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WOLFNER NEWS

Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped

Summer 2003
Jefferson City, MO

Notes From the Director

Wolfner Advisory Council

The Wolfner Advisory Council (WAC) is in the process of being reconstituted. The new council will be similar to other councils appointed for the Secretary of State’s Office. As in the past, four appointees will represent four organizations on the council. The National Federation of the Blind in Missouri shall appoint one member. The Missouri Council for the Blind shall appoint one member. The Commissioner of Education and the Director of the Department of Social Services will each be asked to appoint a representative. Secretary of State Matt Blunt will appoint eleven members. The next meeting of both old and new WAC members will be November 15, 2003 in Jefferson City.

Outreach

The emphasis of Wolfner’s outreach this fiscal year will be in demonstrating our online public access catalog, WolfPAC, to Wolfner patrons and interested community members such as social workers, teachers, librarians, activity directors, and others who work with Wolfner patrons. We will partner with Missouri public libraries that have public access computer labs to allow hands-on training in the use of WolfPAC. This collaboration will benefit both institutions. Wolfner patrons will learn how to order books, send name and address changes to library staff, and search for author, titles or subjects of books for loan. Public librarians will be able to show Wolfner patrons what computer resources are available at their local library.

Demonstration Schedule and Sites

Look for us in your area this coming year!

Richard J. Smith, Director

Missouri Audio Books

Wolfner Library is preparing to install a recording booth in the State Information Center, where Wolfner is located. Secretary of State Matt Blunt submitted a request for funds from the Wolfner Trust Fund interest monies, and the legislature approved it for the 2004 fiscal year. The National Library Service (NLS) specifications have been submitted for bids to companies who custom design such booths. The company that wins the bid will then work with a Missouri Office of Administration staff person, and Bill West, audio engineer from NLS, to design a booth that will be specific to Wolfner needs.

Once the booth is complete, special software, designed by Bill West for Network Libraries, will be installed. The software was developed by Telex for digital recording by volunteers. When the booth is operational, staff members from NLS will present a workshop at Wolfner for volunteer narrators, monitors, and reviewers. The first book taped will be a Lewis and Clark book, which should be ready for distribution by January 2004, the beginning of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial year.

Having such a booth in the library will allow Wolfner to make Missouri materials available to patrons. Most of the reading material in the library comes from NLS, and they tape books for national distribution. Therefore, books of great interest to Missourians, but not necessarily citizens of other states, are seldom taped. Volunteers will now be taping, in the library, books by Missouri authors, books about the state, and books with a Missouri setting.

Wolfner expects to have the booth in operation by this fall.

Please Return Books:
Just a friendly reminder, books are on loan for six weeks. Please return your books on time so that others may also enjoy these items.

Magazines

If you have a subscription from us to Family Circle, Family Handyman, Forbes, Guideposts, Harvard Men’s Health Watch, New Yorker, Oprah Magazine, or Timely Topics, please read it right away and return it. Unlike subscriptions through the National Library Service, we do not have one copy of these magazines for each subscriber, so the magazine does need to be returned to us so we can pass it along to the next person in line. Magazines that must be returned to us will come in a container with a reversible mailing label. Thank you for your cooperation.

Magazine Change
The Travel Holiday magazine ceased publication with the June 2003 issue. In its place, the National Library Service will offer an audio version of Travel + Leisure, beginning with the July 2003 issue. Readers who were receiving Travel Holiday will automatically receive Travel + Leisure. Other interested patrons may order Travel + Leisure by calling your Reader Advisor at 1-800-392-2614.

Final Magazine Note
Sometimes we do not receive our recorded version of the Wolfner-circulated magazines until several months after the print copy is available. Please accept our apologies and we appreciate your patience.

NFB-Newsline News

The St. Joseph News Press is now available through the NFB-NEWSLINE service. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this addition a reality. Remember, if you are a registered Wolfner Library patron you qualify for this toll-free newspaper service which uses a synthesized voice to bring you papers from around the United States. In addition to the St. Joseph News Press, the following Missouri newspapers are also available: Saint Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Jefferson City News Tribune, and the Columbia Daily Tribune. If you would like to sign up for the NFB-NEWSLINE service, call your Reader Advisor.

