BOOKBAG
South Dakota State Library
Braille and Talking Book Library
Summer 2008, Volume 3, Issue 1
*Remember*
Remember to order audio, large print and braille textbooks for the 08/09 school year and return all books used during the 07/08 school year or earlier.Call Karen with questions: 1-800-423-6665. Visit website at: library.sd.gov/b&tb


Notes from the Director
Dan Boyd
In October of this year I will be retiring from the South Dakota State Library, Braille & Talking Book Program. Thirty two years ago when I was hired, the SD State Library was located in an old grocery warehouse and the Braille & Talking Book Program was located across town in an old lumberyard building. The Braille & Talking Book Program building was cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The lighting was so bad that there were places in the stacks where a flashlight was needed to read the book numbers on the containers.

The South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Program used to be the talking book program for North Dakota when the majority of the audio books were on records with the older part of the collection recorded at 16 2/3 rpm and the newer part of the collection recorded at 8 1/3 rpm. The agreement between the two states continued until 1995 when North Dakota established the newest braille & talking book program in the country. Also new was the transition from records to cassettes. Beginning in the early 1970’s, cassette books were recorded on two tracks 1 7/8 ips. This was soon followed by the new four tack cassette book recorded at 15/16 ips.

The change to the four track cassette allowed for six hours of recording on each standard 90 minute cassette tape. At the same time, the South Dakota program also held a braille book collection. This continued until 1973 when a decision was made to drop the braille collection and contract with Utah to provide braille service to South and North Dakota patrons.

At the start of our program there was no automation for record keeping purposes and it would take the Reader Advisors three to four hours each day to prepare about 250 – 300 patrons for service and then three to four hours to re-file the patron records after circulation. Pulling the requested books from the shelves was also a very time consuming job taking four or more hours each day to mail 300 – 400 cassette books.

In the early 1970’s, discussions began on the building of a new SD State Library Building. The new building was completed in 1976 with federal funding through the Library Services and Construction Act.

digital player Now that we are in the 21st Century, progress continues on the conversion from cassette to digital format. Due to funding shortages, the timetable for initial distribution of the books and players has changed. Here’s how things stand right now.

Five thousand digital players will be produced by the end of 2008. These players will be tested by users in 8 states (unfortunately South Dakota is not one of the states). Once these prototype players are tested, any necessary changes will be made and the player will go into general production. The first players for distribution will be received sometime in 2009. At this time, we expect to receive approximately 25 players per month for the first year. Under federal law, veterans receive preference when distributing the players.

If you haven’t indicated your interest in receiving a new digital player, call the library 1-800-423-6665 and ask to be placed on a waiting list, Once veterans have received their players, others on the list will receive players based on how many books they receive per year. The goal is to make the players available to those who read the most.

All digital titles currently can be downloaded from the NLS BARD database. To download and listen to the titles, users must have high speed Internet access, an e-mail address, and have use of a digital player. Currently 3 players will play the downloaded titles and are available for purchase: For more information on purchasing any of these players contact the vendors. For information on accessing the NLS BARD database, contact the SD Braille & Talking Book Library 1-800-423-6665.


Please Pass it Around
Feel free to share this newsletter with co-workers, friends, and relatives who may find the information we provide interesting and useful.


Illustrated Tactile Alphabet Flashcards from NBP
Contains 26 plastic cards and a braille alphabet guide. Each contains an image with its corresponding letter. $22.00 For use with ages 4-8. To see a sample card or to order online from National Braille Press, visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/FLASH.html


Summer Reading Awards Program
The 2008 Governors Summer Reading Program culminated with an awards event on August 16th in De Smet South Dakota at The Ingalls Homestead. Three first place and four second place winners and their families attended the event. Plaques were presented by Dan Siebersma, South Dakota State Librarian and assisted by Dan Boyd, Director of Information Services at the State Library. MJ Knobe Executive Director of the Lion’s Foundation presented a $50 savings bond to the top reader overall in the braille and recorded format. Rachael Johnson was the braille recipient and Sarah Dolney won in recorded books. Ann Lesch presented the winners with tickets for a guided tour of the Ingalls Homestead. This tour by Lesch took place with the winners and their families at the conclusion of the awards program.

“Catch the Reading Bug” was the theme of this year’s program. This program is sponsored by the Braille and Talking Book Library. It ran from June 9 through July 18, 2008. The annual event is in its eighteenth year and is supported by the South Dakota Lion’s Foundation. Sixty students participated in the program and 481 books circulated. The participants could only use recorded books or braille books for the program. Mary Sjerven of the Braille & Talking Book Library is the program coordinator.

This year’s winners include, Division 7 to 9 recorded books, first place went to Jennifer Busch and second place went to Emily Busch. Rachel Johnson won first in Braille books and Marcus Van Dam won second. In the 10 to 12 age division recorded books, first place winner was Jordan Harkless, second place went to Ashley Schmit. The Braille winner was Michael McMillen. In the 13 to 15 year old recorded book division, first place went to Sarah Dolney, second place to Rachael Jorgensen and thirdplace went to Derek Nieland. There were no braille participants in this division.


CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology)
CAST has created UDL Editions, special books in English and Spanish that are designed to help individuals, especially those most at risk, to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for reading. These editions feature classic texts from world literature in a flexible online interface that provides just-in-time, individualized supports for struggling readers, and added-value features that engage novice and expert readers alike.

The goal of education in the 21st century is not simply the mastery of knowledge. It is the mastery of learning. Education should help turn novice learners into expert learners—individuals who know how to learn, who want to learn, and who, in their own highly individual ways, are well prepared for a lifetime of learning.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that addresses and redresses the primary barrier to making expert learners of all students: inflexible, one-size-fits-all curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners with disabilities are most vulnerable to such barriers, but many students without disabilities also find that curricula are poorly designed to meet their learning needs.

Diversity is the norm, not the exception, wherever individuals are gathered, including schools. When curricula are designed to meet the needs of the broad middle—at the exclusion of those with different abilities, learning styles, backgrounds, and even preferences, they fail to provide all individuals with fair and equal opportunities to learn.

Universal Design for Learning helps meet the challenge of diversity by suggesting flexible instructional materials, techniques, and strategies that empower educators to meet these varied needs. A universally designed curriculum is designed from the outset to meet the needs of the greatest number of users, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes to curriculum unnecessary.

CAST has also developed the Strategy Tutor, a tool that enables teachers to create Web-based assignments with reading supports and tools for students. For more information about CAST and UDL visit www.cast.org.


Be Prepared - “ICE” your mobile phone
ICE, an acronym for “In Case of Emergency”, is entered into a mobile phone user’s address/contact book as the “In Case of Emergency” contact. Originally established as a nation-wide campaign in the UK, ICE allows paramedics or police to be able to contact a designated relative/ next-of-kin in an emergency situation.

A person designated as the ICE contact should be informed that they are a contact and be informed of all relevant information for treatment such as allergies to medicine.

More than 200 million mobile phones are in use today in the United States. Many people leave the home without identification, but nearly everyone, including teenagers, carries a mobile phone with them. Steps to ICE your phone:
  • Open up your address book in your phone
  • Create a new contact
  • Contact name should be ICE
  • Enter in Contact’s phone number
  • Affix an ICE sticker to your phone.
The ICE sticker is a red vinyl sticker 1” in diameter with the letters ICE in bold. The words “Contact Available” and “In Case of Emergency” are also displayed. Red, being the universally accepted color for emergency and distress is high impact and will draw attention. The 4 mil thick vinyl stickers are designed to withstand the high use characteristics of the mobile phone. The sticker adheres to the back of the phone (most commonly on the battery pack) and serves as a visual alert that the individual has established an “In Case of Emergency” contact listed inside the phone. The ICE sticker is available online at www.icesticker.com.


Are the kids interested in Olympics?
Here are a few books that might continue their interest past the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing from August 6th - August 24th and into the 2008 Summer Paralympics which last from September 6 through September 17th.
  • RC 50066 Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion by Russell Freedman
    Newberry medalist Russell Freedman recounts the history of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who dreamed of being a star athlete as a child and went on to win Olympic gold.

  • RC 50298 The Story of the Olympics by Dave Anderson
    Traces the history of the Olympics from its beginning in 776 B.C. to modern times. Relates stories about medal-winning athletes who participate in events such as track and field, gymnastics, swimming, diving, figure skating, skiing, and speed skating.

  • RC 52748 The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers
    Newbery Honor author Walter Dean Myers combines facts of Muhammad Ali’s boxing career with historical details of the politically and racially charged atmosphere of the United States in the 1960’s and ‘70’s.

  • RC 56862 Special Olympics by Mike Kennedy
    Short history of Special Olympics--the winter and summer athletic games held every four years for competitors and explains how these special participants are chosen.

  • RC 57864 / SDBA0013 On the Court with... Shaquille O’Neal by Glenn Stout
    Describes the life and career of the basketball superstar and center for the Los Angeles Lakers up until the 2002 season. Tells how O'Nealbecame a professional player winning many awards and championships, including a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 1996 Olympics.


State Library to provide online access to trusted encyclopedia
The South Dakota State Library announced today that it will provide World Book’s World Book Web free to school, public and academic libraries throughout the state.

Developed by the makers of The World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Web allows users to tap into a wealth of reliable information. The online content is constantly updated and can provide multimedia resources to further enrich learning.

“While search engines lead users to a huge quantity of information, the quality isn’t always there,” said South Dakota State Librarian Dan Siebersma. “The information in World Book Web comes from a trusted source, and we know that it has been thoroughly researched and validated. That’s especially important when you’re talking about academic research at any grade level.”

