Summer break without books? No way! said 33 Talking Book and Braille readers age 12 and younger who enrolled in this year's summer reading program. Twenty-one of them read five books or more.

Based on the theme, "Treasure Your Library," the summer reading program was similar to the one offered by many of Nebraska's public libraries.

All enrollees received a reading-record folder that looked like a treasure chest, an assortment of stickers and several bookmarks. Those who read at least five books received a mini poster, a certificate, a button, a plastic drawstring bag, temporary tattoos, stickers, a foam-fish pen, a lobster pencil-top eraser, gold-colored coins and two inflatable fish.

Our summer reading program is announced through a special mailing each May.

Seven members of Omaha's Casper E. Yost Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers of America meet faithfully every Monday morning to repair Library of Congress cassette players. Their combined length of volunteer service to the talking book program now totals a remarkable 83 years.

Recently Talking Book and Braille Service staff traveled to Omaha to visit these volunteers. A special certificate of appreciation was presented to longstanding volunteer, Bernie Turner, for 27 years of dedicated service, including his tenure as Chairman of the Talking Book Suburban Repair Unit. Two other Omaha Telephone Pioneers have given at least ten years of service-Larry Seyl, at 26 , and Ed Rigali, at nearly 12 years.

After spending time in the repair shop, the Telephone Pioneers and library staff enjoyed lunch together in an Omaha restaurant.

Nebraska borrowers may keep the cassette edition of Guideposts if it arrives in a soft paper envelope instead of a plastic mailing box.

The mailing label on the envelope will not be reversible.

The cassettes used for Guideposts are meant to be one-way only and cannot easily be recycled. However, other magazines that arrive in plastic mailing boxes should be returned to the Talking Book and Braille Service.

Because of a change in national policy, any resident of Nebraska who is eligible for talking book service would also qualify for Newsline®. Formerly, only blind or visually-impaired individuals were eligible.

Through Newsline®, individuals use telephone lines to access newspapers through synthetic speech.

At the present time, individuals living outside of Lincoln would pay long distance rates for their Newsline® calls. Sponsors hope to expand free access to the service to other parts of the state.

Newsline® applications are available both through the Talking Book and Braille Service and through the Nebraska Rehabilitation Services for the Visually Impaired.

Here is a handy list of ideas to help you make better use of talking book service. Consider posting this by your phone or file it away for future reference.

• Call 402-471-4038 or 1-800-742-7691 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• After office hours and on holidays, an answering machine records messages. Wait for the beep; then speak clearly. Provide complete name, address and phone number. Use for brief messages only.

• Send requests through e-mail.

• Communicate your concerns to your Readers Advisor.

• If you are loaned a Library of Congress cassette player, you must borrow talking books from the Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service in order to retain the equipment.

  Those needing players for textbook use only may purchase four-track players. Call the Talking Book and Braille Service for more information.

• Do not repair, give away, discard or sell Library of Congress playback equipment. Save packing materials and return equipment to the Talking Book and Braille Service.

• Persons applying for service due to a reading disability such as dyslexia must damaged cassettes but not on the outside of the mailing boxes. To request a replacement copy, call your Readers Advisor.

• Do not attempt to repair damaged cassettes yourself, instead return them according to the above instructions.

• If your playback equipment malfunctions, call your Readers Advisor to find out if a public library near you serves as a machine-exchange site.

• Always bring your malfunctioning equipment with you to the public library in order to exchange it for equipment that works.

• Magazines on cassette which arrive in paper envelopes are yours to keep. If you send them back marked "refused," then you will experience an interruption in service. Instead, call your Readers Advisor.

• When sending correspondence, include your complete name and address. Do not put request lists or other notes inside book containers.

• Loan period is six weeks. Overdue notices are sent as a reminder.

• The cassette editions of Reader's Digest and Newsweek come directly to you from the American Printing House for the Blind. If you are having problems with your subscriptions to these magazines, call toll-free: 800-223-1839.

• You need to place a temporary hold on service.

• There are changes to your address, phone number or other identifying information.

• You are getting either too many books or not enough.

• You are not receiving the kinds of books that you enjoy.

• You do not receive the titles that you have requested on lists mailed to the library.

• You have questions about your playback equipment or discover that it is malfunctioning.

It happens all too often--request lists arrive at the Talking Book and Braille Service without the sender's name or address.

Staff have no way of knowing who sends the anonymous requests to us, so the borrowers who want those books keep on waiting.

The order forms that are a part of Interchange, or that accompany the flexible-disc edition of Talking Book Topics, are the only instances where your name and address have already been printed on the requests.

Please make sure your name and address appear on all request lists sent to the library.

Westerns

NE 00686 Apache
by Donald Clayton Porter
2 cassettes
Book 14 of the White Indian Series-Renno experiences a vision which directs him to travel west and to trust a white man for the sake of his own adopted people. Narrated by John Burlinson. Produced by the Texas Regional Library.

Radio Dramas
All produced by the Blue Ridge Radio Players

NE 694 The Star Boarder
by Louis Pelletier
1 cassette
In this drama, set in the 1950s, a mysterious gentleman residing in an Allenville, Ohio, boarding house is suspected of having robbed a bank.

NE 695 Row for Your Life!!!
by Hendrick Booraem
1 cassette
Based on the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of May 31, 1889, which killed more than 2000, this drama focuses on what might have happened to three individuals.

NE 696 Jeff Peters vs. Matrimony
by Hendrick Booraem
1 cassette
Comedy based on an O. Henry short story-a con man and all-around reprobate and his traveling companion invest $6,000 of ill-gotten gains into a matrimonial agency.

Please mark the books you wish to order, then enclose this entire page in an envelope and mail to: Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book & Braille Service The Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite #120 Lincoln, NE 68508-2023

• NE 686
• NE 694
• NE 695
• NE 696