News

April-June 1995, Volume 26, No. 2



ISSN 1046-1663



National Library Service 

for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

The Library of Congress





LaBarge becomes source for cassette players



LaBarge Electronics of Huntsville, Arkansas, has become a second

American manufacturer of the cassette player used by the patrons

of the NLS free national talking-book program. A ribbon-cutting

ceremony was held at the LaBarge Electronics manufacturing

facility in Huntsville on April 3, followed by a plant tour.

Local officials as well as print and broadcast media attended

the event.

     As the second American company source of the cassette

playback machine, LaBarge "provides the Library of Congress with

the necessary production to meet current and future cassette

playback equipment needs," said NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke in

his remarks at the ceremony. "We and LaBarge Electronics have

been working for several years to bring their production to

`on-line' status. This ribbon-cutting ceremony is a tribute to a

contractual partnership that will greatly benefit blind and

physically handicapped patrons of the talking-book program for

years to come."

     The Library's contract with LaBarge calls for the

production of 20,000 cassette playback machines. The Telex

Corporation of Blue Earth, Minnesota, is NLS's other

manufacturer of playback equipment.

     In his remarks, Cylke noted the importance of "zero

defects," and, making his comments directly to the LaBarge

employees who work on the cassette-player production line,

"Whatever your job, and each job is very important, it helps

make a perfect machine. You should know you are doing a job that

has meaning to 750,000 Americans who rely on talking books as an

important part of their lives."

     Craig LaBarge, president of the St. Louis-based firm, said,

"Over the years, LaBarge has participated in many sophisticated

and demanding programs; designed and manufactured products and

systems that operate beneath the sea, below the earth, and in

outer space; and now, with the production of this cassette

player, products that improve quality of life."

     The NLS network was represented by J.D. Hall, Arkansas

regional librarian, Little Rock, and Rachel Anne Ames,

Fayetteville, Arkansas, subregional librarian, as well as

several other network staff and Telephone Pioneers. Library of

Congress officials, including Scott Fulmore, chief of the

Contracts and Logistics Services Division (C&L), were present

and made remarks to the media.

     Fulmore said, "The best part of this achievement is that

this is an American company working in a contractual partnership

with the Library of Congress. From a technology perspective, I

know this has been a difficult achievement, driven by a goal of

`total quality.' Today's ribbon-cutting ceremony represents the

fruition of many years of effort by LaBarge Electronics and the

Library to produce a perfect product."

     Also representing the Library of Congress were Katherine

Phillips, contracts officer, C&L; Brad Kormann, chief of the NLS

Materials Development Division (MDD); Henry B. Paris, former

chief (retired) of MDD, who was instrumental in initiating

procedures for a second source of machines; John Cookson, head

of the NLS Engineering Section; and Robert Fistick, head of the

NLS Publications and Media Section, who coordinated the event.



Future production

"With two sources of supply now developed, we have a competitive

environment for bidding to help keep costs down," says Brad

Kormann, who, as chief of MDD, is responsible for monitoring

production. "We also have assurance of a continuing supply of

machines, which are essential for patrons who use recorded

reading materials."

     According to Kormann, LaBarge has several plants around the

country. The Huntsville plant, which produces the C-2, has been

more than 90 percent defense oriented. "This kind of production

has been new for them, and assembly-line procedures had to be

worked out."

     The C-2 cassette machine has been through the full NLS

quality-assurance testing cycle, starting with development of

two prototype samples and then a small production run of 200

machines. Currently, 300 machines are being sent to each of two

test sites in the network of cooperating libraries: the regional

libraries in Sacramento, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida.

An additional 100 machines are being sent to NLS to test

packaging for handling in the mails.

     By the end of the summer, production is expected to be up

to 2,000 machines per month.

     A new "C-3" machine contract, currently out for bids, can

be awarded in a split with contractors producing either C-1 or

C-2 machines. The two machines are similar in design but use

tape decks from different manufacturers. The units also differ

in the length of time to fully charge the battery: the C-2 takes

about twenty-two hours but can be left plugged in indefinitely;

the C-1 takes about fourteen hours and should be unplugged and

allowed to run down between charges. These variations result

largely because of materials incorporated. Both machines serve

patron needs for playback equipment.

(photo caption: Frank Kurt Cylke, NLS director (left), and Craig

LaBarge, president of LaBarge Electronics, examine one of the

first NLS cassette machines produced at the Huntsville plant.)

