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| Readers Say Books, Books, Books | |
Book readers outnumbered magazine readers by nine to one and readers with "no preference" by three to one, according to responses to our June survey. One-third of respondents read books from the NE Collection "often" and an additional third read them "occasionally." Books of Nebraska and Western and Pioneer are the most read catergories from within the NE Collection and also received the most requests for additional titles. Human Interest topped the list for most read and most requested category of magazine. Travel/Events was second "most read" with Health/Home Life second "most requested." Three times more respondents reported "rarely or never" reading NE books or magazines because "I don't know what [is] available." than those respondents who reported "rarely or never" reading NE books or magazines due to lack of interest.
This month's survey topic is Interchange. What do you think of its new format, its content?
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| Bookmark A Plus For Sleepy Readers | |
The Talking Book Marker may be a dream come true. Creator Jim Daily describes a dilemma he shared with many a talking book user. "Night after night I would fall asleep while listening to the cassette player. ...The following night I would spend an enormous amount of time trying to find the place on the tape where I fell asleep the previous evening-rewind, stop, play for a few seconds, rewind stop, play. Does this sound familiar?"
Frustrated, Jim Daily created the Talking Book Marker, a handheld switch that plugs into the cassette player. While listening to a tape, the reader lightly grasps the switch. When the reader falls asleep, the grasp relaxes; the switch stops the tape.
The demonstration model the library received seems easy to use and comfortable to hold. For additional information or to order, contact Jim Daily, (406)782-2202. The $27.95 price includes shipping.
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| Staff Profile - Kathy Dukes | |
Kathy Dukes is a 16 year veteran Circulation Clerk with the Talking Book and Braille Service. She is a native of Buffalo WY and studied Library Science at Wesleyan University.
Kathy has always been a reader and a lover of books. When Kathy was in high school, the local public librarian encouraged her to balance leisure reading with serious literature. Today Kathy enjoys both relaxing with Harlequin romances and reading non-fiction about the Old West.
If Kathy could change one thing about library service, it would be to make more people readers. As a childcare provider, she helped many kids learn a love of reading.
Kathy is the mother of three grown daughters and has two grandsons with whom she spends many hours. In her free time, Kathy is involved with several church activities and enjoys all kinds of crafts.
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| Staff Profile - Kay Goehring | |
Kay Goehring is in her 19th year as a Readers Advisor with the Talking Book and Braille Service. She is a native of Bertrand and has a teaching degree from Hastings College. Kay came to libraries through volunteering at her children's elementary school; another mother there was a student in the Nebraska Wesleyan Library Science program. Kay enrolled, too, then went on to work at Wesleyan University Library and complete her library science endorsement.
Kay is a lover of historical fiction and names James Michner as her favorite author. As a Readers Advisor, Kay relishes the challenge of helping patrons find the books that they will enjoy.
Kay has two sons, two step daughters, and 14 grandchildren. She is a "sports grandma"-the ultimate fan-even chaperoning team trips.
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| For Your Information | |
BESTSELLERS MAY NOT be your best choice. Patrons who are dissatisfied with the books they are receiving are often those who have requested "bestsellers." Bestsellers are simply books that have sold well in bookstores. Public tastes vary, so these books can be about any subject. Some bestsellers are nonfiction. Bestsellers may also contain strong language, and descriptions of violence or sex. If you've heard about a book on the bestseller list but don't want to read the assortment of titles that fall into this broad category, ask for specific subjects-mystery, romance, politics, biography-or for specific titles.
WE CALL THEM "HAS-HADS"-a file our computer system uses to be sure it doesn't select a book for you that you've already read. Unfortunately, the system limits the size of a "Has-Had" file. When files approach that limit, we have to make them smaller. We recently pruned all "Has-Had" files larger than 400 titles by removing those read prior to July 1997. This less than ideal situation should end when the new version of the system arrives -by the end of 1998.
PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES have been sent to all participants who read five or more books during Rock & Read at the Library. Twenty-eight children signed up. Sixteen completed the program and received stickers, canvas tote bags, temporary tatoos, and more.
VOLUNTEER REFERRAL WORKS. Thanks to your help we received calls from several individuals. None have yet been able to fit their schedule to ours, but the response is encouraging. Please continue to talk to your family and friends about our need for volunteers in machine repair, cassette duplication, and for on-call clerical work.
MORE VINTAGE TELEVISION shows have been added to our video collection courtesy of Narrative Television Network: The Andy Griffith Show, "The New Housekeeper" episode, DVS 01001; and The Gomer Pyle Show, "Guest in the Barracks" episode, DVS 01002.
MEMBERS ONLY joins with NETV's Choice in November to provide monthly news and programming information for the Nebraska Public Radio Network. Current Members Only subscribers will automatically receive Choice beginning in November.
BRAILLE READERS can now enjoy new crossword and logic puzzles every month. Conundrum, a braille magazine produced in Great Britain, is available through NLS.
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| Nebraska Cassette Books Collection Features These New Titles | |
Books of Nebraska...
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
NE 683 3 cassettes
Ron Hansen
The legendary outlaw Jesse James is portrayed as a complex, mysterious and vainglorious fellow with a vituperous mean streek. His violent career is described, along with the development of his relationship with the worshipful, but treacherous, Bob Ford. Narrated by Mike Wight.
