serving blind and physically handicapped individuals.
     During her tenure with the regional, she worked closely with
NLS, serving on both the collection development and the equipment
advisory committees. Leonard also chaired the Northern Conference
of Regional Librarians and coordinated the program when the
conference met in Baltimore in 1995. She also moderated its
regional program at the biennial conference held in Denver,
Colorado.
     She is anxiously looking forward to "following her own
footsteps" and enjoying retirement.

Illinois. Children and teen readers in Illinois had the chance to
"Travel the Reading Highway" during the summer of 1996. More than
360 children throughout the state participated in the summer
reading program based on the statewide reading theme and
coordinated through the Illinois regional library and subregional
libraries. "It was a record year for us," said regional librarian
Barbara Perkis. "We had about 15 percent of our kids
participating."
     The regional library provided broad support for the program
by distributing two bibliographies with order forms and an
invitation to read for each of several age groups. The library
also sent packets to parents, schools, and public libraries to
encourage interest in the program. Each subregional library
coordinated the program on a local level by creating prizes and
keeping in close contact with young readers, who discussed their
"travel plans" and reading goals. Reader advisors provided tips
to make participants' trips more memorable. Some readers kept
travel logs while others reported on their progress by telephone,
pictures, or postcards.
     Some libraries sent readers an enlarged map of Illinois and
stickers of places of interest that they might like to know about
or visit. When they read and told their reader advisors about
three books, they were sent a sticker and a note telling them
where to attach it. After traveling a particular distance, some
readers received a laminated personalized door hanger and license
plate. They stopped at souvenir stands for more stickers, stuffed
animals, and balloons. Some celebrated with "Giggles the Clown"
at an end-of-the-road party.
     Every participant received a certificate, but prizes varied
from pizza coupons and posters to waist packs, T-shirts, canvas
tote bags, and sport water bottles. Teenagers at one subregional
library completed a trivia contest in which the winner won a
certificate for a CD.
     The young readers were motivated by prizes, but some became
intrigued simply with the prospect of reaching their goals. One
girl was determined to reach the ambitious 6,500 minutes she had
set for herself. The last week, she called the library three
times a day to report and gave up her favorite TV shows so she
could read. One day she called to say she remembered at 4:00 a.m
that her machine needed to be recharged. So she woke her dad up
to find the cord and plug it in!
(photo caption: Giggles the Clown entertained some young Illinois
readers at the end of their summer reading program, "Travel the
Reading Highway.")

West Virginia. Fran Fesenmaier has headed the West Virginia
Library Commission's Services for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (WVLC-SBPH) since February of 1995. She is a
long-time employee of the Commission and served as a reader
advisor while working on her master's in library and information
science. She completed her studies in December 1994, just before
taking the helm of the service.
     Fesenmaier says she has already completed her first goal of
providing departmental access to the West Virginia Union Catalog
and LOCIS, as well as NLSNET and the World Wide Web (WWW). She
notes, "West Virginia was the thirty-fifth star on the American
flag and the thirty-fifth state on NLS's list of WWW locations!"
     The regional librarian also points out that "an exciting
chapter in state, agency, and departmental history is being
written as new automated workstations, called INFOMINE (mining
for information), are installed in all of West Virginia's public
libraries." The workstations have many capabilities and will
"ensure that every public library can download applications for
service in West Virginia and can access LOCIS. They can also
reach our homepage at
http://www.wvlc.wvnet.edu/blind/bphhp/html."
     Fesenmaier faces the challenge of operating with a staff
shortage, one casualty of the budget wars of the nineties. But
she is grateful for her staff, "a fine, hardworking group of
people. Four of our full-time staff of five are receiving
training in basic computer applications such as Windows,
Microsoft Word, and Excel." She also notes, "WVLC-SBPH's
existence has been made much easier because of the dedicated
service of office assistant Terry Matheny (who has been at the
library for more than twenty years). She has seen the head
position change several times in the last ten years."
     Fesenmaier's goal for 1997 is to form a committee to create
a five-year plan for the state, which has a patron base of about
4,000 people and a population of about two million. The committee
will consist of librarians from West Virginia's one regional
library and five subregional libraries serving blind and
physically handicapped readers. Its goal will be to lay a
foundation for serving its constituency in the future.