With the new online resource, students and teachers will be able to access three age-appropriate tools: World Book Kids for early learners, World Book Online Reference Center for mid-level students, and World Book Advanced for older students and adults. Additionally, World Book Web includes both French- and Spanish-language online encyclopedias for native and second-language learners and access to selected magazine articles, e-books, primary sources, teacher resources, and student activities.

The decision to provide statewide access to World Book Web furthers the South Dakota State Library’s strategy of offering convenient online access to core library resources. “We’re pleased to be able to provide this resource to school and local libraries,” Siebersma said. “As with many of our electronic resources, these organizations don’t have the funds to do this on their own. So it’s an area we can be of great service to them and to constituents across the state.”

In addition to being available on computers within schools and libraries, World Book Web also is available to library patrons from home with a valid library card from a South Dakota Library Network member library.


World Book Encyclopedia Articles in Braille
The Rose Project through Seedlings Braille Books For Children is offering a service to send you World Book Encyclopedia articles in braille - free of charge. Thanks to a generous grant from the Claire Giannini Fund, students in grades 1-12 can order an article by contacting Seedlings toll-free at 800-777-8552 or by completing the order form online at http://www.seedlings.org/rose.php.


Free Rice!
FreeRice.com is an accessible online vocabulary game where you raise money and fight world hunger. The site presents you with a word and four definitions. If you select the correct definition, the United Nations donates 20 grains of rice. Visit www.FreeRice.com to help your students and children expand their vocabulary and help those in need!

“A simple way to bring kids to the Internet for a good reason, a way to feed their minds and . . . to feed a whole lot of people . . . helping fight world hunger, one grain of rice at a time. ” - NBC Evening News

Sports
The South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library now has braille copies of the 2008 National Football League schedule. Request by phone or mail.


Hadley Basketball Project
from APH News: June 2008

The Hadley School for the Blind is collaborating with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to create an audible basketball for individuals who are blind. The engineering students working on the project would welcome feedback to survey questions from visually impaired individuals who have an interest in such a basketball.

Please contact Mitchell Thomas, who is leading the project team, at thomasm4@rose-hulman.edu.


Newly received non-fiction audio books
  • RC 64706 Seeing Things My Way by Alden R. Carter
    Second-grader Amanda describes how she and other visually impaired students use various equipment and methods to learn in the classroom and at home.

  • RC 65106 Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff and others
    Set in Kenya. Describes the unlikely friendship between Owen, a baby hippo, and Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise. Explains their use of gentle nips and nudges and rumbling vocal calls to communicate.

  • RC 65581 Should I Play the Piano? By Nicola Barber
    Explains how a piano works, what types of music can be played on it, and who some of the famous players are.

  • RC 65537 Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas; Twenty-one Activities by Laurie Carlson
    Biography of Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American inventor of the phonograph, electric light bulb, and many other technological advances. Covers his boyhood, love for scientific experiments, setbacks and successes, and final years. Includes activities related to Edison’s projects.

  • RC 65556 The Asthma Update by Alvin Silverstein and others -Discusses the history of Asthma and explains its symptoms, causes, treatments, and prevention. Includes personal accounts from sufferers, some of whom are athletic champions.

  • RC 65060 From Steam Engines to Nuclear Fusion: Discovering Energy by Carol Ballard
    A concise history of energy theory and the related chain of discoveries from the earliest forms of energy generation in ancient times to the ongoing scientific breakthroughs of the modern day. Includes a time line and information on key inventors and scientists.


Give your children only the thoughts that shall keep their lives sweet, sane and strong - Helen Keller

FamilyConnect™ - online resource for parents of children with visual impairments
In May, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) launched FamilyConnect™, a new online resource. This site allows parents and caregivers to access age-specific information for their children with visual impairments. It also is a place to connect with other families through the message boards, video profiles and parent perspectives to find support through other parents of children with visual impairments. FamilyConnect™ holds important information on education through the news and announcements section and helps parents and caregivers to locate services and events.

Visit www.FamilyConnect.org to learn more.


Utah State Library
South Dakota patrons who read braille books are served by the Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled. The Governor of Utah recently announced that all state agencies will change their schedule to work Monday through Thursday, 7am to 6pm Mountain Standard Time, and will close on Fridays. This schedule began August 4th. To order braille call 1-800-453-4293 or email requests to blind@utah.gov.


The BOOKBAG, published quarterly, is our means of communication with parents, teachers, and schools that utilize textbooks and educational materials in alterative format. The BOOKBAG is available in Braille, on cassette or on a diskette upon request and is posted on our website: http://www.sdstatelibrary.com/b&tb/

If you have any questions or comments you would like to address, or wish to request this newsletter in alternative format, please contact the Braille and Talking Book Library.

The South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library does not endorse any product or service listed in this newsletter.

- Karen Duenwald, Educational Materials Coordinator, Editor