Dots & Decibels 2009 Summer
Dots & Decibels Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library Newsletter
BTBL Named Network Library of the Year
The Braille & Talking Book Library of Perkins School for the Blind was named the 2008 Network Library of the Year recently in a special ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Presented annually by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), this award recognizes the Perkins Library for exceeding the American Library Association Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; as well as demonstrating innovation in providing service, and sustaining a record of patron satisfaction. The Perkins Library was selected for this honor by a committee that includes representatives of patron organizations, librarians, and leaders of other talking book libraries across the country.
Serving the reading needs of people who are blind and visually impaired since 1835, Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library is one of the oldest accessible library programs in the country. Patron Martha McDonald of Norton, Massachusetts, said, "I was an avid reader until diabetes made this impossible. Perkins has saved me. I don't know what I would do without these talking books."
Every day, thousands of patrons who cannot read traditional print because of a visual impairment or other disability rely on services from the Perkins Library to keep informed and stay connected with their communities. For many, the Library is the sole source of accessible reading materials for study, work, personal enrichment, intellectual development or leisure enjoyment.
In 2008, the Perkins Library launched several exciting and innovative new programs to encourage patrons of all ages to participate in fun and educational events. "Fenway at Perkins," a book-and-author event featuring Red Sox baseball legends, delighted Boston sports fans. For an event to celebrate postal workers, the library invited patrons to nominate mail carriers who provide exceptional service, and honored them in a celebration that brought guests to Perkins from across the state. "The Harry Potter Extravaganza" celebrated the simultaneous release of braille and print editions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. During the year, the Perkins library circulated 442,935 books and magazines and loaned 5,027 playback machines and accessories to 22,814 patrons.
Perkins Library is an ardent promoter of braille literacy and provides teachers, students, and community groups with braille awareness kits that contain embossed materials and informational handouts. Patrons may borrow Perkins Braillers for short-term use through the Brailler Loan Program, or have their machine repaired through the program at no cost. Aside from serving readers in Massachusetts, the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library is also under contract to loan braille books to readers in the District of Columbia, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; the Library also provides audio and braille book and magazine circulation services to readers in Rhode Island.
The Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library was represented at the award ceremony by Kim Charlson, Director; Steven M. Rothstein, President of Perkins School for the Blind; and Irving Zangwill, Commissioner, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
"NLS commends Perkins and [sub-regional winner] Miami-Dade libraries for their efforts to surpass quality standards for timeliness, innovation, and responsiveness," said Frank Kurt Cylke, NLS Director. "Through enhanced programs and community partnerships these libraries engage blind and physically handicapped patrons and connect them to a place where reading is accessible and enjoyable."
Perkins Sends Blindfolds to Legislators: Senator Steven Tolman Speaks Out
In early March, each Beacon Hill lawmaker received a packet containing a letter from Perkins School for the Blind President Steven Rothstein and Braille & Talking Book Library Director Kim Charlson urging legislators to personally consider the impact of proposed state budget cuts on services for people who are blind - in particular, Braille & Talking Book Library services that keep those with visual and physical disabilities informed, engaged and independent. Enclosed with the letter was a blindfold and a fact sheet detailing the impact of possibly cutting 17% - $343,359 - from State Budget Line Item 7000-9406.
To draw attention to the cuts to the Braille & Talking Book Library, Senator Steven Tolman (D-Watertown) agreed to don a blindfold. He found it challenging to find his desk. He realized he was cut off from activities as simple as checking the headlines in the morning paper.
"Everyone in the Legislature is aware that these are unprecedented times and that we will have to make difficult decisions about the future of our State's social safety net. But all of us must be mindful of the long term impact that any cuts will have. People who are disabled need services such as the Braille & Talking Book Library to go about their daily lives," said Tolman.
Sen. Tolman's attempt to conduct the state's business while blindfolded was witnessed by two TV cameras, a radio reporter's microphone, and a newspaper photographer. Tolman told the press, "If budget cuts undermine the social infrastructure, we will pay dearly down the line. That's why I am wearing this blindfold – to understand how the proposed budget cuts will affect those who do not have the advantages of eyesight."
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library provides braille books, talking books, audio-described videos, Newsline daily newspapers by phone, and numerous other services free of charge to more than 23,000 eligible individuals in Massachusetts.
