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Top 10 Reasons for Using Your Local Public Library |
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10. Reference service, including service by phone.
9. Government addresses.
8. Music.
7. Book discussion groups-join by using your NLS titles.
6. Children's programming-story hour, summer reading program.
5. Local news and community information.
4. Public meetings.
3. Entertainment-videos, adult programs.
2. Special collections-audio books, large print.
1. Your tax dollars at work.
(Borrowed from Alabama's WhAT's LINE)
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Updating Your Service Profile |
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When the Talking Book and Braille Service called you as a new borrower, the first thing we did was set up your service profile. This was based on the information you gave us on your application, plus what we learned from our first phone conversation with you.
Your service profile includes such information as your favorite books or authors, reading interests, and how many books you want checked out to you at any one time.
We realize this may not completely reflect your current reading interests. A person signing up for service probably has little idea of how it all works and what types of books and magazines we offer. As you use the Talking Book and Braille Service and get to know what's available, we hope you contact your Readers Advisor routinely to change, refine, and improve your service. Phone 471-4038 or 800-742-7691.
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Cassette Magazines About Sports, Homemaking, and Lifestyle |
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In Nebraska, fall means football. The Talking Book and Braille Service offers Nebraska Sports America, which covers top sports stories in Nebraska, including high school, state college, university, and local pro.
Cooler fall weather may bring back memories of cooking and baking. Taste of Home magazine, produced by Associated Services for the Blind, offers satisfying, easy-to-prepare dishes that come from readers themselves. You will find recipes in every category, from main dishes to desserts and snacks, made using standard utensils and ingredients you are likely to have on hand.
Another magazine for homemakers, Family Circle, also produced by Associated Services for the Blind, covers home management, fashion and beauty tips, recipes, decorating ideas, and more.
If fall weather means car and home maintenance, you would like Popular Mechanics for articles on auto mechanics, woodworking, photography, and electronics. This cassette magazine is also produced by Associated Services for the Blind.
For some, fall is the time for travel. If you like reading about other parts of the United States, you might try Southern Living, from the Florida Regional Library. This magazine focuses on the Southern style of life with articles on gardening, history, travel, and recipes.
If your heart is up north, you might try Yankee, produced by the Massachusetts Regional Library. This cassette magazine features description, travel, history and local events in New England.
To sign up for these free cassette magazines, use the order form on below or call your Readers Advisor.
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Survey of New Borrowers Yields Advice |
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The Talking Book and Braille Service recently surveyed individuals who began using talking books within the past two years. One set of questions pertained to the usefulness of the information packet sent out to all new borrowers. Other questions focused on how borrowers found out about the Talking Book and Braille Service and whether or not anyone had missed a chance to tell them about our library. Two-hundred-forty-six borrowers responded to the survey.
Respondents indicated that some parts of the new borrower packet were more helpful than others. Parts of the packet most often cited as helpful were:
Currently our new borrower packet is being sent out in large print. Eighty-eight respondents indicated large print best meets their needs, and seventy-one indicated they read large print with difficulty but still prefer it to other formats. Receiving packet information on cassette was the preference of seventy-five respondents. Computer diskette was the preference of five, and Braille was the preference of one. For almost all respondents, the size and weight of the packet did not affect its usefulness.
One-hundred-thirty-five respondents felt the new borrower packet contained the right amount of information. Thirty-seven indicated more information would be useful concerning the different kinds of books and magazines offered; and twenty-eight felt the packet should explain more about how to contact their Readers Advisor. More information on how to operate playback equipment was desired by twenty-five respondents.
Most respondents (145) indicated no one had missed a chance to tell them about our library that caused them to delay using our service or would have made a difference. Sixty respondents felt an eye-care professional had missed a chance; and forty-two said the same for medical doctors.
Borrowers found out about the Talking Book and Braille Service through a variety of sources. Seventy-five respondents learned about us through another borrower. Fifty-six heard about us through a rehabilitation counselor; and thirty-nine learned through an eye-care professional.
A special thank-you to all who responded!
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New Nebraska Cassette Books |
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RC 866 The Moth
by Catherine Cookson
3 cassettes
In the English county of Durham prior to World War I, marrying out of one's class is social suicide. But Robert Bradley, a self-educated and sensitive carpenter, meets and marries Agnes, who is shouldering her crumbling family fortunes alone. Narrated by Carol McCartney for the National Library Service.
RC 868 Pure as the Lily
by Catherine Cookson
2 cassettes
Mary weds the nice, rich, old shopkeeper, Ben, the father of her unborn child. Her marriage is serene until an air raid kills Ben and one of their two children. Narrated by Burt Blackwell for the National Library Service.