(photo caption: Honored guests tour the production area as a

television cameraman records the LaBarge employees at work.)

                              ###



ManTech concludes study: Committee supports continued

decentralization of machine repair



"The changes are going to be evolutionary, rather than

revolutionary." That's how Michael Moodie, NLS research and

development officer, characterizes NLS's latest plans for the

inventory control and repair of its playback machines.

Moodie's comments reflect those of the NLS Implementation Study

Advisory Committee in response to the latest report by ManTech,

a contractor that recently completed a study of the

distribution, repair, and inventory control of audio playback

equipment. The contractor identified machine repair as a major

factor. Last spring the committee concluded that centralizing

machine repairs in one or two facilities would be expensive and

that other approaches might produce effective solutions. The

committee asked the contractor to provide more data supporting

the need for change and to recommend options.



ManTech report

In its report for this year's meeting, held at NLS on February

13-14, ManTech indicated that improvement is needed, citing its

work with twenty volunteer repair groups. The contractors tested

forty machines repaired by each group against draft standards

recently developed by NLS volunteer repair organizations--
Telephone Pioneers and Elfuns--and machine-lending agencies

(MLAs). Of the 800 machines tested, only 58 percent were found

to meet the standards. To explain this relatively low

percentage, Moodie cited the "huge growth" in the number of

cassette book machines in use in recent years, noting that these

machines require more and more-difficult repairs than record

players do. In addition, until now there have been no general

repair standards.

     ManTech offered three options for improving machine repair:

establishing a centralized facility run by hired staff;

developing a set of twenty to thirty regional facilities staffed

by volunteers; or strengthening the current decentralized system

of some three hundred volunteer repair groups.



Committee recommendations

After discussing the costs and effort required for each option,

the committee supported enhancement of the current,

decentralized repair system and used ManTech's findings to

suggest ways to improve the system's performance. One concern is

already being addressed with the development of the

machine-repair standards. Beginning this spring, five volunteer

machine-repair sites will begin using the standards, with NLS

engineers providing training and support.

     The committee explored other ways to improve machine

repairs, including increased involvement of NLS with repair

groups, an independent quality check of repaired machines, and

an increase in the quantity of test equipment and materials

supplied by NLS.

     The committee suggested that, while strengthening the

current decentralized system, NLS might also encourage the

growth of any groups that show an interest in accepting more

work, eventually consolidating the repairs at a smaller number

of sites. That measure would decrease the expense and staff time

needed to provide the level of support called for by the study.

     On other topics, the committee suggested that inventory

control could be improved by increasing the use of such

technologies as telecommunications and barcoding, tightening

guidelines for borrowing of machines by institutions, and

initiating more aggressive procedures for retrieving machines

from patrons who leave the system.

     The committee also discussed parts of the ManTech report

that covered many of last year's recommendations detailed in

_News,_ Vol. 25, No. 2.



Six-year study concludes

With the conclusion of ManTech's contract at the end of March,

the NLS study, begun with a survey of baseline costs in 1989, is

complete, although recommendations and procedures will continue

to be explored by NLS staff. NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke

thanked all the members of the advisory committee, who worked

with NLS in studying the reports generated by ManTech and whose

guidance led to the design of a centralized braille distribution

system and other improvements in the NLS system.

     "We greatly appreciate all the effort and insight

contributed by members of the advisory committee," he said.

"They have added enormously to the study process, helping to

craft practical solutions that benefit consumers and are usable

at network libraries."

     Four members of the committee have served since the

beginning. They are network librarians Sue Murdock, Richard Peel

(now retired), Joyce Smith, and Margaret Wolfe.



(Committee members in attendance:

Aloma Bouma, National Federation of the Blind; Jim Johnson,

COSLA; Barbara Mates, ASCLA; Sue Murdock, Northern Conference;

Richard Peel, Western Conference; Jennifer Sutton, American

Council of the Blind; Guynell Williams, Southern Conference;

Margaret Wolfe, Midlands Conference



Members unable to attend:

Thomas Miller, Blinded Veterans Association; Joyce Smith,

Subregional libraries)

                              ###



AFB moves to new quarters



The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), one of the founders

of the talking-book program and a major producer of talking

books, has moved to a new workplace in midtown Manhattan, New

York City, after sixty years in the Chelsea district. The

45,000-square-foot facility is located on the third floor of a

twenty-three-story building in Penn Plaza, across the street

from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, one of New York

City's primary transportation hubs.