There are more than 100,000 individuals who could be using the services, but are largely unaware that this library is available to them at no cost. Outreach to these thousands has been limited due to lack of funding. Prior budget cuts have necessitated a hiring freeze, slowing delivery of library services that already rely on the labor of nearly 200 unpaid volunteers in order to function.
"Serving library patrons, reaching out to others and providing quality services are critical to insuring that people who are unable to read regular print can remain independent and productive," said Rothstein. "These services are not frills. They are essential."
Library Billboard Campaign Launched
Earlier this year, billboards started popping up all around Massachusetts featuring the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library.
Five years ago, Clear Channel Corporation generously provided billboards to Perkins for the 175th anniversary year. Once again, Clear Channel offered 50 billboard locations all over the state to Perkins, a donation valued at over $100,000. This in-kind gift provided the BTBL the opportunity to be featured on attractive billboards to promote our service.
The billboards feature Library borrower (and former Consumer Advisory Board member) Dean Denniston relaxing on a couch and smiling while enjoying a talking book through his headphones. The text reads:
Audio Books and Magazines, Newspapers by Phone... Reading Never Sounded So Good
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library
www.perkinslibrary.org
State Budget Update & Thank You to Our Patrons
In the spring, an email appeal was sent out from the Friends of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library asking patrons to advocate for restored state funding for the Library's upcoming fiscal year budget. With the serious economic situation facing the Commonwealth, it was uncertain just exactly what our appropriation would be on July 1, the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year.
While things are still a bit up in the air, we are hopeful that the agreed level of funding of $2,241,016 (the same funding we had in FY2009) will remain between the House and Senate versions of the budget, and hold through to the Governor's desk for his signature.
Advocacy from borrowers was incredibly effective. Through your phone calls, emails, letters, and personal visits to your elected officials on B.L.I.N.D. Day (Blind Legislative Informational Networking Day) on April 9, you successfully voiced your concerns about how restored funding was needed by the Perkins and Worcester libraries to maintain this vital program.
The House and Senate heard your message loud and clear and recommended level funding for the Perkins Library. Your voices once again have made a tremendous difference. This success was achieved through the active participation of our many patrons. Thank you to all for taking the time to let your legislators know how important the Perkins Library is in your everyday lives.
Farewell to Friends
The BTBL family wishes to acknowledge six of our staff who recently accepted an Early Retirement Proposal from Perkins. Collectively, these six staff contributed nearly 145 years of service to Perkins and the Library with their skills.
Those leaving us are: Gloria Bass, Jean DiLorenzo, Anne Donna, Michael LoGerfo, Paul Nogueira, and Shelley Patterson. We wish them well in their new endeavors.
Library Wins PR Awards
In May, the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) presented its 19th Biennial Public Relations Awards at the Association's Annual Conference in Springfield. Winners were chosen by a panel of independent judges from the public relations, press, and library fields. Criteria included graphic design, originality, and presentation. Over 100 entries were submitted in 20 categories.
The Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library received an unprecedented four winning awards in the following categories:
- Advertisement (Second Place): Perkins billboard
- Brochure (Second Place): children and teens brochure
- Newsletters (Second Place): ongoing series of e-newsletters produced by the Library
- Event (Third Place): July 2007 Harry Potter Extravaganza jointly sponsored by the Perkins Library and the Watertown Free Public Library Children's Department
Kim Charlson, Director of the Perkins Library, was delighted with the awards from MLA.
"It was an honor to receive such recognition from MLA for the Perkins Library's work in the area of outreach," said Charlson. "Getting the word out to reach the thousands of people who have difficulty reading regular print is an important part of our work. So many people are eligible for our services, but don't realize that our library exists to assist them in being able to continue to read in a different way."
Adaptive Technology Workshops At Perkins
Adaptive Technology, a Division of Perkins Products, continuously offers seminars and workshops, at no cost, for people who are interested in learning more about a wide range of products.
