Member Login

PerKIDS Newsletter 2007 Fall

Vol. 2, No. 1

In this Issue:

Hi PerKIDS! The fall newsletter is here, and it's just for you! We are writing to you twice a year about the newest and coolest things happening at the Perkins Library.

Please let me know if I can send you books, or if there is anything else I can help you with! Email Rachel.Gould@Perkins.org, call 617-972-7242, or send an AOL IM to BTBLRachel.

Catch the Beat at the Library

This year, 55 readers participated in the Catch the Beat Summer Reading Program. Together, they read a total of 970 books – an average of 18 books per person!

We sent participants an accessible activity packet, bibliography, and reading log in large print, cassette, or braille on the state-wide theme. An accessible website featured announcements, activities, and a database to register and track books online.

Younger readers received a prize after every five books reported on, and older readers after three. Prizes included water bottles, note-shaped erasers, door signs, flying discs, and stuffed animals.

Congratulations to everyone who participated! Although the program has ended, I still love hearing about the books you are reading. Please keep in touch, and let me know if you would like to participate in the Summer Reading Program next year!

PerKIDS eNewsletters

We have a new way to communicate timely Library information. Our monthly PerKIDS eNewsletter will deliver announcements, news, book reviews, games, riddles, puzzles, reading recommendations, Summer Reading Program news, craft ideas, and more in a short, easy-to-read electronic format. We also have a general eNewsletter which will keep you informed of the interesting news and announcements from the Perkins Library.

You may have received the eNewsletters if we already had your email address. If you didn't receive them and would like to, contact us to be added to the list. If you don't have email, perhaps a family member or friend can receive email to share with you.

Summer Reading Kickoff Party

On June 12, we kicked off the Summer Reading Program with a fun celebration under the Perkins music tent.

Over 90 party guests enjoyed a speech by Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, lots of delicious pizza, the sweet sounds of bluegrass band Jubilee Mule, balloon hats and animals, and an interactive book/jazz program by music therapist Lisa Kynvi.

"Visiting with Perkins students, staff, and Library borrowers was a great way to kick off this year's summer reading program," said Lt. Governor Murray. "I enjoyed meeting so many people who proved that there are other ways of reading that don't have to do with sight."

We all had tons of fun getting down to the music while celebrating literacy.

What Book Got You Hooked?

First Book, a non-profit literacy organization, asked over 10,000 people "what book got you hooked?" Here are the top five books that sparked a life-long love of reading!

  • Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (BR 12896, RC 50914)
  • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (BR 16721, RC 34056)
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (BR 10510, RC 50922, JL 34)
  • Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (BR 11778, RC 58830)
  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (BR 16724, RC 33062)

Visit their website at www.firstbook.org to view the top 50 books, and then contact the Library to order some books to get hooked on.

Send a message to tell me what book got you hooked, and you will be entered into a drawing for Bose stereo earbuds!

Grand Prize Winners

Everyone who participated in the Catch the Beat program did a fantastic job! Let's congratulate the prize winners who read the most books:

  • Lauren Madruga (Young Adult): 61
  • Scott Varga (Grades 9-12): 65
  • Archana Apte (Grades 5-8): 38
  • Gabrielle Svoboda (Grades 3-6): 20
  • Rachel Feenstra (Grades 2-4): 40
  • Amanda MacKenzie (Grades K-2): 42
  • Kayla Bentas (braille prize): 32

Grand prizes included Bose CD players, a Zen Stone MP3 player donated by Howe Press/Perkins Products, Starbucks gift certificates, reading pens, and tactile toys.

Harry Potter Extravaganza

We had lots of fun at the Harry Potter Extravaganza on Saturday, July 21! We partied with the Watertown Free Public Library under decorated tents on Perkins' Bradlee Field. We celebrated the simultaneous release of the braille and print editions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (RC 64495, BR 17210, JL 7525), the seventh and final book in the popular Harry Potter series.

Two young braille readers, Matthew Shifrin and Marisa Parker, joined Boston Celtics alum Dana Barros and Director of Player Personnel Dave Wohl (representing the Celtics' Read to Achieve program) to read aloud the first chapter of the new book. An 18-piece roving brass band, What Cheer? Marching Brigade added to the fun. Party guests grooved to the rollicking tunes and learned about instruments.

We played Harry Potter trivia and made magical crafts. The Deathly Hallows was available for purchase at the party in braille from National Braille Press, and in print, audio, and large print from Newtonville Books. Wilson Farms donated two delicious cakes - one looked like the cover of the Deathly Hollows, and one featured a "snitch," (Harry's Quidditch ball). Patrons of all ages enjoyed interacting with one another at the successful celebration.

New England Aquarium Pass

The Library has added the New England Aquarium to its museum pass program. The Aquarium is located on Central Wharf in Boston, and provides a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to discover the world of water.

The discount coupons allow four people admission at $7.00 each. You will have an unforgettable learning experience at a dramatically reduced price. Admission includes live animal presentations and Giant Ocean Tank talks. Many exhibits offer tactile and audio components.

Contact the Library to reserve the Aquarium pass, or to learn more about other museum passes.

Go Fish for Great Books

Get ready for your Aquarium trip by checking out these great books and movies!