Sharpie
NE 688 2 cassettes
Diane Ruth Armour Bartels
The biography of Evelyn Sharp, an early Nebraska barnstorming pilot who became one of the first women to ferry US Army Air Force fighters during World War II. Narrated by Marjory Gloe.
Out of Barbed Wire Into a Nazi Death March
NE 724 1 cassette
Marie Kramer
The unforgettable true story of three American POWs from Nebraska. The hardship they endured in Nazi Germany illustrates war's brutality, as well as the ruggedness of the human spirit. Narrated by Kevin Leapley.
Swimming in the Congo
NE 727 2 cassettes
Margearet Meyers
Seven-year-old Grace Berggren, daughter of a missionary, paints a sensitive portrait of her life in the Congo. In the midst of disparate and conflicting communities of foreigners, she finds pleasure-both in swimming the rivers and in the relationships she cultivates. Narrated by Beth NcNeil
Fourteen Plus
NE 734 1 cassette
Donald Lineback
The author tells of growing up on a homestead in the Nebraska Sandhills, 1911-1949. Living conditions were sometimes stark during harsh winters and boiling summers. Yet the life of one room schoolhouses and ponies was a good one. In addition to 13 of their own, the author's parents also provided a home to seven of the father's brothers and sisters, and later to four grandchildren. Narrated by Brad Field.
Wild Towns of Nebraska
NE 740 2 cassettes
Wayne C. Lee
In the cities and towns of early Nebraska, lawmen, desperadoes, vigilantes, and killers filled the streets with violence. Yet, stubborn men and women pursued their daily lives. Cities described include Omaha, Nebraska City, Kearney, North Platte, Culbertson, Ogallala, Sidney, Crawford, Valentine, and Broken Bow. Narrated by Mark Janda.
The Lost Son
NE 743 2 cassettes
Brent Spencer
Ellen, Redmond, and Nick are an exploding nuclear family, crucifying one another for all the things life didn't deliver. Written by the director of the creative writing progaram at Creighton University, this novel is filled with competing forces and the extremes to which its characters go in pursuit of intimacy and in recoiling from it. Narrated by Jane Knox.
General Fiction...
Treasures on Earth
NE 707 3 cassettes
Jessica Stirling
This early 19th-century tale of prejudice and passion centers on Scotswoman Gaddy Patterson, who forsakes the road life of a drover's woman to live in a staid Lowland parish. Where, though an outcast, she finds love with farmer Coll Cochran. Narrated by Dale Carter. Produced by NLS.
Radio Dramas...
Louis Braille and the Baker's Daughter
NE 735 1 cassette
Hendrik Booraem
A bittersweet drama about the man who developed a touch-based reading system for the blind and the young lady who was the love of his life. Produced by the Blue Ridge Radio Players.
Jane Eyre
NE 736 1 cassette
Charlotte Bronte
From the 19th-centry novel. A young governess loves her brooding master who harbors a dark and frightful secret. Dramatization by Hendrik Booraem. Produced by the Blue Ridge Radio Players.
Sleight of Hand
NE 737 1 cassette
Louis Pelletier
This tale of a slick con man revisits the Golden Age of Radio. First broadcast on The FBI radio series some fifty years ago. Produced by the Blue Ridge Radio Players.
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| Top-10 Reasons To Use Your Public Library | |
Public libraries offer many services in addition to standard print books. These services are available to all members of the community, not just those who use the library's collection of standard print books. Here are 10 reasons for you to find out more about your local public library.
10. FACTS BY PHONE. Local libraries can answer all sorts of brief questions by telephone or fax, including spelling or defining a word. For example, most libraries will be able to tell you quickly the first frost date for your area or the name of Iceland's capital city.
9. GOVERNMENT ADDRESSES. Your local library is also a source for local addresses and telephone numbers for representatives in the U.S. Congress, the Nebraska Unicameral, and local government.
8. MUSIC. Many public libraries have circulating collections of recorded music. Some have reference collections of rare recordings to be used only at the library. Check with your local library to see if music-on cassettes, records or compact discs-is one of its services.
7. FINDING LIKE-MINDED SOULS. Many libraries host book discussions where readers share their perspectives on specific works. When discussion titles are announced, call us to see if they are available on talking books.
6. STORY HOURS. Regular story times are popular programs at many local libraries. Children's librarians often read aloud picture books for preschoolers. Some libraries also offer films, arts and crafts, and games for school age children.
5. LOCAL NEWS AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION. Your local library may also serve as a clearinghouse for information on local groups and clubs, charitable events, and more.
4. EXPERT INFORMATION. Many local public libraries host lectures or discussions. Writers, local employment specialists, health professionals, and county extension agents are often featured in library programs.
3. ENTERTAINMENT. Library programs may also include travel films, dramatic readings, and concerts.
2. ADDITIONAL READING. Many libraries have collections of books on commercially produced cassettes. Though many don't include every word of the print book they often feature celebrity narrators.
And the #1 reason to check out your local public library is …
1. YOU PAID FOR IT! Libraries are examples of your tax dollars at work.
Adapted from Perspective, a publication of the Michigan Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
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Talking Book Survey - Interchange |
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Thank you for your responses. If you would like to make additional comments on this topic or suggest a topic for a future survey, please contact us: 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE 68508-2023; local 471-4038, toll-free long distance 800-742-7691; or e-mail.
1. How often do you read Interchange?
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