     The fully accessible quarters contain offices; an

information center; and AFB's complete audiotape production

operation, which occupies nearly one-third of the total space.

"AFB has shown its continuing commitment to the talking-book

program by devoting financial resources to the design and

construction of state-of-the-art studios and duplication

facilities," says Jim Rossi, vice president of Talking Books and

Information Services.



Office areas

Visitors to the new plant enter a reception area that contains

Helen Keller memorabilia. Keller's desk, chair, Bible, brailler,

and other office fixtures are on display, as well as her many

medals and citations, including a 1955 Academy Award for a

starring role in the feature documentary _Her Story._

     Exhibit cases along the main hallway house items that

recount the nearly seventy-five-year history of AFB. Among the

artifacts is a time capsule left by Helen Keller containing a

wire recording of the opening ceremony for AFB's original

building.

     The main office area consists of a long hallway with

independent office units along one side and cubicles along the

other. The floors throughout the area are carpeted. Cut-out

squares at corners expose the wooden floor beneath to serve as

tactile guides, alerting visually impaired visitors to hallway

intersections.

     The information center offers tables and carrels for

walk-in patrons to use while doing research on nonmedical

aspects of blindness and visual impairment. Computers with

adaptive equipment are available to access on-line

bibliographies and other resource listings. Compact shelving

contains the M.C. Migel Library--more than 37,000 books,

periodicals, dissertations, reports, and other resources.

Shelves also house the Helen Keller Archives, containing

photographs, personal material, mementos, and rare books.

     Four conference rooms allow for staff gatherings, board

meetings, and other functions. The main meeting room is equipped

with indirect lighting, an expandable table, and

teleconferencing capability. 

     The facility uses motion-detector light switches to save

energy and employs card-reader security technology to protect

staff and materials.



Production area

The audiobook production facilities are laid out to allow smooth

movement of people and materials. For the first time, all phases

of AFB's talking-book production are located under one roof. "We

expect the more efficient flow-through of materials to give us a

much easier, smoother operation," says Gerry Nigro, acting

director of the Talking Books Department.

     Eight state-of-the-art recording studios serve as the heart

of the talking-book production program. Each acoustically

independent studio is lined with six-inch insulated walls that

dampen outside noise, and the entire studio area is surrounded

by six-inch sheetrock walls that further eliminate extraneous

sounds. Individual thermostats allow narrators to control

ventilation and temperature in each booth according to their

needs. At one end of the studio area, monitors and reviewers

check narration tapes for artistic and technical quality. A

collection of reference books at the other end of the unit gives

narrators quick access to sources that aid in correct

pronunciation.

     Next door to the studio, staff members perform quality

checks on narration tapes. Tapes then move to the next

production step located in the duplication area. Thirty

duplicating units copy open-reel tape that is then loaded into

cassette shells. The duplicating area also contains an archive

room and an in-house technical repair shop. Around the corner

from the duplication equipment, tables and shelves are set up to

allow for packing and storage of cassette books ready for

shipment. Mailbags and tubs and other materials are moved

through a freight elevator near the shipping area.

     The new work area was designed by the Keir Handman Group of

New York. An open house is scheduled for late May.

(photo caption: Reception area in AFB's new New York City

facility.)

(photo caption: A collection of Helen Keller memorabilia is

displayed in the AFB reception area.)

(photo caption: Frances Levine, technical proofing manager

(above), monitors an AFB audiobook recording. Technician Isaac

Taft (right) prepares one of the thirty duplicating units.)

                              ###



Telephone Pioneers honored at Great Hall gala event



"We are gathered this evening to pay tribute to the Telephone

Pioneers of America, who for the past thirty-five years have

spent countless hours repairing more than two million playback

machines used by blind and physically handicapped patrons of the

Library of Congress's talking-book program, called the National

Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped," said

Deputy Librarian of Congress Dr. Hiram Davis in addressing a

gala reception in the Great Hall of the Library's Thomas

Jefferson Building on March 28.

     Continuing his remarks to approximately 200 guests

representing the Telephone Pioneers, the national

telecommunications industry, the Congress, the Library, NLS

staff, and the NLS network of libraries, Davis said, "The

National Library Service has grown because of continued

congressional support of reading programs for citizens who are

handicapped and because of the support of the Telephone Pioneers

of America, without whose tireless efforts the Library could not

continue the talking-book program.

