Talking Book News 1030 North 32nd Street • Phoenix, Arizona 85008 Phone: (602) 255-5578 Fax: (602) 255-4312 Outside Phoenix area: 1-800-255-5578 e-mail: [email protected] Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
ARIZONA STATE BRAILLE & TALKING BOOK LIBRARY A Division of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Volume 34, No. 4 December 2004 New Computer System in Place no longer have to phone us each time you want As you read this, the Library will havejust com• the next book in the series you are reading. pleted the installation of an entirely new com• It will take all of us some time to be• puter system, which, as you know, involved come completely comfortable and efficient suspending regular service to patrons for two with the new system, especially since most of weeks while all the files were converted and us used the old system for many, many years. transferred and staff trained to use the new Old habits are hard to break, but bear with us system. Our original computer system was · and we' I I be up to speed in no ti me .. installed in 1982 and upgraded many 1 Thanks.for your support and understand• times over the years, but in the past ing and have a very happy holiday season. few years it became apparent that it was time for us to make a complete . · \~ Talking Book Bestsellers change. On September 30, the end of our fed• We purchased the new system . · ~~ era I fiscal year, we again had the from Keystone Systems in Raleigh, /' chance to see what our most popular North Carolina, and it was especially books were for the last year by designed to serve talking book libraries. looking at the total circulation of In fact, we joined 60 other regional and sub• each title in our collection. We like to look at regional talking book libraries using the Key• both the general collection of books that come stone System (KLAS). from the National Library Service and at our We now have many capabilities that we locally recorded Arizona books to see what's didn't have before, so we can provide better been popular with our readers. service, more tailored to each reader's needs. Sometimes when we publish this list of One stellar improvement is our ability to list bestsellers our patrons request some or all of all your favorite authors on your file, so be sure the titles listed. There's a pretty good chance to let your reader advisor know who those that you may have already read some of these authors are. We can also exclude authors so books, especially since some were on last if you have a few authors you really dislike we year's bestseller list too (listed with an asterisk . can now ensure you won't get any books by after the book number), so you might want to that author. We will also be able to send you double check with your reader advisor unless books in the correct series order, so you will you don't mind having the same book twice. 1 The most often circulated book from NLS Western Union by Zane Grey - was The Cottage (RC53988) by the perenni• AZC2499 ally popular Danielle Steel, and close behind, A Race for Glory Run by Franklin to nobody's surprise, was The Da Vinci Code Barclay - AZC2586 (RC55735) by Dan Brown. We sti II have many· Spirit of the Mountain Man by William patrons on the waiting list for The DaVinci W. lohnstone- AZC2306 * Code in spite of owning 36 copies of this book. Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel - Here are the remaining best sellers from NLS: AZC2524 King of Torts by John Grisham Destination Tombstone by Edward RC55167 Schieffelin - AZC2512 * Life of Pi by Yann Martel - RC54950 They Left Their Mark: Heroes and The Girl From Montana by Grace Rogues of Arizona History edited by Robert J. Livingston Hill - RC52056 * Farrell -AZC2497 * Chesapeake Blues by Nora Roberts - Outlaw Mountain by J. A. Janee - RC55052 AZC2509 Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet All My Rivers Are Gone: A Journey of Evanovich - RC55055 Discovery Through Glen Canyon by Katie Lee Pursuit by Lewis Patten - RC55108 -AZC2566 Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch It's interesting that just one non-fiction in the American Southwest by Sandra Day book appeared on the NLS bestseller list but O'Connor - RC53655 * four made the Arizona list. Otherwise the lists A Painted House by John Grisham - show the usual popularity of westerns, mys• RC51331 * teries· and romance ·stories.· There are more The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout - than ten books in each list, but there were ties RC55309 so we decided to just list both titles. Enjoy! Bishop in the West Wing by Andrew Greeley - RC55002 Friends, Bashas' and You Our locally produced Arizona Books You can help our Friends group, Arizona also deserve bestseller status and the most Friends of Talking Books, raise money for new popular among them was When We Went first digital recording equipment in our library by Class (AZC2440) * by Ellen Williamson fol• joining Bashas'Thanks a Million for Friends & lowed by the charming These Is My Words Neighbors program. The next time you shop (AZC2519) *by Nancy E. Turner. Completing at a Bashas' store just tell the cashier to enter our top 10 list of Arizona Books are: the number 23664 on your Thank You Card . . The Lawless Land by Dusty Richards - Bashas' will contribute 1 °/o of the total dollars AZC2484 * .. attributed to that number (23664) to our
