Connect the Dots ⠉⠕⠝⠝⠑⠉⠞⠀⠞⠓⠑⠀⠙⠕⠞⠎ Newsletter of the South Carolina State Library VOLUME 42 ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2016 Volunteer Spotlight: Staycee Etheredge We’ve had the pleasure of working with one of our patrons, Staycee Etheredge this summer. She is a participant in a program sponsored by the South Carolina Commission for the Blind that helps teens get work experience during the summer. For the entire month of June, Staycee helped us with collection maintenance by pulling worn large print off the shelf and removing the records from our catalog. She has moved hundreds of books while doing this project. She also assisted with inspecting returned digital books and removing old cassette books that need to be sent for recycling. Staycee has been a user of talking books for many years. We remember her as a young child who came to the library for our summer reading parties. We wish her the very best as she goes back to school this fall as a junior at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind in Spartanburg. Thank you, Staycee! P A G E 2 SOUTH CAROLINA AUTHORS AND SETTINGS If you are interested in reading books by South Carolina authors or just reading books set in South Carolina, check out the list below. Sue Monk Kidd: Currently resides in Florida. These books are all set in South Carolina. DB 55533 The Secret Life of Bees DB 60121 The Mermaid Chair DB 78079 The Invention of Wings Pat Conroy: We lost him in 2016, but his books inspired by his life in the South Carolina Low Country will live on. DBC 00088 The Boo DB 30051 The Great Santini DB 23429 The Lords of Discipline DB 25248 The Prince of Tides DB 40753 Beach Music DB 69381 South of Broad Dorothea Benton Frank: Born and raised on Sullivan’s Island. DB 52486 Sullivan’s Island DB 53043 Plantation DB 56900 Isle of Palms DB 59026 Shem Creek DB 61752 Pawley’s Island DB 69787 Return to Sullivan’s Island DB 71519 Lowcountry Summer DB 73375 Folly Beach DB 79566 The Hurricane Sisters P A G E 3 Mary Alice Monroe: Currently lives in coastal South Carolina. The low country is the setting for her books. DB 71556 The Beach House DB 71557 Swimming Lessons DB 83651 Beach House Memories DB 77124 The Summer Girls DB 83241 The Summer Wind DB 83241 The Summer’s End Karen White: Currently resides in Georgia. All her books have a southern theme but her Tradd Street mysteries are set in Charleston. DBC 00007 The House on Tradd Street DBC 00070 The Girl on Legare Street DBC 00071 The Strangers on Montagu Street DBC 00072 Return to Tradd Street STAFF PICKS DB 83306 A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter DB 84103 I Love You, Ronnie: the Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan by Nancy and Ronald Reagan DB 83461 Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success by Michael D’Antonio DB073400 The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry Author: Margaret Maron, Deborah Knott series P A G E 4 VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION On April 20, Talking Book Services hosted its annual volunteer appreciation luncheon to recognize all our volunteers. Our volunteers work many hours assisting us in so many ways. They narrate books for us to record, they assist in editing recorded books, they assist with clerical work, the Telecom Pioneers repair digital players and they even help you directly over the phones from time to time. We honored 49 volunteers who donated a combined total of 1,900 hours of service to the library. Frank Coppell, President of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Federation for the Blind was our speaker. Dr. Marvin Efron with the He thanked the volunteers for their plaque presented at the commitment to Talking Book Services. luncheon. He expressed how much the service has meant to him personally, to his wife and to the thousands of readers in our state. Heartfelt letters from patrons and their family members were also read to highlight how much our patrons love and depend on talking books. We recognized narrators and reviewers who helped to record and edit 14 books and many magazines. In the past year, the Telecom Pioneer group repaired over 1,100 digital and cassette machines. We are fortunate to have interns from several University of South Carolina groups and the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Dr. Marvin Efron, O.D., was specifically recognized for his long term dedication and volunteer spirit. Professionally, as an P A G E 5 optometrist, he has improved the quality of life for a large number of South Carolinians who have benefited from his passion to help people with low vision. He was presented a plague by Cindy Popenhagen, chair of the Talking Book Services Advisory Council and Sandy