     "The Telephone Pioneers of America, with a membership of

more than 875,000 former and current telecommunications

employees in the United States and Canada, is the largest

industry-related volunteer organization in the world. It has

provided funding and volunteers in support of the many

educational needs of our society and continues to enhance the

lives of all Americans through national and community projects.

     "To give you some idea of their enormous national

contribution to the National Library Service for the Blind and

Physically Handicapped, just consider this fact: between 1980

and 1993, the Pioneers voluntarily repaired 1,093,352 playback

machines--a private sector contribution valued at more than

$54.6 million dollars. The Pioneers continue to provide expert

repair and maintenance service for the more than 757,600

cassette players and 231,391 record players in circulation

today.

     "On behalf of the Library of Congress, I am honored to

present this award plaque to Don MacKenzie, president of the

Telephone Pioneers of America," Davis concluded.

     After receiving the engraved brass plaque mounted on a

walnut base, MacKenzie thanked Davis and the Library of Congress

on behalf of the Telephone Pioneers for their tribute.

     Davis introduced Kenneth Jernigan, president of the Friends

of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in

North America (Friends) and president emeritus of the National

Federation of the Blind (NFB), who spoke of the importance of

the Telephone Pioneers' volunteer machine-repair efforts in the

context of what that effort means to the 750,000 patrons of the

talking-book program. He lauded NLS as a vital part of the lives

of blind people and said, "I commend the work of the NLS

program, its staff, and its director."

     Euclid Herie, vice president of the Friends and president

and chief executive officer of the Canadian National Institute

for the Blind (CNIB), also made brief remarks, describing in

some detail his experiences in providing talking-book services

in Canada and how the Telephone Pioneers have made a difference

in the lives of Canadians who use the services.



_Answering the Call_

_Answering the Call: Telephone Pioneer Talking-Book

Machine-Repair Program 1960-1993,_ a new NLS publication,

describes the development of a nationwide network of repair

workshops staffed by volunteers who are members of the Telephone

Pioneers of America. It tells how Pioneers began repairing

machines at the request of the Library, when staff repair of

machines proved impossible. The book's authors are Ruth Nieland

and George Thuronyi, writer-editors in the NLS Publications and

Media Section.

     _Answering the Call_ is a record of that work and a tribute

to the Pioneers' dedication. The book contains photographs of

Pioneers at work and describes development of the program up to

the establishment of regional coordinators in 1993.

     The book is available from the NLS Reference Section.)

(photo caption: Don MacKenzie, president of the Telephone

Pioneers of America, accepts a plaque from Dr. Hiram Davis,

Deputy Librarian of Congress. At the right MacKenzie displays

the plaque, which recognized the Pioneers' thirty-five years of

service to NLS, and accepts the applause of the event attendees.

Photographs by Yusef El-Amin.)

                              ###



Minnesota library celebrates completed expansion



Outdoors it was gray and gloomy, but inside the atmosphere was

filled with laughter and warmth as more than 350 people gathered

to celebrate the rededication of the Minnesota Library for the

Blind and Physically Handicapped (MLBPH) in Faribault on April

12.

     "It was a warm, family-type affair with people visiting

from all over the state and lots of laughter as the background

`music' for everyone," says Nancy Walton, library director. "Old

friends and first-time visitors enjoyed meeting the library

staff and touring the library to discover what we do to bring

books to their homes by mail."

     The rededication was held in the Minnesota State Academy

for the Blind to enable all students to attend. The library

shares the campus of the Academy and serves as the school

library. Speakers included Bill Asp, director of library

development and services in Minnesota; Debra Wasserman, chair of

the MLBPH Patron Advisory Committee; Elaine Sveen,

superintendent of the Academy; and Nancy Walton, library

director. Myrna Wright, MLBPH library director from 1972-1993,

was the guest of honor.

     The highlight of the program, according to Walton, was a

song written and performed by the Academy choir, who wrote new

words to the tune of "I've Got Shoes." Their rendition of "I

need books, you need books, all of us people need books" was

accompanied with props such as discs, cassettes, and braille,

and by bongo drums. Everyone walked back to the library through

the drizzle for the ribbon cutting, refreshments, and library

tours.

     The celebration culminated a year of construction that

brought the collection together in one building for the first

time in more than twenty years. During the construction, the

library remained open, and patron service continued despite

noise, dust and dirt, lack of restrooms and running water,

temporary doors, and constantly moving staff and material as all

areas of the building underwent changes. The library collection

of more than 200,000 items was rearranged and reorganized as the

braille and cassettes housed in Dow Hall were moved into the new

library stacks. 