The summer and fall 2009 workshop schedule is listed below:
NLS BARD Program
August 12, October 14, November 18, December 9, all sessions 4:00-6:00 PM
Technology Training Center, Hilton Building, Perkins
BTBL staff will provide instruction on how to use the NLS BARD (Braille and Recorded Download) program with the Library's new digital machine and the Victor Stream
Downloading Books
September 10, 1:00-3:30 PM
Hallowell House, Perkins
Learn how to find specific books from both NLS and Bookshare, search for books by author and subject, and explore the many magazine possibilities. Learn how to download titles and transfer books to your player.
System Access
October 13, 1:00-3:30 PM
Technology Training Center, Hilton Building, Perkins
Find out more about the powerful features of this screen reader software, which is now free to all visually impaired students.
What's New In Reading Machines
December 3, 1:00-3:30
Hallowell House, Perkins
Come and see several reading machines in one place. Compare features and find the best product for you. Bring the materials you most want to read to try the machines out.
To register or to learn more about these sessions, contact Adaptive Technology at 978-462-3817 or gayle.yarnall@perkins.org.
Braille Essay Contest Winners
The Perkins Library sponsored a writing contest to recognize the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. Braille readers 8 to 88 submitted dozens of entries. The three winners, young adults completing their education or beginning their working careers, received their prize as part of a special State House celebration on January 14.
The three recipients exemplify what braille literacy can provide to people who are blind: knowledge, self-esteem, independence and empowerment. There is no more powerful tribute to Louis Braille and the code he developed than the first-person accounts of the winners who have relied on braille in their daily lives.
Kayla Bentas is a senior at Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody. Kayla described how she embraced braille when, at the age of nine, she became blind following surgery to remove a brain tumor.
In her own words, "Before I lost my sight, my class had been learning about guide dogs and the braille writing system," she writes. "I was excited that I was now going to learn a new language that I already knew something about!"
She described how braille allows natural abilities to flourish in people who are blind or visually impaired. In Kayla's case, her abilities as a teacher and an entrepreneur became evident. She soon began teaching braille to her family members and friends, assisted her braille teacher, and formed Kayla's Vision, a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping visually impaired people, which now has a $40,000 endowment. Kayla plans to study management and accounting at college this fall.
Samantha Lylis, 19, is a Perkins student from Merrimack, NH. In her essay, Samantha writes about how she has used braille to learn about the world. Like many readers, that exploration began with reading her first nighttime story by herself.
In addition to mastering English braille, Samantha has also learned French and Spanish braille. She says, "I felt a great sense of pride and relief that blind people in other countries could read and write braille just like Americans. I felt like I was literally traveling the world through books."
Timothy Vernon, 25, of Mansfield, MA, says learning braille allowed him to "be on an equal playing field" in the Mansfield public schools. He made Dean's List each semester at Fitchburg State College, where he earned a degree in Communications. At NSTAR Electric and Gas in Westwood where he works as a customer service representative, he uses braille to take notes. Tim embraces innovations in assistive audio technology, but it is braille that has enabled him to succeed.
Tim wrote, "My knowledge of braille allowed me to read with classmates, share stories with other children, and complete homework assignments independently... On a professional level, fluency in braille helps me compete with my sighted colleagues."
Each winner was presented with a special braille certificate and a cash prize of $100. Follow-up newspaper coverage featured both Tim Vernon and Samantha Lylis in their local newspapers, and the Watertown Tab reprinted Tim's essay in full as a special editorial in celebration of Louis Braille's 200th anniversary.
Digital Update
The first phase of the digital talking book launch has started for Massachusetts with the distribution of more than 500 new players. Patrons who asked to receive a new digital machine were invited to participate in the digital prelaunch test of equipment and book cartridges. Equipment and sample digital books were distributed for the evaluation. The full rollout will begin in August 2009.
How To Get Your Digital Player:
Library borrowers across Massachusetts are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new digital talking book machines. We are ready to put your name on a list for early distribution of your free digital talking book player. Requests will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Veterans have first priority as they are designated by law as first recipients of services.
Contact the Library to be added to the digital machine list. We also will receive a selection of digital talking books for you to listen to with the new machine. More titles will be added monthly as the digital rollout moves forward.
Victor Stream Loan Program with Cartridge Adapter Now Available
Last summer, the Perkins Library launched a very successful Victor Stream loan program. Over 100 patrons borrowed the Victor Stream to listen to digital books. Some used it in conjunction with the BARD (Braille and Recorded Download) Program before deciding to purchase their own.