TALKING BOOK NEWS is published by the Arizona State Friendsgroup. The Friendsare working to raise Braille and Talking Book Library Division, Arizona State $50,000 to replace our old analog recording Library, Archives & Public Records, Director: Linda Mont• . equipment with the new equipment needed gomery and Editor: Sandra Everett. for the upcoming transition to a digital format. Please help the Friendsand the Library by sign• 1030 N. 32nd Street ing up and asking your friends and neighbors Phoenix, Arizona 85008 602-255-5578 to sign up too. The program will run through 1-800-255-5578 March 31, 2005. Thanks a million! 2 Mayle's French Lessons:Adventures with Knife, A Holiday Feast of Good Books Fork, and Spoon (RC52170) and A Goose in In the midst of this serious baking, cooking Toulouse (RC52188), describing the people and eating season, it may seem a bit of over• and cuisines of author Mort Rosenblum's ki II to also read about food, but you can save adopted country. these books until after the holidays and savor Arizona author Virginia Rich started the them at your leisure.. No refrigeration required! trend of culinary mysteries back in 1982 with The Library has many cookbooks, but this The Cooking School Murders (RC21819), a column will explore different sorts of books good story with a few recipes to sweeten the about food where recipes are not the priority. pot, and Nancy Pickard continued the series M.F.K. Fisher set the standard for food writing after Ms. Rich's death. Her latest is The Secret and we have several of her books in our col• Ingredients Murders (RC53049). lection including Dubious Honors (RC29478) Other mystery writers recognized a good and The Art of Eating (RC54667). Other inter• ploy when they saw it and the culinary mys• esting culinary books are The Man Who Ate tery genre was born. Some of the best series Everything (RC46513) by Jeffrey Steingarten, are Diane Mott Davidson's mysteries featur• who became the food editor of Vogue maga• ing caterer Gold Bear, which began (for us) zine in 1989, A Cook's Tour: In Search of the with Dying for Chocolate (RC52160); the Perfect Meal (RC5404 7) by executive chef "Body" booksby Katherine Hall Page that star Anthony Bourdain, and Third Helpings Faith Fairchild, starting with The Body in the (RC19559), a comic search for out-of-the-way Belfrey .(RC31471); and Mennonite innkeeper gourmet paradises by Calvin Trill in. We have Magdalena Yoder my~te~ies written by Tamar two books by Jane and Michael Stern, famous Myers that debuted with Too Many Crooks for their promotion of American food both past Spoil the Broth (RC49800). One more not-to• and present - Square Meals (RC22847) and miss mystery series with recipes is written by Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs Joanne Fluke whose stories center around Min• (RC57410). There are also a couple of books nesota bakery owner Hanna Swensen. Start about how foods got their names, Ladyfingers with The Strawberry Shortcake Murder and Nun's Tummies (RC45628) and Eat Your (RC53725). Words (RC49276). The latter is intended for a There are a few more series that feature younger audience but is interestingnonetheless. food but don't include recipes. Phyllis Tea has been a popular beverage in Richman created Chas Wheatley, a restaurant America since before the Revolution and the critic who dabbles in solving mysteries,includ• custom of high tea is seeing a bit of a revival ing The Butter Did It (RC45793). The classic in some hotels. You can learn about the his• Monsieur Pamplemoussebooks are being re• tory and romance of tea by reading A Time for issued in omnibus format by the National Li• Tea (RC34266) by Michael Goodwin and add brary Service beginning with Volume 1 to your knowledge with James Pratt's The Tea (RC57661), or you could read some of the Lover's Treasury (RC19740), which includes original single-title versions such as the series sections on tea utensils and tales of the tea beginning, RC31829. Monsiuer Pample• trade. Finish off your exploration of the topic mousse is a police inspector-turned-food-critic with The Afternoon Tea Book (RC25682) and ably assisted by his bloodhound, Pommes try some recipes essentialto serving tea in style: Frites. You will also enjoy The Woman Who The Library has two fairly recent books Walked into the Sea (RC36500), the first of about the pleasures of French cooking - Peter 3 Philip Craig's mysteries set on Martha's Vine• affect economies that are receiving the influx yard and featuring J. W. Jackson, an ex-cop of jobs? who likes to cook. Nan and Ivan Lyons also *China - What strategies can China write mysteries with a flair for food including adopt to sustain its economy while meeting Someone Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe , the needs of its people? (RC14459), and we can't omit mention of Rex *Sudan's Crisis in Darfur - What role Stout'sgreat gourmand Nero Wolfe, whose en• will the international community take in re• joyment of good food is legendary. NLS is solving the Darfur crisis? What role should steadily releasing new recordings of these old the U.S. play? favorites and you might want to sample Final * Global Poverty Gap - What can be Deduction (RC55541) or Might As Well Be done to narrow the global poverty gap be• Dead (RC55005). tween poor countries and rich countries? We hope you will relish some of these tasty * Middle East - How will a demo• books and don't forget you can also subscribe cratic Iraq relate to its neighbors and regional to Bon Appetit magazine just by cal Ii ng us. partners? Does the Iraq experiment create the potential for other Middle Eastern governments Great Decisions 2005 to adopt democracy? Beginning in February, discussion groups will * Global Water Issues - What poli• come together across the country to discuss cies should be adopted to ensure water qual• foreign policy issues defined by the Foreign ity? What international governmentswill make Policy Association through their Great Deci• the greatest impact on improving water gov- ernance? · sions program. This library will again record the Great Decisions briefing book so that you may be part of a discussion group in your News You May Use neighborhood, but the articles in the briefing The Library will be closed Friday, December book are quite interesting to read even if you 24 for Christmas and Friday, December 31 for are unable to participate in a discussion group. New Year's. We will have very limited staff We treat Great Decisions as a magazine sub• and no mail delivery on Monday, January 17, scription with just one issue per year, so if you Martin Luther King's Birthday and Monday, have received it in the past we wi 11 send·you February 21, President's Day. an issue this year too. If you would like to Nearly all federal government publi• subscribe to Great Decisions give us a call. cations regarding Social security and Medi• Topics that will be discussed in February: care benefits, including the new drug dis• *U.S. Intelligence - Are U.S. intelli• count cards, are available in large print, on gence agencies out of date dealing with post• cassette or Braille and can be ordered by cold-war realities? Are the recommendations calling· 1-800-633-4227. The pamphlets of the 9/11 Commission adequate? cover many Social Security and Medicare * Russia - Are Putin's reforms a step topics and representatives are available to backward for Russian democracy? How will help you find the information you need. Russia overcome the real challenges of terror- ism and a struggling economy? Talking Book News is also available in braille, on *Outsourcing Jobs _What effectsdoes cassette as part of Newsletters Unlimited, and on our web site at lib.az.us/braille/. If you would like outsourcing really have on economies that are t . th' tt tt · b ·11 . . . o receive 1s news 1 e er on casse e or in rat e, sending jobs overseas? How does outsourcing please call 602-255-5578 or 1-800-255-5578. 4 . Jeanie Pawlowski, Volunteer Coordinator Volunteer News
Volunteer Recognition at reach volunteers will receive training from Jill ) Phoenix Art Museum Bartlett, BTBL Outreach Librarian, and have lots of advance notice on the scheduling of } Mark your calendars. Our date is set for Sat• events. If you are interested cal I or e-mai I urday, March 12 and the location for our an• Jeanie, 602-255-5578, jpawlowwlib.az.us. nual volunteer recognition event will be the Phoenix Art Museum. This is the only oppor• tunity we have during the year to bring all Helping Get the New Computer volunteers together to celebrate the success System Working of the service provided by the Arizona Braille Special thanks go to volunteers Lois Brock, and Talking Book Library. We hope that all Billie Levine, Joan Miller and Pam Sweany for volunteers can set aside a few hours to join putting on a different hat from th_e one they us and meet othervolunteers and enjoy good usually wear at the library. These ladies regu• food, a patron speaker who will discuss how larly volunteer in the recording studio. On Oct. talking books have had an impact on their 18 & 21 they answered phone cal Is, lots of life, 1,000 hour awards and a short or long them. To begin training on our new computer time viewing the museum collections. Indi• system (related article is on page one of the vidual invitations to volunteers will be sent newsletter) al I staff needed to attend two ba• in the mai I a month before the event. We hope sic introductory sessions.The library remained to see you there. . open at that ti me so someone was needed to answer phones. This is critical since so many New Volunteer Opportunity - patrons request books over the phone. The vol• Help Us Spread the Word unteers stepped in and did a great job. If you enjoy meeting with people and spread• " ing the word about the services offered by Machine Volunteers Keep the Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library, Patrons Reading you might want to consider becoming an out• How does the Arizona Braille and Talking Book reach volunteer. This is an opportunity to meet Library keep its 10,000 plus talking book ma• face to. face with people who need our ser• chines in good working order? Largely through vice. We are seeking at least two volunteers, the efforts of volunteers. Fifty-two volunteers· one living in the east valley and one living in repair machines at six locations. During the the west valley, who can attend health fairs past year these dedicated volunteers repaired or other networking events and share i nfor• 3,240 cassette machines and 1,076 amp mation about the Talking Book Library. Out- boards.