     The Academy also endured all the inconveniences and "all

the fun" of the major construction, according to Walton.

"Students and staff were sidewalk superintendents and awed

observers of the construction process." The Academy provided the

library staff with much-appreciated restrooms, quiet conference

space, and an air-conditioned refuge during the summer.

     The finished library is larger and more convenient that the

previous facility. The 20,900-square-foot building includes

nearly 9,000 square feet of new space on two levels. The

remodeled and expanded reading room features a new entrance,

browsing collections of braille and cassette books and braille

magazines, and a private listening room.

     On the lower level, the collection is shelved by media, in

book number order, and retrieval is much faster than before.

Two-thirds of the new area is filled with compact shelving

(bringing total compact shelving to half the lower level) with

the rest engineered for future expansion. Only the cassette

collection extends to the first floor, where the newest

cassettes are shelved.

     On the first floor, staff work areas were expanded,

painted, and rearranged to make better use of space; the

recording booth was moved into the audio-visual area; and

equipment for the volunteer recording program and cassette

duplication was upgraded. There is now a fax machine in the

library to receive customer requests, and staff have dial-in

access to the Internet. The entire building is air conditioned.

     A new sculpture is installed on the west side of the

addition. "Octopus and Ice Cream," by Stanton Sears and Andrea

Myklebust, was acquired through the Minnesota Art in Public

Places program of the Minnesota State Arts Board, with

additional funding from the MLBPH gift fund. Art from the 1959

building, a sculpture wall featuring cut-out shapes of animals

and plants, has been reinstalled at the new library entrance.

     Extensive landscaping has been added around the library.

Plants were selected for their interesting scents, says Walton,

and for their "pleasant sounds in the wind."

     Information for this article was provided by Nancy Walton,

Minnesota regional librarian, Faribault.

(photo caption: Cheryl M. Peterson, data processing coordinator

and audio-visual unit lead worker for the Minnesota regional

library, tests new recording equipment.)

(photo caption: The front entrance of the Minnesota regional

library with new wing at the right.)

                              ###



Network exchange



Nevada

The regional library in Carson City has produced a new brochure

called "Talking Books" describing services available, materials

provided, eligibility criteria, and the areas served by the

regional library and by the subregional in Las Vegas. The cover

of the attractive, hot-pink brochure features a new logo with

the sun rising over the mountains, a cassette, and the Library

of Congress seal superimposed over an outline of the state.

     Two recent newspaper articles also featured the library.

One dealt primarily with volunteer services, including those of

the Sierra Nevada chapter of the Telephone Pioneers, who

maintain the more than 2,500 machines available for patrons. The

other featured the newly established recording operation, which

began this year to provide books on Nevada history and _Nevada

Magazine._ The recording program has taken two years to

establish, following the 1993 installation of a recording booth

purchased with federal grant money. The subsequent time has been

used to purchase equipment (about $20,000 worth) and to recruit

and train volunteer narrators, monitors, and reviewers.



New York (Suffolk County)

The Suffolk Cooperative Library System, which includes Talking

Books Plus, the subregional library, is cosponsoring a series of

five community forums on rights and responsibilities under the

Americans with Disabilities Act, services available through

independent-living organizations, and services provided by

libraries. The other sponsor is Self-Initiated Living Options,

Inc. (SILO), Suffolk's independent-living organization.

     The forums are being held at public libraries throughout

the county during April, May, and June. All locations are

wheelchair accessible. Sign-language interpreters and an

assistive-listening system are available.



New York (Albany)

The regional library, formerly called the New York State Library

for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, has changed its name to

the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library. The name

change, which focused on the inclusion of "talking book" as part

of the title, was considered by individual patrons, the Consumer

Advisory Committee, members of the New York State Board of

Regents, the Office of Cultural Administration, State Library

executive staff, and library staff.

     Jane Somers, regional librarian, says that reactions to the

new name have been uniformly positive.



Hawaii

An official dedication ceremony was held in October for the

expanded Radio Reading Services Hawaii. On the recommendation of

the advisory committee, an additional hour has been added to the

morning programming and two more hours in the evening. With more

than 100 people in attendance, a brief program, which gave a

history of national and local reading services, was broadcast

live to highlight the event.

