Touch and Listen
The Newsletter of the Florida Braille and Talking Book Library

Fall 2024

What’s Happening in Florida

From the Bureau Chief, Nicole Sanders
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Summer Reading Program and Book Bingo!  I hope you enjoyed it and tried some new genres or subjects that you now want to add to your reading list. We are in the process of notifying winners and sending prizes.  We want to engage patrons in reading and have already begun planning for next year.  

In August we launched our first, “Calling All Cooks” meet-up by phone.  There was some great conversation around cooking and some fun stories shared.  Maureen, our Program Specialist, hosts this call every fourth Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.  We invite you to join this friendly and helpful group. At the next meeting, participants will share stories of the most memorable time they have had in the kitchen, good or bad.  

Thank you to all of you who filled out a patron survey.  We value your feedback and appreciate your participation.  We rely on your feedback to improve our services. 

Thank you and happy reading!

New Large Print Item: Selections from Talking Book Topics
We are happy to be able to provide you once again with a large print format of the Talking Book Topics catalog! Our version is called Selections from Talking Book Topics. 
The selections are condensed listings from the current TBT catalog published by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress. They are published every two months, and should be available by the middle of the month when they are released. For example, September/October was made available by the middle of September.
Each edition includes at least 5 books from popular genres, determined by the majority of our library patron's preferences. We have created fiction and non-fiction versions.

The Fiction version includes:
Mystery & Detective, Romance, Historical Fiction, Suspense & Thrillers and Westerns.
 
The Non-fiction version includes:
Biography, U.S. History, World History, Religion and Science.

When you call or email your library, and request either the Fiction or Non-fiction, you will immediately be mailed the most recent edition, and then, be subscribed to it on an ongoing basis. 
To submit your order:
•	Remove the order form from the edition, mark your selections and fill in your name and address. 
•	Use your own envelope to mail the form to your library. 
•	The regional and subregional library addresses are listed inside the edition. 
•	Write “Free Matter for the Blind” in the top right-hand corner of the envelope in place of postage.

The full NLS Talking Book Topics catalog is available online at loc.gov/nls/new-materials/talking-book-topics/ and also as an audiobook. Call your library to subscribe!

Tech Talk
To help resolve iOS issues in BARD Mobile you can:
1.	Close BARD Mobile if it is open (completely close, not minimized to the app switcher)
2.	Open Settings
3.	Open BARD Mobile Settings
4.	Turn on Setting Initialization
5.	Open BARD Mobile
6.	You must agree to the terms of service and login as you did when you first used the app

Programming at your Florida Braille and Talking Book Library 2024

Reading Challenge: Fall Into Reading offered exclusively by Florida Braille and Talking Book Library
Take this opportunity to read something different! 
•	Read three books with “fall” or “leaves” in the title.
When complete, email reading@dbs.fldoe.org with your name and book titles to claim your prize!
The challenge runs from now until the end of November.

Need help finding books like this?
You can call your library, OR 
Search the WebOPAC, our online catalog!
•	Go to flopac.klas.com. Click SEARCH. Type “fall” or “leaves” in the query box. Use the dropdown under INDEX to select Title. 
•	Once your SEARCH RESULTS are listed, use the menu along the left side of the page to narrow your results. Clicking on the BLUE CIRCLE beside each subject will REMOVE those subjects from your list.
•	RESERVE the books you want. These will be added to your list and will be sent to you on your next cartridge.

Calling All Cooks Monthly Meetup
A group for those who have been cooking practically since birth and those who are just getting started! Meet challenges and find support with other blind or low vision cooks as they navigate from hunger to fulfillment. 
The Fourth Friday of every month at 2- 3 pm Eastern time.
Next Meetings: September 27, October 25, November 22. 
Email your name to reading@dbs.fldoe.org to sign up, with “COOK” in the subject line to get the call in number and conference ID or the Teams meeting link.

NEW! Wrangling All Writers Monthly Meetup
A group for writers to share and practice the fun of flash fiction, very short stories of 250-1,500 words. Take part in writing prompts and story challenges. 
The last Wednesday of every month, 10-11 am Eastern time.
Next Meetings: October 30, November 27.
Email your name to reading@dbs.fldoe.org to sign up, with “WRITE” in the subject line to get the call in number and conference ID or the Teams meeting link.

