Dots & Decibels 2008 Winter

Dots & Decibels Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library Newsletter 

Victor Reader Stream Loan Program

The first three months of the Victor Reader Stream Loan Program have been a huge success, giving nearly 75 people an opportunity to learn to use a small digital player loaded with talking books. The Stream is used in conjunction with the NLS Digital Download Pilot Program.

If you want to check one out before making a purchase, our Stream Loan Program is for you! The Friends of the Library purchased 20 Streams to be loaned to patrons for 30 days.

Once the NLS digital talking book machine has been made available for free loan beginning in 2009, purchasing the Stream will no longer be required to access digital talking books via the download.

Any interested patron can request to borrow a Stream. Library staff will preload several digital talking books on the flash card in the machine. The unit will come with operating instructions, a Quick Start Guide, and an instructional manual on CD to accompany the built-in audio manual. Contact the Library to arrange to borrow the Stream.

For those who wish to purchase a Stream of their own, Perkins Products is offering Library borrowers a special 10% discount price of $300. Contact Adaptive Technology, a division of Perkins Products at 978-462-3817 to buy your Stream at the reduced price.

Summer Reading Program A Success!

This year, 77 young Library patrons participated in the Wild Reads Summer Reading Program. Together, they read a total of 963 books – an average of 13 books per person!

Participants were sent an accessible activity packet, bibliography, and reading log in large print, cassette, or braille on the state-wide theme -- Wild Reads! An accessible website featured activities and a database to register and track books online. The youngest readers received a prize after every five books they reported on, and older readers after every three books.

Over 80 Library patrons and Perkins students and staff turned out for an afternoon of fun and learning at the Wild Reads Summer Reading Party on July 24.

The "wild" crowd enjoyed a very fuzzy and scaly hands-on program from Zoo New England. After listening to animated storytelling about wild creatures, students got to pet zoo animals and listen and learn how they get their food, water, space, and shelter.

Thank you to the Friends of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library for funding the Summer Reading Program, and congratulations to everyone who participated!

Massachusetts Resource Directory

The Perkins Library has updated the Massachusetts Resource Directory of Agencies and Organizations Serving the Blind & Visually Impaired. Single copies of the updated version of this 45-page directory are now available in large print, braille, cassette, or electronic format from the Perkins Library upon request.

The directory is available on the Perkins website where it will be kept updated until the next edition is produced. To view it, visit www.perkins.org/resourcedirectory.

Perkins Library Donation Brings Joy to Iraqi School for the Blind

A CNN news story about the only school for the blind in Baghdad, Iraq made a huge impact on Perkins staff and brought a welcome ray of hope in these troubled times.

In April, reporter Kyra Phillips travelled to the Al Noor Institute for the Blind to cover the school and life in a war zone. The school had only 10 braillewriters for its 60 students, and no dictionary.

After watching the story, David Morgan, General Manager of Perkins Products, which makes braillers and other devices for people who are blind, had an idea to donate 20 Perkins Braillers and braille paper. "Learning is critical to any child's well-being, self-esteem and independence. It's hard to imagine the challenges that children in a war zone face. If a gift from Perkins can help the students at the Al Noor School overcome some of those challenges, we needed to step up to the plate," Morgan said.

Kim Charlson, Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library Director, contributed a 72-volume Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary in braille to the school from the Library. "We are thrilled that our contribution could make such a difference in the lives of blind students in Iraq," Charlson said.

The donation also included 75 pairs of new sunglasses, donated by American Harley Davidson of Leominster.

CNN conducted a follow-up story in October, visiting Perkins and tracking the donated items as they made their way through the war zone. The students and their teacher, Ammar Ali, were deeply moved by this contribution from Perkins which will help them so much in their day-to-day lives and learning.

Ammar Ali wrote a thank you note with one of the new braillers. Another teacher showed a student who had never had a pair of sunglasses before how they protected the eyes. Ammar Ali teaches English to his Arabic-speaking students, and now they can finally access an English dictionary in braille.

"It's gratifying to know that our gift of educational materials has made such an impact on the staff and students of Al Noor," Charlson continued. "In the global picture, there is so little most of us can do. I'm so proud Perkins could step up and contribute and truly make a difference."

Next Generation Perkins Brailler®

Fifty-seven years after the Perkins Brailler® was introduced, a newly designed version of the most widely-used braille writing machine in the world, the Next Generation™ Perkins Brailler, has been launched by Perkins Products and the American Printing House for the Blind.

With its Easy-Grip handle, the Next Generation Perkins Brailler is 25% lighter, smaller, easier to carry, and quieter than the Classic brailler. Its Gentle Touch Keys require a lighter stroke, and the Easy-Erase Button makes corrections a breeze. The stylishly colored, tactile-friendly, virtually indestructible shell houses a metal frame and the same durable inner workings of the time-tested Classic machine.

"We're hoping the ease of use and more modern packaging will reinvigorate excitement in braille. The Perkins Brailler is really the pen and paper for the blind community," said Kim Charlson, Library Director, who worked as part of the design team.

For more information, contact Perkins Products at www.perkinsbrailler.org or call 617-972-7308.

A cool variety of media celebrates the exciting Next Generation Perkins Brailler! Visit the website to listen to award-winning blind guitarist Raul Midon's song The Next Generation and three ringtones. You can also download Facebook and Myspace widgets or send an e-card to spread the word!

