Advisory Committee to the Nebraska Library Commission
Talking Book and Braille Service
Nebraska Library Commission
1200 N Street, Suite 120 Meadowlark Room
Lincoln, Nebraska
Tuesday, June 8, 2010,1:30 p.m.
DRAFT Minutes subject to change at the next meeting
The Talking Books Advisory Committee met on June 8, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. in
the Meadowlark Room at the Nebraska Library Commission in Lincoln.
Members present: Marjorie Harrison, Robert Kalin, Ana Kalin,
Shelly Gray, Sara Mitchell, Brenda Elson, Joan Davis, Brad Meurrens,
Annette Hall and David Oertli.
Ana Kalin presided over the meeting. Introductions were made with each
member explaining his/her interest in Talking Books. It was agreed that
there are many reasons that Talking Books are essential to people' s lives.
A common misconception is that Talking Books are intended only for the
blind, but there is a much broader audience that can benefit from its
services.
The topic of how to get the word out about the many services of Talking
Books was brought up. That being said, some success has been found in
working with the media. Talking books was featured on a segment of
"Lincoln Live" on KFOR, and there was also some newspaper coverage in the
local paper. In addition, Talking Books has paid for some ads. It was
suggested that links be put on various home pages where people who could
benefit from the service might see them. Some of the suggestions for
links were web pages for Nebraska Advocacy, the Commission for the Blind,
the American Council of the Blind of Nebraska and the National Federation
of the Blind of Nebraska. As the committee brainstormed, other
suggestions were: Lions Clubs of Nebraska and the Great Plains Chapter of
Paralyzed Veterans of America. Brad said he would see that the link is
put on the Nebraska Advocacy website and check out the other sources.
In addition, public service announcements for radio and television were
suggested. If these could be done in 15 or 30 second increments, the hope
is they will be attention grabbing and provide contact information.
Because the FCC requires all stations to put aside a certain amount of
advertising for PSA' s, it is hoped that some of these could be done for
minimum cost. It was suggested that January is the best month to request
PSA' s. Possible outlets for this type of advertising: KOLN-channel
10/11; KZUM radio, and Radio Talking Book.
The committee then watched Farm to Fork, a You-Tube presentation that was
very engaging. The three minute video showed services offered by TBBS,
who is eligible and the last section could be extended to show how to use
the services of talking books. A third video was also suggested to show
how the service works on the receiver' s end.
The new digital players have been a great success. Within the next couple
of years-2012 being the target date-all Nebraska books will be transferred
onto cartridge. Ideas were discussed about how to prioritize which books
should be transferred and in what order. It was suggested that we first
look at the most popular books in circulation. From there, the second
priority might be books of Nebraska interest such as football, weather,
Nebraska history, Nebraska authors, and it was also felt that including
authors with disabilities or authors who write about living with
disabilities be a priority. Finally, a third priority should focus on
juvenile and young adult material. Books by Dianne Gray and Rosekrans
Hoffman were suggested as high interest novels. Lincoln' s Writers
Wordshop might also have suggestions. The contact person for this group
is Dean Settle.
The Nebraska Advocacy group, ARC of Nebraska, and Independent Living will
hold a rally on July 26, 2010. The focus of the rally will be a reminder
of what is included and the importance of the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried.
For more information contact
Scott Scholz, Director
Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service.
402-471-6553
800-742-7691
Scott Scholz