Nebraska (Lincoln). Library users throughout Nebraska had the
opportunity to discuss talking-book and braille service at a
series of advisory committee meetings throughout the state. From
May through July, staff of the Nebraska Library Commission,
Talking Book and Braille Service, met with nearly 100
talking-book borrowers and other interested individuals in five
different locations. The meetings were designed as a "chance for
patrons to talk to library staff and as a means for the library
to understand how to better personalize service," said Diane
Wells, library staff member, who publicized the program. The
discussions focused mainly on service concerns and informing
patrons about library news and new offerings.
     The advisory sessions lasted about two hours each and took
place in public libraries, a school for visually impaired
persons, and a public building. Some were in the form of panel
discussions, others were formal presentations with
question-and-answer periods. In order to inform patrons and
service providers about the sessions, the library sent
invitations to all patrons who lived near the session sites and
targeted local media through press releases. Advisory committee
members helped identify meeting sites and set up the locations.

International briefs

Australia (Canberra). Some twelve thousand braille books are now
available to borrowers throughout Australia from the Australian
Braille Library Service. The new service was launched in July
1996 by Governor-General William Deane at the National Library in
Canberra.
     The centralized service replaces a state-by-state system
that relied on interlibrary loan to share books. Borrowing took a
long time and was hard to administer under the system.
     "The new arrangement will give people who are blind or
vision impaired like myself access to many more titles much more
rapidly," said Joan Lederman, president of the Australian Braille
Authority and the International Council on English Braille.
     Some 90 percent of all braille recreational reading books
are now available to the country's seven hundred braille readers
through an online computer cataloging system. The system provides
information about the number of available copies and when
borrowed books are due.
     Readers choose the books from braille, large-print, or disc
catalogs, on the Internet, or with a free telephone call. Books
are then mailed directly to the readers from libraries
administered by members of the Committee of Australian Blindness
Agencies.
(This report is adapted from Link-Up, a quarterly newsletter of
the National Library of Australia.)

South Africa. Audio book circulation and braille and recorded
book production have increased markedly and many new readers have
joined the South African Library for the Blind.
     Circulation has nearly doubled over five years, rising to
189,000 in 1995. The increase is due to an automated
record-keeping system credited with tracking reader profiles more
efficiently than did the former manual system.
     The use of computers by transcribers has increased the
production of braille books steadily since 1991, with 445 books
produced in 1995. Some 480 new audio books were added to the
collection in 1995, bringing the total to 9,177 and marking a 40
percent increase over the number mastered the previous year.
     Three-hundred-forty-seven new members joined the Audiolib in
1995.
(This bulletin is adapted from the 1995 annual report of the
South African Library for the Blind.)

Australia (New South Wales). The Royal Blind Society (RBS) spent
the last year serving more patrons and planning for the future.
     Highlights of the year include the extension of talking book
services to one thousand residents of Queensland, bringing
readership to 8,756; the successful trial of a digital recording
system for talking books; the establishment of the Australian
Braille Library Service; and a 5 percent growth in the number of
readers who receive a talking newspaper.
     Circulation for talking books was 231,864, an increase of 17
percent, while circulation for braille books was 3,373, an
increase of 10 percent. Some 6,415 talking books and 6,107
braille books were added to the collection.
     Also in 1995-1996, 3M Australia sponsored the 3M Talking
Book Awards for the ninth year. Presentations were made at a
November cocktail party.
     In October, RBS invited Rosemary Kavanagh, executive
director of the Library Services of the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind (CNIB), to address the RBS annual general
meeting and lead a staff training seminar on current CNIB library
service initiatives. Based on Kavanagh's talks, a five-year
program was designed that will significantly change the way RBS
meets the information needs of its patrons.
     In the next century, according to a September report, the
RBS plans to use digital library and information services. The
RBS plans to transmit information using audio digital recording
technology distributed through ordinary telephone lines.
     Patrons would have direct access to a catalog or directory
that would provide search engines, databases, electronic
libraries, Australian community information directories, and the
RBS Internet presence. Patrons would identify information they
want RBS to retrieve and transcribe.
     The patrons would be responsible for purchasing their own
equipment. RBS, which acknowledges the needed technology is not
yet fully developed, would provide training, support, and advice
about the equipment. In addition, RBS would contract its services
to help business and government use nonprint media to communicate
with people who are blind and vision-impaired and members of the
general public.
(This information is adapted from the 1996 annual report and a
September 1996 report by the Royal Blind Society of New South
Wales.)