RC 869 The Gambling Man
by Catherine Cookson
2 cassettes
Nineteenth-century rags-to-riches tale of the English gambler Roy Conner. Conner, who is a rent collector, and his childhood sweetheart, a governess, struggle for respectability until skills at playing poker lead them to richer pastures and violence. Narrated by Roy Avers for the National Library Service.
RC 870 Hanna Massey
by Catherine Cookson
2 cassettes
Hannah Massey is a fiercely ambitious woman who would use anyone--husband, sons, grandchild, or her beautiful daughter Rosie--to gain social acceptability. Roie is caught between the man she loves and her mother, who hates him. Some strong language. Narrated by Rachel Gurney for the National Library Service.
Non-Fiction
RC 838 Happy As a Big Sunflower; Adventures in the West, 1876-1880
by Rolf Johnson
3 cassettes
Rolf Johnson began writing his diary on December 31, 1875, when he was nineteen years old and living with his parents near Henderson Grove, Illinois. Ten weeks later the Johnson family relocated to Phelps County, Nebraska. For the next three years Rolf recorded his experiences on the farming frontier. His diary presents an honest and vivid description of pioneer life. Narrated by Bonnie Quinn.
RC 841 Grandpa Was a Cowboy & an Indian; and Other Stories
by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
1 cassette
An award-winning Lakota storyteller presents a collection of her best stories. Some tales involve Lakota and Dakota generations of today. Others, set in the turbulent and tragic nineteenth century, teach the need for understanding across cultures. The collection ends with spellbinding ancient Sioux legends. Narrated by Jim Hewitt.
RC 842 Brownville, Nebraska Territory; Story of a Town
by Dorothy Broady
1 cassette
As soon as the Nebraska Territory was opened to settlers, the town of Brownville sprung up along the Missouri River, prospered for twenty short years, then was buried under an avalanche of bonded indebtedness. Preserved among the hills of southeast Nebraska, Brownville is a snapshot of when the West was born. Narrated by Frances Buell.
RC 880 The Richlands
by Agnes Sligh Turnbull
3 cassettes
At the turn of the century in western Pennsylvania, Jim Ryall decides to farm the Richlands instead of going to law school. There are two women in Jim's life: his pretty bride Peggy and gentle Phoebe, who takes care of his two children after Peggy's death.
Narrated by John Stratton for the National Library Service.
RC 899 A Protocol for Touch
by Constance Merritt
1 cassette
An award-winning Nebraska poet uses stately blank verse to explore racism, romantic love, health and disability, and the body politic. Narrated by the author
RC 903 The Shooting of Dan McGrew
by Robert W. Service, adapted by Jim Cort
1 cassette two track, one and 7/8
Dramatized adaption of Robert Service's famous poem concerning love and betrayal in frontier Alaska. Narrated by the Blue Ridge Radio Players.
RC 904 The Last Prairie; A Sandhills Journal
by Stephen R. Jones
2 cassettes
A naturalist presents twenty essays that celebrate the Nebraska Sandhills-one of the most visually stunning American landscapes. Accounts of homesteaders, range wars, and devastating storms stand beside descriptions of dancing prairie chickens and the annual migratory flight of a half-million Sandhill Cranes. Narrated by Jane Knox.
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Just for Fun... |
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Here is a fun question posed to Talking Book and Braille Service staff: What is the best part of summer?
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More Old Time Radio Now Available |
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Some 220 cassettes of old time radio have just been added to the Talking Book and Braille Service. Programs from the golden age of radio feature legendary stars of suspense, comedy, and westerns.
Programs include "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe," "The Chase and Sanborn Hour," "The Lone Ranger," "Fibber McGee and Molly," "The Jack Benny Program," and "Suspense," among many others.
These cassettes were all purchased as single copies, so requests are subject to availability. Cassettes will be loaned one at a time.
To request a complete program listing, please contact your Readers Advisor.
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Redbook Now Offered on Cassette |
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Borrowers of the Talking Book and Braille Service can now receive Redbook, a monthly magazine on cassette recorded by the Florida Regional Library. Redbook offers short stories, articles on child rearing and family relations, home decorating ideas, fashion and beauty tips. To sign up for Redbook, please use the order form below or contact your Readers Advisor.
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Order Form and Ordering Instructions |
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You may place your order by mailing or e-mailing it to the Talking Book and Braille Service, or by calling your Readers Advisor.
For mailing, please mark the books and magazines you wish to order and enclose this page in an envelope. Instead of using a stamp, you may put "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" on the corner of your envelope. Send your request to the Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE 68508-2023. Be sure to include your name, address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number.
You may reach a Readers Advisor toll free by calling 1-800-742-7691. Be prepared to give your name, address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number.