Iris and Walter and the Field Trip by Elissa Haden Guest (RC 60474)
Best friends Iris and Walter are partners on the class field trip to an aquarium until she loses him in the crowd. Iris is so worried that the teacher lets her help find Walter, who didn't even know he was lost! For grades K-3.

The Search for the Right Whale by Scott Kraus (RC 44072)
Scientists for the New England Aquarium rediscover the extremely rare North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Maine. They then study their migration patterns and chances for survival. For grades 4-7.

Rescue of the Stranded Whales by Kenneth Mallory (RC 35593)
In 1986, three young pilot whales stranded themselves on the Cape Cod shore. Named Tag, Baby, and Notch, the whales were taken to the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Center for a six-month stay, then successfully returned to the ocean. For grades 4-7.

Finding Nemo (DV 489)
Animated film. Nemo, an adventurous young clownfish, is unexpectedly taken to a dentist's office aquarium. It's up to his worrisome father, and Dory, a friendly but forgetful regal blue tang fish, to make the epic journey to bring Nemo home.

Fun Times at the MFA

The Library is excited to offer discounted passes to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. We will send a dated coupon to patrons who reserve a pass for anytime except major holidays.

The pass will allow two adults admission for $5.00 each. Visitors under 17 are always free (except during the school day). An upgrade to special exhibitions costs an additional $7.00.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston encompasses nearly 450,000 works of art in all media. The "Feeling for Form" program offers tactile exploration of selected objects for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Another program, "Beyond the Screen," focuses on a special installation in the Asian collection and offers self-guiding materials. The MFA is wheelchair-accessible.

Contact the MFA Accessibility office at 617-369-3302 or access@mfa.org with additional accessibility questions. Contact the Library to reserve the MFA pass.

Seeing What I Feel

For the past two years, students at Perkins School for the Blind have participated in the "Feeling for Form" program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

At the museum, they touched and experienced objects and artifacts. Back at school, they created art based on what they had learned. The MFA is exhibiting the students' art until November 26.

The students recorded comments at the Library's Recording Studio, which were installed on the MFA sound sticks so visitors can listen to the students first-hand. You can also listen to these files on the "What's New" section of the Perkins website.

Phoning It In

Did you know you could listen to the newspaper over the telephone? Newsline is an electronic system that allows you to listen to over 250 newspapers and magazines through synthetic voice output.

Stay up-to-date with your favorite sports teams, keep up with current events, learn about things happening halfway around the world, and check the television listings too! Contact the Library to sign up for Newsline.

Free Bookshare.org Membership

Bookshare.org is an online community that enables people with visual and other print disabilities to legally share scanned books. This digital library has over 34,000 books and periodicals available for download in DAISY (Digital Audio Information System) or BRF (braille formatted file) format.

Individual Bookshare.org membership used to cost $50 annually. Schools and students with qualifying disabilities have free access to Bookshare.org as of October 1, 2007, thanks to the generous support of the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.

To take advantage of this offer, use the code "OSEP" when signing up for Bookshare.org. If you are signed up with the BTBL, you are eligible for Bookshare.org!

We can assist you to select some great books and help you to get signed up. Visit their website at www.bookshare.org for more information.

Learn More About Massachusetts

Did you know that Massachusetts comprises 8,284 square miles, and ranks 45th in total area? Learn more interesting facts about Massachusetts.

The Friends of the Perkins Library have purchased copies of Maps of Massachusetts, a 48-page booklet of tactile maps. This braille booklet contains dozens of tactile maps covering counties, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, as well as major cities, mountains and highways of Massachusetts. Contact the Library to request your free, personal copy (to keep) of this great booklet.

New Magazine: Humpty Dumpty

We are happy to announce a new cassette magazine, Humpty Dumpty, for readers ages 3-8. Each issue is filled with fiction, articles, poetry, puzzles, games, contests, and question and answer columns. Contact the Library to order Humpty Dumpty, or any other magazine.

Digital Books / Digital Kids

Are you signed up for Unabridged? Unabridged provides a totally accessible web-based library of narrated digital audio books for download. We are thrilled to introduce a new collection of books to the Unabridged program. The new School Download Library offers 740 total titles, organized by grade level.

This collection features a diverse selection of classics, modern literature, math, science, and picture books. Authors in the collection include Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, and Margaret Atwood. These books are always available - anytime, anywhere.

Books can be enjoyed on a variety of devices that you already use! Once downloaded to a laptop or PC, you can transfer the book to many MP3 and CD players that are compatible with OverDrive audio books and eBooks. Contact the Library to sign up for Unabridged!

Find Inner Peace: Listen to a Book

Looking for a great accessible, stylish, and portable MP3 player to play your downloaded books? Try the Zen Stone! This tiny, easy-to-use player has a circular-shaped button panel (volume, forward, back, stop, and play) in the center. The top has a slide button with repeat, shuffle, and skip settings.

The Zen Stone holds approximately 250 songs or 4-6 books. It will play up to 10 hours on its rechargeable battery, and supports data files, MP3, Protected WMA (Unabridged files), and Audible.com formats. The Zen Stone is sold at the Perkins Store for $43.99.

Zen accessories include the Travel Sound 400 portable speaker system ($43.99), Universal Power Adapter ($32.99), and the Zen Stone Skin, ($15.99). Contact the Perkins Store at 877-473-7546 or online at www.perkinsstore.org. Large print and braille directions are available from the Library.