Wolfner News Fall 2007 

Notes from the Director: Federal Funding and the Digital Transition

The National Library Service (NLS) requested that the United States Congress approve $19.1 million this year to launch the transition to digital talking books. The House Appropriations Subcommittee originally recommended only $7.5 million for the program, but the full committee increased the budget to $12.5 million, still only about two-thirds of the requested funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee matched the House Appropriations amount of $12.5 million, though Senator Mary Landrieu has pledged to try to amend the bill on the floor to add the additional $6.6 million. Recently, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan sent a letter to Senator Landrieu that advocates for Wolfner and supports this funding. A copy of the letter is attached below.

Because of the funding insufficiency, there may be a shortage of players. We are working on a plan to implement a distribution of digital machines and books that is fair to all patrons. Program rules require that veterans be offered Digital Talking Book Machines (DTBM) first. Presently, we are considering a lottery system where interested patrons in good standing will have a chance for a new digital machine after veterans are served.

A bright spot in the current fiscal shortfall is that Wolfner Library is one of eight libraries in the country selected to participate in a prelaunch test of the digital machine. In May 2008, we will receive 500 new machines to send to patrons with heavy reading habits so they can give the machine a workout. This is a precursor to the 1,000 machines we expect to have in the summer of 2008.

The transition from audio to digital is due to begin in eight months, and 2008 promises to be an exciting year for Wolfner Library patrons!

Richard Smith, Director

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Maybe you’ve just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (RC 64495, BR 17210), the seventh and final book in the wildly popular Harry Potter series, and you are feeling kind of glum because there isn’t another installment in the life of Harry to look forward to. Or perhaps you are still on the waiting list for the book, and would welcome something to read until it arrives in your mailbox. Here are some suggestions for books similar to Harry Potter that may help you pass the time:

• Eva Ibbotson writes fantasies with a touch of humor. Try The Secret of Platform 13 (RC 46606), which features a secret entrance to a magical island from which an infant prince is kidnapped, and a band of rescuers trying to get him back before time runs out. Recommended for grades 4-7.

• Diana Wynne Jones has written many humorous books featuring wizardry and magical kingdoms. Try Jones’ The Dark Lord of Derkholm (RC 48321), in which the wizard Derk enlists the help of his wife and family in stopping the evil Mr. Chesney from destroying his world, or Archer’s Goon (RC 24268), in which 13-year-old Howard learns that he is adopted and that a power-hungry wizard wants something from his father. Recommended for junior and senior high readers.

• Jenny Nimmo’s Children of the Red King series starts off with Midnight for Charlie Bone (RC 59154), in which 10 year-old Charlie discovers his magical abilities and is sent to school at Bloor’s Academy. Recommended for grades 5 -8.

• Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series begins with Mister Monday (RC 57998), in which seventh grader Arthur Penhaligon is given a special key that seems to trigger many strange events. Recommended for grades 5-8 and older readers.

• There are over 30 books in Terry Pratchett’s humorous Discworld series, beginning with The Color of Magic (RC 60775). This fantasy satire series set on a flat world features a large cast that includes inept wizards, aging barbarians, crabby clowns and Death, who really isn’t such a bad guy, once you get to know him. Recommended for senior high and older readers.

• Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series begins with The Golden Compass (RC 44343), in which 11-year-old Lyra, unaware of her true identity and importance, searches for her kidnapped friend and her uncle who has been imprisoned. Recommended for junior and senior high readers.

• The Amulet of Samarkand (RC 58011), Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, finds 12 year-old apprentice magician Nathaniel summoning a demon to steal an amulet. Recommended for junior and senior high readers.

• A young man named Henry enters a school for young wizards as the 113th recruit, despite a lack of magical talent, and must stop an evil wizard in Wizard’s Hall (LP 791) by Jane Yolen.

To find additional similar books, read the “If You Loved Harry” bibliography on our web site at www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/bibliographies/ifyoulovedharry.asp or call us to order a copy.

Elizabeth A. Lang, Special Services Librarian

Digital Book Players and a New Grant Progeam

The FREE National Library Service (NLS) digital book players will be available in May 2008 and will be distributed to all Wolfner patrons over several years. There will be commercial options for buying your own digital player.

Currently, the only commercially available digital talking- book player able to read a NLS digital book is the Victor Reader Stream made by HumanWare, which costs $329. Others will surely follow, and hopefully a basic, more affordable machine will be manufactured, as we know that for many of you cost can prohibit the purchase of assistive technology.

Fortunately, Wolfner patron Franklin Johnson reminded us that the Missouri Council of the Blind (MCB) has a new grant program beginning in October 2007 to help people who are blind and visually impaired purchase adaptive equipment. Applicants for the grant need not be a member of MCB, but must complete an application form and furnish a quote for the cost of the device as well as proof of legal blindness. For those who receive the grant, the program pays half the cost of adaptive equipment over $100.