5 Many of our repair volunteers are mem• request. Copies are not put into the col fection bers of a group called The Telecom Pioneers or circulated to other patrons. of America. The Telecom Pioneers are retirees Susan is motivated to record books first from any of the telephone companies. They by her love of reading. She recalls that as a volunteer a huge amount of time to national very young child she was thrilled when she programs like talking books as well as to many learned to read. She al so has a nephew who focal programs. Other individuals who are not lost his eyesight in his twenties due to diabe• Telecom Pioneers join the repair groups be• tes. She wants to share her lifetime enjoyment cause of their skillor interest in repairing equip- · of reading with people faced with visual dis• mentor working with their hands. abilities. She wants to be a part of a program In addition to the repair volunteers, four that makes reading available to people like her volunteers come at least one day each week nephew. She also has particular empathy for to the library to assist our two machine staff in people with disabilities because she herself is a variety of ways. They clean, quality check disabled and knows the difficulty that can and box machines for patrons and public li• entail. braries. They have sent 2,425 machines this Initially Susan volunteered as a studio year. Thanks go to all the machine volunteers reader for another program producing text• for the tremendous service you provide. books but she was looking for a change of en• The machine section is always ready to vironment. Her neighbor mentioned that her welcome new volunteers because of the con• mother used talking books so that was how tinual volume of work. Experienced volunteers Susan learned of the Braille and Talking Book train new volunteers and work closely with Library. The opportunity to record from home them until the repair process is mastered. was a great fit as Susanwas facingsome limi• Anyone who would I ike to volunteer in this tations from her physical disabilities. area can e-mail Jeanie at jpawlowclib.az.us Home narrators, Susan notes, get some or call 602-255-55 78 to get started. really challenging things to read. Often the books are self-published or of very specific Volunteer of the Quarter interest. She laughs as she says Susan Cain is a home narrator, one "you send me the weird est ones" like the of a small group of only three. Home Pass-Insurance or narrators, as the name denotes, pro• Book UFO/s What on Earth duce recorded projects at home. is Happening but she al so says Most of you are probably somewhat every project contains some• familiar with our studio recording thing of interest and provides program where volunteers record an opportunity to learn. Her fo• cus is always to fulfill a specific patron request. full length books that become part of our per• Another challenge with home recording is manent library collection .or magazines that finding a quiet space. Susan records on a small are circulated within Arizona and sent to other cassette recorder provided by the I ibrary. Her states. Sometimes we receive requests from recording is often interrupted by a ringing tele• patrons that don't really fit into the studio re• phone or a chirping bird or a truck driving by. cording format. These are the requeststhat are She does her best to edit out extraneous hand I ed by our dedicated home narrators.The sounds. She and the two other home narra• home narrators make one cassettecopy which tors have to contend with many variables that is given directly to the patron who made the 6 don't exist in the studio setting. erwise be available. We are pleased to recog• Like many of us, Susan came to Arizona nize Susan as Volunteer of the Quarter. from someplace else. She was born and raised in Illinois. She began learning to play piano at The Hours After: Reading the age five and music remains a life long inter• est. She gained some early experience in Words of a Holocaust Survivor broadcasting through a high school contest. · by Toni Zuccarini Ackley She did a reading audition and was chosen My husband, Karl, and I work as a team re• with two other students each from one of the cording books for the Arizona Braille and Talk• local high schools to have a regular radio show ing Book Library. So far we've completed three which included reading sports scores and se• books, taking turns reading and monitoring: I lecting music of her choice. At the University read one book, and then he reads another. One of Illinois she had a late night jazz program day, Carol, who works with the volunteers, ap• on the college station. proached us about working on a different type After her second year in college Susan left of