European Community. A consortium of European Union countries is
studying a variety of computer-driven communications tools for
use by people who are blind and disabled.
     Specialists in Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom, and
Finland are analyzing the technical specifications and uses of
currently available communication aids and investigating exactly
what equipment various users need to communicate through
telephones and computer networks.
     For example, some blind students in the United Kingdom are
testing a prototype computer. Its modes of output are refreshable
braille, synthetic and digitized speech, and nonspeech sounds.
Input is done with a keyboard, small or large touch tablets with
tactile overlays, or a joystick. The prototype would serve as a
basis for future communications standards.
(This information is from a publication provided by the Royal
National Institute for the Blind, Great Britain.)

Sensory garden blooms at Oklahoma regional

A sensory garden, five years in preparation, has been created on
the grounds of the Oklahoma regional library in Oklahoma City.
The inner-city garden, named The Hill, was dedicated October 4
after being designed in part by library patrons and people with
visual and other disabilities. In addition to fragrant plantings,
the area provides walking paths and picnic tables.
     The garden was conceived by regional librarian Geraldine
Adams, who has raised $59,000 to date and continues to add
plantings to the plot, which spreads over almost half an acre.
     Around the perimeter is a handrail with braille directional
signs. Amenities include bird feeders, houses, and baths; wind
chimes; statuary with braille identifiers; and plantings spaced
to provide areas of sun and shade. All the trees, shrubs, and
flowers were chosen for their fragrance, texture, or sound.
     At the entrance is a braille tactile map identifying the
layout and features of the landscaped garden. Three different
paving textures were used to further orient visitors to their
surroundings: Two semicircular sitting areas with benches are
paved with brick; walking paths have a rough texture; and eating
areas with picnic tables have a smooth concrete surface. The park
has sloping ramps throughout for people who use wheelchairs. It
is open to everyone, disabled or not.
     Vicky Golightly, a braille specialist at the library, says
she particularly enjoys listening to the rustling of a stand of
river cane. "The Hill is an oasis, a haven where you can go and
get a respite from the rushing day," she says.
     Funding for the project has been provided by Oklahomans for
Special Library Services, the Margaret Annis Boys Trust Fund
through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the Kirkpatrick
Family Foundation, and unsolicited donations.
     Says Adams, "I originally had an idea for a walking path, so
I had our building architect draw up plans. After I showed the
plans around to others in the disability community, the concept
for the project just gradually grew into what it is now."
(photo caption: Betty Emmons, duplicating equipment operator II
(left), and Oklahoma regional librarian Geraldine Adams cut the
ribbon to inaugurate The Hill at the Oklahoma Library for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped in Oklahoma City.)

The Program
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped of the Library of Congress publishes books and
magazines in braille and in recorded form on discs and cassettes
for readers who cannot hold, handle, or see well enough to read
conventional print because of a temporary or permanent visual or
physical handicap.
     Through a national network of state and local libraries, the
materials are loaned free to eligible readers in the United
States and to U.S. citizens living abroad. Materials are sent to
readers and returned by postage-free mail.

Books and Magazines
Readers may borrow all types of popular-interest books including
bestsellers, classics, mysteries, westerns, poetry, history,
biographies, religious literature, children's books, and
foreign-language materials. Readers may also subscribe to more
than seventy popular magazines in braille and recorded formats.

Special Equipment
Special equipment needed to play the discs and cassettes, which
are recorded at slower than conventional speeds, is loaned
indefinitely to readers. An amplifier with headphone is available
for blind and physically handicapped readers who are also
certified as hearing impaired. Other devices are provided to aid
readers with mobility impairments in using playback machines.

Eligibility
You are eligible for the Library of Congress program if:
 You are legally blind--your vision in the better eye is 20/200
or less with correcting glasses, or your widest diameter of
visual field is no greater than 20 degrees;
 You cannot see well enough or focus long enough to read
standard print, although you wear glasses to correct your vision;
 You are unable to handle print books or turn pages because of
a physical handicap; or
 You are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading
disability, due to an organic dysfunction, which is of sufficient
severity to prevent reading in a normal manner.

How to Apply
You may request an application by writing NLS or calling
toll-free 1-800-424-9100, and your name will be referred to your
cooperating library.

News is published quarterly by:
National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20542
All correspondence should be addressed to the attention of
Publications and Media Section.
Editor: Vicki Fitzpatrick 
Writers: Jane Caulton, Robert Fistick, Yvonne French, Ruth
Nieland, and George Thuronyi