You can download an application for the grant program at the MCB web site at www.missouricounciloftheblind.org or call them at 1-800-342-5632 for additional information and assistance with your application.

From the Editor's Desk: Creative Nonfiction

Many people feel that nonfiction books are boring and not worth spending time reading. That may have been true years ago, but a new movement called “creative nonfiction” is turning that dry old textbook-style nonfiction tome into a thing of the past.

What is creative nonfiction? It is a genre of skillfully written nonfiction that holds the reader’s attention the way a good fiction book can. Early examples of books written in this style are Helter Skelter (RC 36994) by Vincent Bugliosi, about the Manson murders, In Cold Blood (RC 22726) by Truman Capote, about the murder of a Kansas family, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (RC 49089) by Robert Pirsig, about a cross-country motorcycle trip.

Many bestsellers of recent years are written in this style, often on topics you would expect to be dull, such as Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief (RC 48462), about orchid collecting and cultivation, and Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss (RC 58442, BR 15421), about the importance of proper punctuation.

There have been some scandals in the creative nonfiction world, with critics contending that the field is prone to fabrication for the sake of spicing up the subject matter. Perhaps the best known controversy surrounded James Frey’s autobiography, A Million Little Pieces (RC 56290), in which he described events that he later admitted never happened, but included because they made for riveting reading. Indeed, his book was an Oprah pick and a bestseller until his lies were exposed, after which he was dropped by his literary manager, lost a two book publication deal and was publicly rebuked by Oprah. Obviously, Mr. Frey was a little too creative with his nonfiction.

Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at writing creative nonfiction. If so, you’ll find help in the book On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction (RC 10112). If you are interested in writing about your life, try the advice of a book such as Turning Memories into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories (RC 61546).

You can learn more about creative nonfiction in The New New Journalism: Conversations with America’s Best Nonfiction Writers on Their Craft (RC 61180), or online at The Journal of Creative Nonfiction at www.creativenon fiction.org.

Elizabeth A. Lang, Special Services Librarian

Web-braille: University Sports Schedules

University students are back in class, which also means that many university sports have started up again! Did you know that you can find sports schedules for your favorite teams in web-braille format on the Wolfner web site?

The University Sports web-braille page at www.sos.mo. gov/wolfner/webbraille/sports/sports.asp provides links to web-braille formatted schedules for several of Missouri’s university sports teams. On the University Sports web-braille page, selecting the link to a schedule will either open the web-braille file or allow you to download it for later use. That way, you can be sure that you won’t miss a single game played by your favorite university team this school year!

Elizabeth A. Lang, Special Services Librarian

Wolfner Library Patron Survey: 2007 Results Summary

As you may recall, a patron survey was included with the Summer 2007 edition of the Wolfner News. As of August, just over 700 surveys had been returned to Wolfner Library, which is about seven percent of those sent out.

While many of you told us that you choose all of your own book titles yourself, a majority of you who ask us to choose for you say that the titles we select are excellent or very good.

Results show, 64 percent of you believe that our service for problems with machines is excellent or very good. Further, 76 percent report that the number of books we send is just right, and 85 percent feel that the speed with which we get books to them is just right.

About four percent of you say that you get books from places other than Wolfner, with RFB&D being the most popular alternative, along with several mentions of local public libraries.

We are happy to note that 90 percent of you say that contacting us is very easy or easy and 91 percent feel that the courtesy of Wolfner staff is excellent or very good. Overall, 93 percent of you feel that Wolfner Library services are excellent or very good, and not one single person rated services as poor!

We also received many delightful and helpful suggestions and comments. We would like to thank all of you who sent us a completed survey, and we look forward to sending the next survey in 2009!

Elizabeth A. Lang, Special Services Librarian

Magazine Corner: Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind

Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind is a monthly magazine that reprints general-interest articles from national newspapers and magazines such as The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Time, Smithsonian, Parade, Wired, Oprah and The Saturday Evening Post. Articles cover a wide range of topics, such as health, travel, humor, music and sports. Available free of charge to people who are legally blind, it is published in braille, on cassette, online and by e-mail. To subscribe, visit www.matildaziegler.org, call 1-212-242-0263 or e- mail blind@verizon.net.

Searching Our Online Catalog: Subject Headings

Have you ever wondered what subject headings we use when we catalog books? Many of you who use the online catalog ask us how to find those subject headings so you can search the online catalog using them. To find a list of subject headings, go to Wolfner's online catalog’s Basic Search screen at wolfpac.sos.mo.gov/klasweb/.

First, select "subject" from the search index choices, then press the "browse index" button. This will give you an alphabetical list of the subject headings we currently use. On the Basic Search screen, typing a letter in the "search for" box will provide a list that starts with the subject headings beginning with that letter.

Nancy Doering, Youth Services Librarian
Cheryl Hassler, Reader Advisor