book; one in which we would both take school to see the world. She traveled exten• turns narrating and monitoring. Intrigued by sively in Central and South America and de• the idea, we agreed. veloped her ability to converse in Spanish, a Once we received the book, The Hours language she had studied in school. She be• After by Gerda Weissman Klein, I was imme• came and remains a fluent reader, writer and diately captivated by it. The book is a memoir speaker of Spanish. As a young adult she lived of the romance between Gerda, a concentra• in both Guatemala and Colombia and says tion camp survivor, and an American soldier, Colombia is the most beautiful country she has Kurt, who helped liberate the building she was seen. She supported herself with many differ• in at the end World War II. The couple saved ent kinds of work. Something she particularly all of their letters, and translated them into enjoyed during those years was taking local English (from German) for the book. buses to travel to remote villages to purchase We noticed when reading the book that native produced crafts. She sold ·these items the Kleins chose to keep many German and through an exporter to the US. Upon return• Polish words in the story, to maintain the at• ing to the U.S., Susan spent many years in mosphere of the time. Unfortunately, neither the Bay Area working in bookkeeping and Karl nor I speak these languages. Happily, Mrs. Klein, who lives in the area, was glad to meet accounting for various businesses. On a visit with us and help us with our pronunciation. to her hometown she reconnected with Ri• I'm a bit shy, and worried that we couldn't do chard Cain, who would become her husband. justice to her book, but I made an appoint• They both wanted to live in a warm climate ment to meet with Mrs. Klein, and off we went. and a place where neither had lived before. What a fascinating conversation! Mrs. Klein They chose Arizona and it has been their home was thri I led to have us working on her book, now for twenty years. and was very complimentary about our ac• Susan's vibrant personality. is reflected in cents. (You'll have to decide for yourself when her reading. She can take even very ordinary you listen!) After going over our list of words, material and make it interesting to the listener. the conversation flowed from current affairs Thanks to Susan and our other two home nar• to historic events to her family and current rators, some of our patrons have been able to projects. One of her previous books, All but enjoy or learn from books that would not oth- 7 · _ . lillill!{ I ilillllll 11111 ll I i ii i Iii 11111 I My Life (AZC2591 ), Which .dealt with her life ago trees were planted in honor of volunteers before and during World War 11, was made into who had given 15 years or more of service at an Emmy-winning documentary, One Survi- the library. At the base of each tree is a small var Remembers. We even got to hold the bronze plaque, not easy to spot until one gets Emmy! (It is just as heavy as it looks.) · close to read the name inscribed. Of the eleven Currently, Mrs. Klein is working with stu- trees growing in this area, seven are in honor dents who survived the Columbine shootings, of talking book volunteers which is an indica- helping them deal with survivor's guilt and the tion of the long time commitment and dedi- loss of their friends. Her experiences help "cation of many talking book volunteers. bridge the generation gap, letting them know Rebecca Hawkins was a studio monitor. The they're not alone in suffering and experiences. other six were machine repair volunteers. If you haven't yet read Mrs. Klein's first Henry "Hobby" Habighorst, Donald De- book, I highly recommend it. In the meantime, Chant, John Thomas, Rufus Burns, Doug my husband and I will do our best to do jus- Shippey and Sebastino "Subby" Rudolfo. tice to The Hours After. (Expectto see the book Doug Shippey continues to repair machines. sometime in 2005.) Deteriorating health or death ended the in• volvement of five men but the trees remain Check Out the Trees a testament to their willingness to make a Behind the City of Mesa Public Library grows difference in the lives of others. a grove of trees. Besides providing needed If you are in the vicinity of the library at shade, these trees stand in recognition of the . 64 E. 1 st St. Mesa, check out the trees. efforts of individual volunteers. Some years . ARIZONA STATE BRAILLE & Free TALKING BOOK LIBRARY Matter for the 1030 North 32nd Street Blind and Handicapped Phoenix, Arizona 85008
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DEPT OF LIB, ·ARCH, & PUB. RE~S GLADYSANN.WELLS STATE CAPITOL 1700 W. WASHINGTON PHOENIX, AZ 85007
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