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Corner
BARD Express Update: Play books on your computer! 
NLS announced the release of BARD Express, version 3.0.0.7. This release includes the long-awaited BARD Express Player, which allows patrons to choose an audio book or magazine from their BARD Express bookshelf and listen to it directly on their PC. 
Much like BARD Mobile, the BARD Express Player allows users to adjust the narration speed; jump to navigation points such as part, chapter and article; create bookmarks; and much more. Users can also create global settings for narration speed, auto-play and auto-rewind.
Patrons using JAWS and NVDA can either use the tab key to move to each of the player’s functions or tap a single letter assigned to that function. For example, they can type F for fast forward, R for rewind and B for bookmarks. A complete list of commands can be found under the BARD Express Help menu.
Scripts are built into the 2024 version of JAWS to optimize the BARD Express Player. Patrons using JAWS 2022 or 2023 can download the same scripts from the BARD Express page on the NLS website and import them into their screen readers. 
We recommend reading Section 7 of the BARD Express user guide, which is dedicated to the BARD Express Player to familiarize yourself with the new player. The user guide can be found on the BARD Express page on the NLS website.

BARD Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some books from a series missing?  Why are some magazine issues missing?
While NLS always makes the effort to offer the complete book series, some books in a series are not available in a digital format. NLS will convert these missing books from analog recordings when possible.
All magazine issues must meet NLS’ strict quality-control standards. In some cases, individual issues can be held up by production problems that cause them not to meet these standards. NLS works with its magazine producers to solve problems as quickly as possible so the magazine issue can be posted to the website.

Can you add a specific title, please?
All books currently selected by NLS are produced in digital format. Check the NLS catalog found at https://nlscatalog.loc.gov/. If a book is listed as IN PROCESS, it will appear on the BARD site when production and quality checks have been completed.
If you think you have discovered a title missing from a series, a duplication or some other kind of inconsistency, NLS patrons are invited to fill out the Book Recommendation form to request books or magazines to be added to the NLS collection. The link is found in the NLS Catalog under Suggest a Title.
You may also contact your regional or subregional library. Staff will then query NLS by submitting a Book Recommendation form and report back to the patron.

What do I do if I find a problem in a book or magazine?
Please report the problem—including the title, author, book prefix and book number—to NLSDownload@loc.gov.  In the case of digital talking books, your player can tell you the time elapsed as of your current reading position. If possible, please include this information in your message. Listing the book number and its prefix in your message’s subject line is also helpful.

The Reading Room
Braille Magazines Update
The following magazines will no longer be produced by NLS: 
•	Dell Crosswords
•	Interweave

Patrons who are subscribed to these magazines will not receive any additional issues. These magazines are being replaced by magazines of the same scope (see list below). All subscriptions for Dell Crosswords were moved to Crossword Extravaganza magazine and Interweave subscriptions to Laine magazine. Past issues of Dell Crosswords and Interweave will remain available on BARD.

Five new braille magazines are being added to the NLS collection.

•	Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
o	Frequency: Bimonthly
o	Description: Magazine specializing in crime and detective fiction. 
•	Animal Wellness Magazine
o	Frequency: Bimonthly
o	Description: Provides educational content to help your beautiful dog and cat live the most naturally long, healthy and happy life possible.
•	Crossword Extravaganza
o	Frequency: Triannually
o	Description: Enjoy a wealth of fun, challenging crosswords with dozens of themed selections from The Crosswords Club and Dell Crosswords. Includes 20 varieties of crosswords such as Cryptics, About-Face, Stenographic, Punanagrams and more.
•	Laine
o	Frequency: Quarterly
o	Description: Includes patterns from leading knitwear designers; insightful, long-format stories from the world of wool; interviews; seasonal recipes; and strong, visual storytelling.
•	Piano Technical Journal
o	Frequency: Monthly
o	Description: A technical magazine covering all phases of working on pianos. Monthly articles explore new tools, industry news and organizational issues. Feature articles range from setting up a repair shop to rebuilding techniques.

NLS expects the first issues of these new magazines to be available by late fall. 

Calling Your Library 
Based on direct feedback from you, our patrons, we are changing the way we handle calls to Reader Services.  Starting February 3, 2025, all calls will be handled live and there will always be a reader advisor readily available to answer your questions and help. Making the change will allow us to answer your calls more immediately and you won't have to leave a message.  This may also mean that you will have the pleasure of working with all our skilled reader advisors instead of just one! Please be patient as we train to give you the very best service and make this transition.

Holiday Closing Dates
We are open from Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Our upcoming holidays:
Monday, November 11 Veteran’s Day (observed) 
Thursday, November 28 Thanksgiving Day  
Friday, November 29 Friday after Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 25 Christmas Day

The Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services are part of the
Florida Department of Education, Division of Blind Services.
Visit our websites at www.dbs.fldoe.org or www.fldoe.org 

Contact us at 1-800-226-6075 or via email at OPAC_librarian@dbs.fldoe.org

FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND AND
PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

Florida Braille and Talking Book Library
421 Platt Street
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114