Here are more answers to frequently asked NFB-NEWSLINE questions. For further information, contact Debbie Musselman at 1-800-392-2614.

Q: I have forgotten my password and security code. What should I do?
A: Give us a call at 1-800-392-2614 and we will be happy to look up the information for you.

Q: Is there an instruction guide available?
A: Yes, give us a call and we can send the guide to you in large print, braille or recorded format.

Q: I have somehow sped up my Newsline voice and cannot slow it down. What should I do?
A: Call the NFB-NEWSLINE number, 1-888-882-1629, and enter first your six-digit code when the voice pauses, then enter your four-digit code after the voice pauses again. Next press 3 for Local Papers, then 1 for the first paper, then 1 again for the latest edition. Press 11 to enter an article, then keep pressing 7 until the voice slows down to the desired speed. If you are still having troubles, give us a call and we will gladly slow the voice down for you.

Wolfner-Owned Cassette Additions

We recently added the following radio plays and dramatizations to our collection. These materials can be played on a commercial cassette machine or on the standard C-1 cassette player. Unfortunately, they cannot be played on the E-1 Easy cassette machine. Remember, if you are playing them on the C-1 machine, you must change the speed control from 15/16 to 1-7/8. To request any of these titles, call, mail, fax or email Wolfner Library and we will be happy to send them to you. A complete listing of our radio plays and dramatizations is available upon request.

WolfPAC Note: A Subject search of “Dramatization” will list other radio series and commercial titles you can borrow.p

Print/Braille Books

For the past year and a half, Wolfner volunteers have been making print/braille books for young patrons. Print/braille books are designed to be used by sighted and visually impaired persons reading together. They are children’s picture books to which braille is added. At Wolfner, volunteers braille the text on transparent adhesive paper, then cut the paper in strips and put them on the corresponding page in the book.

The project began in April 2002, with a goal of doing 100 books in one year. At the end of that first year, 118 books had been completed. By July of 2003, 175 books had been brailled. Some need to be pasted up, but it is still a remarkable feat.

This is due to the dedication of some wonderful volunteers. Rita Lynch has done the majority of the brailling. Betty Walker, Velma Johnson, Susan Ford and Judy Redlich have also brailled. Dennis Miller and Zeze Miller have done some proofreading. Lucille Whitaker, Linda DeWeese, Ann Miles, Diana Luethje, Neva Thurston, Lynn Simmons and Martha Sapp have all read books to the braillers, and some have helped paste them up.

The project is ongoing, and is enhancing Wolfner services by making many more books available in this format than has been possible before.

WolfPAC Note: On our online catalog, submit a subject search of “Wolfner Volunteer Print Braille” to get a listing of all Wolfner-produced print/braille books.

New Recommending Reading Lists Available

The following bibliographies and mini-bibliographies have been produced since the last newsletter was released. If you would like to receive a copy of any of these recommended readings, please call the library at 1-800-392-2614, write us a note, or, if you’d like to join Wolfner’s electronic distribution list, send an email to wolfner@sos.mo.gov. The bibliographies can also be viewed on our web site at www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/readerservices.asp.

General
Car Adventures
Chocolate Lovers Delight
High Flying Fiction

Humor
It’s a Family Affair

Inspirational
Books about the Bible
Inspirational Works for Protestants
Inspirational Works for World Religions

Just Good Books: No Theme
Carol’s All-Time Favorites

Missouri Interest
Missouri Authors

Mysteries
Gardens and Gumshoes Galore

Nonfiction: Biographies
First Families
Villains, Villains, and More Villains

Nonfiction: Financial
Concerns
Consumers Beware

Nonfiction: Other
Lewis and Clark
Horse Power-Beyond Seabiscuit
Rock ‘n Roll

Poetry
A Sampler of American Poetry

Romance
More Romances from Carol
Only a Summer Love

Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Legendary World of King Arthur

State Program Offers Adaptive Internet Access to the Disabled

Missouri Assistive Technology has a program called Telecommunication Access Program for Internet, or TAP-I. This program provides basic Internet access to eligible Missourians who already own a computer and have an Internet service provider. The goal of the program is to make the Internet accessible to more people who have disabilities. The program will provide, at no cost, software or hardware to provide basic Internet access for an individual based on his or her physical needs. The program will not purchase computers, scanners, embossers, or any other adaptive equipment that is not necessary for basic Internet access.