Blind Boys of Alabama Visit Symphony Hall

As part of the Celebrity Series of Boston, The Blind Boys of Alabama will perform with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans at Boston Symphony Hall on Friday, March 27, 2009.

Perkins School for the Blind is a concert sponsor. A booth with information on Perkins and the Library will be in the Symphony Hall lobby the evening of the event.  Tickets can be purchased directly from the Symphony Hall Box Office at 617-266-1492.

"Fenway at Perkins" Book and Author Event

A "Fenway at Perkins" book and author event on September 18, sponsored by the Perkins Library, provided Red Sox fans a fun and memorable way to celebrate their hometown team.

Carl Beane, the voice of Fenway Park and recording studio volunteer, emceed the panel discussion of authors of current Sox books. Beane performed his introduction to the "Sweet Caroline" theme song to cheers from over 250 Perkins students, staff, and library patrons.

Johnny Pesky, whose Boston Red Sox career has spanned 56 years, told tales about Red Sox buddies Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, and Dom DiMaggio, as well as his service during World War II. With prolific author Maureen Mullen, he co-authored Diary of a Red Sox Season (RCM 1019, BRM 1386). Both authors shared many Fenway anecdotes.

Melinda Boroson charmed the audience reading her book, 86 Years: The Legend of the Boston Red Sox (RCM 997, BRM 1385). This poetic book celebrates how the team finally "reversed the curse" and made its spectacular comeback as the 2004 World Series winner.

Brian Charlson and Rick Morin gave a short presentation on their "Seeing Eye Single Tour." Charlson and Morin travelled around the East Coast visiting many baseball parks in different cities to spotlight accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision.

After the presentations, guests were photographed with the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies, brought to Perkins for this special event. New England Mobile Book Fair sold print copies of the featured books, and authors signed autographs.

A bibliography of Red Sox titles in our collection is available in either braille or large print. Contact the Perkins Library to receive the bibliography or to borrow any of the books.

New Deputy Director Appointed

James Gleason was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library in October 2008. He joined the staff of the Perkins Library in March 2005 as the Foreign Language Services Specialist, primarily serving the library's Spanish language patrons.

Gleason earned a Bachelor's degree in art history and music performance from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his MS in Library & Information Science from Simmons College in 2003. He came to Perkins after working at UMass Lowell's O'Leary Library and UMass Boston's Center for Survey Research.

Among other duties as Deputy Director, Gleason will be managing special services including the foreign language program, outreach activities, and assistive technology services. He can be reached at 617-972-7468 or at James.Gleason@Perkins.org.

Bookshare.org Free Trial Membership

The website Bookshare.org enables people with visual and other print disabilities to legally share and read scanned books. The collection has over 34,000 titles available to download in DAISY (Digital Audio Information System) or BRF (braille formatted file) electronic file formats.

If you are registered with the Library, you are eligible for Bookshare.org. Schools and students under 18 with qualifying disabilities have free access, thanks to an Office of Special Education Programs grant of the U.S. Department of Education.

Library staff can also download Bookshare books for registered adult borrowers to use. If you're not quite sure you are ready to try downloading, we can help. Library staff can assist you in selecting some great books and help you sign up with a 3-month sponsored membership. Contact Rachel Gould at 617-972-7242 or Rachel.Gould@Perkins.org.

Sign Up for eNewsletters

The Perkins Library has several electronic newsletters subscriptions (eNewsletters) to keep you connected between issues of Dots & Decibels. These lists target specific topics.

Perkins Library General List: A general newsletter to keep you informed of the interesting news and announcements from the Perkins Library, including information about events, author presentations, advocacy efforts, and much more.

PerKIDS List: A fun and informative list specifically for kids and teens with announcements, news, book reviews, contests, games, riddles, puzzles, reading recommendations, teasers, Summer Reading Program news, craft ideas, and much more.

Perkins Library Recommended Reads List: This list provides adult readers with timely short subject bibliographies of cassette, large print, braille, and digital audio books available from the Perkins Library. Diverse topics include fiction and nonfiction, with an introductory paragraph on the topic.

Perkins Insight Enewsletter: The Perkins School for the Blind offers a bi-monthly eNewsletter, Perkins Insight, that will share news and stories that reflect the work being conducted on campus and beyond.

If you don't use email, perhaps you have a family member or friend who can receive email and share it with you. We will also include information from the eNewsletters in issues of Dots and Decibels. Contact the Library to subscribe to the eNewsletters that interest you.

Dots & Decibels is also available on cassette, in large print, and via email. Contact the library to change the format you receive.

New DVD Service

Library patrons can now borrow audio described DVD movies in addition to VHS format. Described videos provide narration of the key visual elements of a program, heard during the pauses in dialogue, resulting in a finished soundtrack that enables you to understand the film through listening. Contact the Library to register for the DVD program and receive a catalog of DVD titles.

Learn to Download NLS Digital Books

The Perkins Library is offering orientation sessions for NLS's Downloadable Digital Talking Book program. Learn how to access your online account, search the catalog, download your selections, and transfer them to your portable playback device.

RSVP to James.Gleason@Perkins.org to attend a session from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on January 21 or February 18.

Sign Up For Newsline

Now you can hear the newspaper every day over the telephone. Newsline keeps people connected to the news. Newsline lets you listen to information from over 250 local and national newspapers from across the country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At your convenience – you can access it on the go – from anywhere, anytime.

Contact the library to sign up, or for a brochure.