Knowles, Director of Talking Book Services. The inscription on the plaque read: “In appreciation of his many years as a member of the Talking Book Services Advisory Council and for his dedication to improving the lives of the blind and visually impaired in South Carolina.” Thank you to all the people who make our service possible and who work to improve the lives of all South Carolinians. TIPS FOR MORE EFFICIENT SERVICE We are available to take your calls from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Our toll free number is 1-800-922-7818 and our Columbia number is 803-734-4611. We love hearing from you and giving you personalized service. To make sure you have the best experience possible, here are a few tips: For same day service, please call us before 12:00 p.m. Books ordered after 12:00 p.m. will be shipped the next business day. Staff lunch hours are 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Your phone wait time may be a little longer during those hours. Please keep in mind when calling late in the day that we close at 5:00 p.m. Between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. our phone calls go to voice mail. Calls will be returned the next day. You can leave book numbers on the voice mail and they will be added to your account. Please identify who the books or items are for. If you need books for the weekend, please call before Wednesday to ensure that we get them into the mail in time. P A G E 6 2016 ART GALLERY COMPETITION This year, 49 students between the ages of 6 and 20 from around the state participated in the TBS Art Gallery competition. There were three age groups and a first, second, and third place winner in each category. One special piece of art was selected by Leesa Aiken, Director of the State Library, for the State Librarian Award. This artwork will be permanently exhibited at the State Library. This year, Maurice R. Wright won with his small, muted painting of “Good Day at the Ocean” Maurice was unable to attend the ceremony but we made sure he got his trophies; one for first place in the age group 6—10, and one for winning the State Librarian Award. There were many wonderful entries, too many to share in this newsletter. However, to the right is the entry from Keilyn Bello who won first prize in the Ages 16 and up group. It is a graphic depiction of a sillouhette of two birds snuggling on a branch with the moon as a backdrop. On the following page is the list of winners and 14 entries that won honorable mention. Congratulations to all!!! Keilyn Bello “Miss Mary Mack” P A G E 7 ART GALLERY 2016 WINNERS Ages 6 – 10: First Place: Maurice R. Wright Second Place: Sarah Nell Walling Third Place: Jessica Lindsey Ages 11 – 15: First Place: Kayla Kaufman Second Place: Hudson Taylor Third Place: Damien Custer Ages 16 and up: First Place: Keilyn Bello Second Place: Horace Lott Third Place: Katie Roche State Librarian Award Maurice R. Wright HONORABLE MENTION: Ca’Mayra Boulware, Gabriel Graddy, Elizabeth Greer, Kadan Houk, Brandon Simmons, Jennifer Jamie-Cruz, Wesley Davenport, Perrin Whelchel, Grace Bridges, Aryeona Freeman, Jacob Cooper, Mary Robinson, Pinar Caglar, and Staycee Etheredge P A G E 8 New in Large Print LP 22220 Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell (humorous fiction) LP 22221 A Finely Knit Murder: A Seaside Knitters Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum (cozy mystery) LP 22224 A Lover’s Vow by Brenda Jackson (African-American) LP 22225 Bad Blood by Mary Monroe (African-American) LP 22226 Heartless by Mary Balogh (romance) LP 22227 Earth Bound: a Sea Haven Novel by Christine Feehan (romance) LP 22228 The Alpine Zen: an Emma Lord Mystery (mystery and detective) LP 22231 The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley (romance) LP 22233 The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand (women’s fiction) LP 22236 Country by Danielle Steel (romance) LP 22253 Die Again: a Rizzoli & Isles Novel by Tess Gerritsen (mystery and detective) LP 22257 A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin (family saga/Asian interest) LP 22295 The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (mystery and detective) LP 22296 Long Upon the Land by Margaret Maron (mystery and detective) LP 22297 Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates (suspense) LP 22299 The Solomon Curse, a Fargo Adventure by Clive Cussler (action/adventure) LP 22345 The Summer’s End: A Lowcountry Summer Novel by Mary Alice Monroe (family story/South Carolina) LP 22374 DePraved Heart: A Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell (mystery and detective) P A G E 9 DESCRIPTIVE DVDs Talking Books offers a selection of Descriptive DVDs for its blind and visually impaired patrons.