Some examples of the type of equipment provided by TAP-I are screen reader software to read aloud the information on the computer screen; software to magnify the information on the computer screen; and alternative keyboards for those who are unable to use a standard keyboard.

To qualify for the TAP-I program:

If you would like an application for the TAP for Internet program, or if you have questions, call Missouri Assistive Technology at 1-800-647-8557. Wolfner Library has applications and the recorded text of the application available for patrons. However, questions about the program should be directed to Missouri Assistive Technology at the above phone number.

Books in Series

If you would like to receive a particular series in order, just call your reader advisor at 1-800-392-2614, who will add the series to your reading interest. Then the computer will automatically keep track of which books you have had in that series and will send you the next book in sequence when you return one. If the computer has sent you a book other than the first one in a series and you would like to start at the beginning, call your reader advisor to arrange to have that series sent to you in order as well.

WolfPAC Note: Advanced search allows you to search for series. To list the titles of Christina Dodd’s Governess Bride series, select “series” as the Criteria 1, type in the word “governess”, and hit the Submit Search button to retrieve the titles.

Patron Survey Results

  Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
1. Book titles we select for you 353 657 538 104 26
2. Number of books we send to you
554
378 494 76 21
3. Speed with which we get books to you
766
623 323 41 17
4. Complete and condition of the books you receive
672
688 350 62 3
5. Quality of the equipment service
848
615 237 27 7
6. Ease of contacting us
1007
537 173 15 4
7. The Wolfner News newsletter
586
213 343 27 12
8. Courtesy of library staff
1167
417 133 5 0
  Improved About the Same Worse Fair
9. We changed to a new computer system in November 2002. Have you noticed any difference in our service to you? 438 1111 21 1
  Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
10. Overall rating of Wolfner Library services 583 554 125 8 0
  Yes No  
11. Do you have access to and use the internet? 458 805
  Yes No No, but I'd like to learn how
12. Do you order books using our Online (Internet) catalog? 66 1436 219

Wolfner Reader Advisors contacted all persons who returned a questionnaire with a fair or poor response. In addition to getting your input, which helps us improve service, the questionnaire allowed us to tweak individuals’ computer profiles to match their needs.

If you’re not happy with the titles the library is sending, please call us at 1-800-392-2614 and speak with your Reader Advisor to adjust the type of books you receive.

A big thank-you to all who responded to our recent survey on Wolfner Library service!

Wolfner News is a quarterly publication of the Office of Secretary of State.

Matt Blunt
Sara Parker
Secretary of State
State Librarian

WOLFNER LIBRARY STAFF

Richard Smith Director of Wolfner Library richard.smith@sos.mo.gov
Debbie Musselman

Public Services Librarian

 debbie.musselman@sos.mo.gov
Lisa Sanning Reference Librarian, Editor
Nancy Doering Youth Services Librarian nancy.doering@sos.mo.gov
Bonnie O'Donnell Administrative Aide bonnie.odonnell@sos.mo.gov
Archie Andrews Machines Coordinator archie.andrews@sos.mo.gov
Deborah Stroup Volunteer Coordinator deborah.stroup@sos.mo.gov
Paul Mathews Reader Advisor A-Co paul.mathews@sos.mo.gov
Susan Higgins Reader Advisor Cp-G susan.higgins@sos.mo.gov
Ginny Ryan Reader Advisor H-L ginny.ryan@sos.mo.gov
Cheryl Hassler Reader Advisor M-R cheryl.hassler@sos.mo.gov
Carol Mathews Reader Advisor S-Z carol.mathews@sos.mo.gov
Ericka Alten Reader Advisor Institutions  

WOLFNER LIBRARY IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(CLOSED FOR STATE HOLIDAYS)

Toll-free within Missouri (800) 392-2614
Jefferson City Area (573) 751-8720
Toll-free TDD (573) 347-1379
E-mail address wolfner@sos.mo.gov
WWW Homepage http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner
WolfPAC http://wolfpac.sos.mo.gov/klasweb