A new Victor Stream accessory allows it to play the new digital talking book cartridges. Now you can try a Victor Stream and cartridge adapter for 30 days on loan and experience the small, portable and easy-to-use option for listening to digital talking books.
The Stream offers easy-to-use advanced technology. The numeric telephone style keypad allows you to navigate easily through various levels of audio files and also to obtain information about the Stream itself, such as battery level.
Interested patrons can request to borrow a Stream with a cartridge adapter. The Stream loan program is separate from the digital talking book player being distributed free to each patron. Since there are only 10 units available with the cartridge adapter, patrons must return the unit at the end of the 30-day loan period, so others waiting can have the chance to use the machine. To place your name on the list to borrow a Victor Stream, contact the Library.
For the Stream and cartridge adapter loan, Library staff will pre-load the flash card in the machine with several digital talking books, and will also send you a few digital talking book cartridges. The Stream comes with a Quick Start Guide, an instructional manual on CD, and instructions to access the built-in audio manual in the Stream.
Adaptive Technology, a division of Perkins Products, is offering the Victor Reader Stream with cartridge adapter (Library Edition) to Library borrowers for a special price of $350 (normally $399). Contact Adaptive Technology at 978-462-3817 to buy your Stream and cartridge adapter at the reduced price.
Drawing With Your Perkins Brailler Now Available
A new book by Library Director Kim Charlson gives readers of all abilities a new way to create and experience art. Charlson first introduced Drawing with Your Perkins Brailler in Paris at the Louis Braille Bicentennial conference in January. It is now available for purchase through Perkins.
Drawing with Your Perkins Brailler contains step-by-step directions for using a Perkins Brailler® to create three dozen drawings, from basic geometric shapes to holiday designs, cuddly animals, and transportation themes, including a spaceship! The finished braille pictures are included in the book, which is available in large print or braille formats for $24.95 from Perkins Products at 617-972-7308 or online at www.perkinsstore.org.
The drawing activities in the book are fun, but Charlson also designed them to be educational. Learning to draw pictures with the brailler strengthens manual dexterity and reinforces several key developmental concepts. It also helps children gain pride and self-esteem when they create drawings they can share with classmates, family members, and friends.
According to Miriam Dixon, a braille instructor from North Carolina, the book's "step-by-step instructions reinforce learning." Perkins student Samantha Lylis affirms, "Using this book, I can finally do artwork independently. I've learned that art is more than colors on paper."
Charlson's book helps de-mystify this tactile reading system by converting groups of braille dots, called cells, into graphical illustrations, providing a fun and creative way to communicate and serving as a bridge between print and braille.
"For me, braille has been the key to independence, literacy, creativity and self-determination," says Charlson. "Creativity comes from within us all, not from our physical traits. I challenge everyone who tries the drawings outlined in my book to create their own drawings as well. I hope the book will empower others to create pictures and share them."
Jonathan Hecht Visits Perkins & Donates to BTBL
On December 5, new State Representative Jonathan Hecht visited Perkins and the BTBL for a tour and to learn more about our programs. He was so impressed with the size and scope of Perkins services that he announced his plan to donate a portion of the salary increase he received in early January to the Library and other area nonprofits.
On January 7, he took office as state representative for Watertown and West Cambridge. "I wasn't counting on a raise on my first day," he said. "In these tough times, I want to see this money go to providing needed services in my district."
Hecht will contribute roughly $650 to the Perkins Library as one of the five local charities to which he is donating his pay increase in support of the BTBL program.
"Now more than ever we need to be helping one another," said Hecht. "I encourage everyone who can to donate money or volunteer time to assist programs that help people."
The Library has several eNewsletters to keep you connected between issues of Dots & Decibels. The General List, PerKIDS List, Recommended Reads List, and Perkins Insight List target specific topics. Email the Library to subscribe to the eNewsletters that interest you!
Dots & Decibels is also available on cassette, in braille, and via email. Contact the library to change the format you receive.
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library
Perkins School for the Blind
175 N. Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Call 617.972.7240, 800.852.3133
TTY 617.972.7690
Email Library@Perkins.org
Library Hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00
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