                              ###



Canadian National Institute for the Blind Library



The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Library,

formerly the Canadian Free Library for the Blind, became a

division of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in

1918. It provides a national mail-order library service and

transcription services (textbooks and related material) to more

than 16,000 registered users and produces books and documents in

alternative formats for government agencies, libraries,

businesses, and educational institutions. The Library also

supports the educational, employment, and recreational needs of

its users. It has a specialized print and audio collection on

blindness, visual impairment, deaf-blindness, and

rehabilitation. It also serves as a resource center for staff

and volunteers. 

     Library services for visually impaired people in Canada are

funded solely by charitable donations. The demand for these

services will continue to grow, as will the technological

changes in computers and telecommunications. However, due to the

recessionary financial climate and the competition among

agencies for these funds, the library has been compelled to

"reposition itself." (1) In 1991, under the guidance of Rosemary

Kavanagh, executive director, the library board developed a

strategic five-year plan, _Crossroads 1993-1998,_ in response to

the change in consumer needs and information services and the

reallocation of funds.

     The new goals are the following:

--- Expansion of service beyond leisure collections toward

comprehensive access to information resources to students,

academics, professionals, employed persons, and the retired

elderly community.

--- Positioning of the library as a partner and supplier of

alternate-format materials and access services to institutions

that advocate and market the requirements of the blind

information consumer in a competitive environment.

--- Resolution of duplicate and overlapping services between the

CNIB Library and other publicly funded institutions based on

established standards.

--- Emphasis on partnerships and networking to assure the range

and depth of information resources and promote awareness and

cooperation among Canadians, other institutions in North

America, and inter-nationally.

--- Addition of products that recognize the trends in service

and information needs and ensure that the blind consumer

receives all the advantages of new developments in a timely

manner. (2)

     The Information Resource Centre (IRC) was opened in June

1994 to address these goals. Billing itself as a "library

without walls, it offers state-of-the-art electronic technology

that allows user access to electronic databases from home or

office and access to resources at other libraries." (3) At

present, the IRC is equipped with a Kurzweil Reading Edge

scanner with voice and braille output connected to a computer.

It also has four computer workstations equipped to provide voice

and braille output that allow for access to electronic

newspapers and job posting, CD-ROM dictionaries and

encyclopedias, and related resources. One of these workstations

has large-print magnification. This equipment provides for the

quick production of information in audio, braille, and

computer-diskette format.

     CNIB has taken the lead in defining its clients as

"consumers who need to place equal value on quality, accuracy,

and time-liness of a product." (4) Toward this end, the IRC is

in partnership with the North York Public Library and the

University of Toronto Business Library so that requests for

information beyond CNIB's basic collection are appropriately

answered. The IRC receives a request and forwards it to the

appropriate library, which sends the response back to IRC for

production in the client's choice of alternate format within a

few days of the initial request. By sharing responsibility with

public-sector libraries and networking with them, the IRC is

able to provide comprehensive and equal access to information

professionals and resources within the community. The

combination of technological changes and partnership with other

service providers broadens the information resources available

to visually impaired Canadians.

     This article is from a report of a visit to the Canadian

National Institute for the Blind Information Resource Centre on

September 26-28, 1994, by Ruth Nussbaum, NLS reference

librarian.



Notes

1. Kavanagh, Rosemary, presenter. _Supporting blind people in

education and employment._ Paper presented at IFLA 60th General

Conference, August 21-28, 1994, Havana, Cuba. p. 5.

2. _Crossroads 1993-1998: a strategic plan for the CNIB Library

for the Blind._ Toronto: CNIB, 1993. p. 12.

3. "A library without walls: the CNIB Information Resource

Centre (IRC)" (flyer), n.d. 1 p.

4. Kavanagh, Rosemary. p. 13. 

                              ###



International briefs



Australia

Louis Braille Books has won the 1994 TDK Australian Audio Book

Award for Blanche d'Alpuget's _White Eye: A Novel,_ narrated by

Australian actor Beverley Dunn. The entry scored 92.4 percent,

the highest score ever, and was the third straight win for Louis

Braille Books. The National Library of Australia's publication

_Link-Up_ heralded the impressive win with the heading, "It's a

hat-trick!"

     The unabridged novel runs twelve hours on eight cassettes.

Louis Braille Books has been producing audio books for libraries

since September 1993.

     The award is sponsored by TDK (Australia) Pty. Ltd. and

administered by the National Library, which is advised by an

award committee and three judges representing publishers and

booksellers, audio specialists, and consumers.



Australia (New South Wales)

The number of library patrons rose to 7,822, according to the

1993-94 annual report of the Royal Blind Society, including 630

from South Australia. Circulation was 183,361 talking-book

titles, 3,256 braille books, and 1,415 braille magazines. The

Audio Production Unit copied 156,753 cassettes, adding 264 new

titles for a total of 6,280 titles available. Contract

recordings earned $116,140, up from $82,462 the previous year.

Sales to public libraries yielded $27,059, up from $11,403 in

1992-93.

     The Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind and the Royal

Blind Society reached agreement with an English publisher of

full-length audio books to purchase submasters and reproduce

them in talking-book format.

     Additionally, the Round Table on Reading Materials for

People with Print Disabilities published an updated version of

its standards for audio production entitled Sound Advice.

     For more information, write Royal Blind Society of New

South Wales, 4 Mitchell Street, Enfield, NSW 2136; fax (02)

747-5993.



New Zealand

On December 6, 1994, the New Zealand Parliament passed a

copyright act containing ground-breaking copyright exemptions

for the production of special-format materials for people with

impaired vision or a physical handicap that prevents use of

print materials. The bill took effect on January 1, 1995, and

gives blanket permission for blindness agencies, including

for-profit groups, to produce braille and other special-format

materials without infringing copyright.

     Conditions for reproduction of literary and dramatic works

include that reasonable effort be made to obtain a modified copy

within a reasonable time and at an ordinary commercial price,

and that copies be provided only to people with a print handicap

as defined in the legislation. The copyright holder must be

notified, and charges, if any, should be no more than the cost

of production and a reasonable contribution to general expenses

of the producer.

     The revision of copyright legislation was prompted by

obligations under the recent General Agreement on Trade and

Tariffs (GATT). In lobbying for the clause on special-format

material, one tactic was to send the submission of the Royal New

Zealand Foundation for the Blind to members of Parliament in

braille, with a covering note in print offering to fax a print

copy.

     Says Tony Cooke, manager of transcription services for the

Foundation, "[It was] much as blind people had to go to extra

effort to read print. Quite a number of MPs did, indeed, request

print copies, which majored on the human rights aspect: the

right of people who are vision impaired to read commonly

available material without anyone, including the author, being

able to refuse this right."

                              ###



Kormann takes charge of materials development



On February 6, 1995, Wells B. "Brad" Kormann assumed his

position as chief of NLS's Materials Development Division (MDD).

As head of one of the two major NLS divisions, Kormann oversees

selecting, cataloging, and producing the books and magazines

that comprise the NLS collections; designing, producing, and

maintaining equipment; ensuring the quality of all NLS products;

and distributing these materials to the NLS network and

associated agencies. Besides supervising the activities of six

NLS sections, he manages a staff of six within the division

office.

     MDD staff work closely with the Network Division (Miriam

Pace, chief), which is responsible for providing consultant

services and assistance to the network of 142 cooperating

libraries around the country. The chiefs of these two divisions

serve on management-review teams for all NLS activities.

     Prior to his appointment at NLS, Kormann served for six

years as a program manager with the Naval Air Systems Command,

where he directed centralized teams of engineers, attorneys,

logisticians, and other functional specialists through the

life-cycle procurement of multimillion-dollar avionics

equipment. Earlier, he served as an engineer and assistant

program review officer in the same organization. He provided

computer-aided engineering and budgetary analysis for

multimillion-dollar weapons products.

     "I had a long career in the military. It had an important

mission, and I believe that NLS also has a very important

mission," says Kormann.

     The new MDD chief further explains, "My first direct

experience with the talking-book program occurred when my

grandfather became blind at ninety-seven. He had been a

political science professor at Bryn Mawr College (Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania), and he was very sharp intellectually, but had no

way to read books except through the talking-book program. The

program provided a valuable service to him and kept him going

until he reached 100."

     Kormann is a 1975 engineering graduate of the United States

Military Academy at West Point, New York. He holds a master of

arts degree in human resource management from Pepperdine

University and a master of business administration degree from

Duke University. He is also a graduate of the Defense Systems

Management College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

(photo caption: Wells B. "Brad" Kormann. Photo by Marita

Clance.)

                              ###



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, Margaret Cytron, Robert Fistick, Ruth

Nieland, and George Thuronyi





*** 6/1/95 (gft) ***