Vox Libra - a listserv for discussion of talking books

Readers of talking books now have a vehicle for reviewing and recommending books to one another, an opportunity to share experiences and to discover other books that may be of interest. Hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, VoxLibra is open to everyone. Interested readers can subscribe by sending an e-mail message to: Listserv@postoffice.cso.uiuc.edu.

Leave the subject line blank; the body of the message should include the words: Subscribe voxlibra-l

A return e-mail message will ask the new subscriber to confirm the subscription by replying. The reply should be only the one word, ok.

Need a Y2000 Calendar?

Braille calendars are available free on request from several organizations, while others charge a fee.

American Action Fund for Blind Children & Adults

• 1800 Johnson St, Baltimore MD 21230
• This 6 x 6-1/2 inch calendar features a page a month,
• a personal day page, and a listing of major holidays.
• Mail requests only.

John Milton Society for the Blind

• 475 Riverside Drive, Room 455, New York NY 10115
• (212) 870-3335
• 12-1/2 x 10-1/2 inch calendar features a motto on each page. Request by mail or telephone.

Lutheran Mission with Blind & Visually Impaired Persons

• attn. Lynne Borchelt, 1333 South Kirkwood Road,
• St. Louis MO 63122 (314) 965-9000
• 8-1/2 x 11 inch calendar features a monthly verse from
• the Bible. Request by mail or phone.

Braille Institute Press

• 741 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90029
• (800) 272-4553
• BIP includes a 8-3/4 x 11 inch print/braille calendar in
• the December issue of the Braille Mirror and the
• holiday issue of Expectations. A limited number of
• extras are available at no charge . Order by mail
• or by telephone.

National Braille Press
• at 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston MA 02115
• sells an 8-1/2 x 11 print/braille calendar with a Winnie
• the Pooh motif for $10.99, prepaid by mail.

TFB Publications
• 238 75th Street, North Bergen NJ 07047
• 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inch braille appointment calendar
• with separate week at the top of each braille page,
• $5.00 Prepaid orders by mail only.

Large-Print calendars are also available for purchase.
Prepaid mail orders only, except as noted.

Lighthouse of Houston Sales Store

• 3602 West Dallas Street, Houston TX 77019
• 11 x 17 inch Large Print calendar, $5.00

Mass. Association for the Blind Store

• 23 A Elm Street, Watertown MA 02472 (617) 972-9114
• 11 x 22 inch Large Print calendar, $8.00

South Dakota Industries for the Blind

• 800 West Avenue North, Sioux Falls SD 57104
• (605) 367-4266 xt 14 voice (605) 367-5675 fax www.sdib.org/lp/htm
• 11 x 17 inch (folded) Large Print monthly wall
• calendar, $8.00. Order by mail, phone, fax, or website.

Eye-dea Shop, Cleveland Sight Center

• 1909 East 101st Street, Cleveland OH 44106
• (216) 791-8118
• 17 x 23 inch Large Print calendar, $10.00
• Order by mail or phone.

Web-Braille
A New Service from the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped

Web-Braille is NLS' new system for distributing braille books via the Internet. More than 2600 grade 2 braille books are available for download or online use by eligible individuals, libraries and schools. Users must have their own equipment - braille embossers, refreshable braille displays, and other braille-aware devices - and have an e-mail address and access to the Internet. Print/braille and grade 1 braille books are not included in the Web-Braille collection.

Anyone wishing to use Web-Braille must register with the library designated to handle his/her braille magazine subscriptions. A reader may choose his own password or have one assigned, along with an ID number.

Braille Book Review on-line now contains active links to Web-Braille. A registered Web-Braille patron will be able to browse through a current BBR, locate a title of interest, and select a volume. After inputting a valid user ID and password, the patron will be presented with the selected volume and may read it on-line or download it.

Free Braille Books! Free!

Each month, blind children, teachers of blind children, and schools may receive a free book in braille - a selection from one of two popular series, "Goosebumps" or "Animorphs." This is a joint project of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and Braille International, Inc.

To receive a registration form, contact Barbara Cheadle at AAFBCA, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore MD 21230 or call her at (401) 659-9315.

Arthur's Here!

Arthur, his sister D.W, their aardvark family and their friends have been delighting children for years. Author Marc Brown shows them in the everyday events of children's lives - new pets, school bullies, pesky younger children. This season, their fourth on PBS, Arthur the Lovable Aardvark will have a continuing focus on libraries! The program premiered on October 4 with "D.W.'s Library Card."

Young readers can expand their time with Arthur by requesting any of our Arthur books, on cassette -

RC 37836, Arthur Babysits
RC 41678 Arthur's Eyes
RC 41874 Arthur's New Puppy
RC 41178 Arthur's Pet Business
RC 41671 D.W. the Picky Eater

PBR 00028 Arthur's April Fool
PBR 00037 Arthur's Teacher Trouble
PBR 09940 Arthur's Family Vacation
PBR 09947 Arthur Meets the President
PBR 09949 Arthur's Birthday
PBR 10004 Arthur's First Sleepover
PBR 10005 Arthur's Chicken Pox

New Products

The Health Care Financing Administration has announced braille, cassette and large print editions of The Medicare and You 2000 Handbook, and a cassette edition of the 1999 Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare. You may request a copy of either or both these publications by calling the Medicare Hotline at 1-800-633-4227.

Most people don't have to look too hard to find a Wal-Mart these days, so you may be interested to know that the chain has introduced its own line of diabetic products, called ReliOn. The ReliOn label is on syringes, lancets, glucose tablets, skin cream and alcohol swabs. They are stocked in the pharmacy department.

Diabetics and others who use medication that must be kept cool often face travel restrictions, and the inconvenience of needing access to a refrigerator. The Frio wallet offers a way to keep medication safe and cool for up to 45 hours without refrigeration, even when the ambient temperature rises as high a 100 degrees F.

Used extensively in Europe, the Frio comes in two sizes:

2-1/2 x 7 inches ($20.00) and 5-1/2 x 6 inches ($24.50). Contact Totally Cool Ltd, P. O. Box 842465, Dallas TX 75284 for more information. Telephone 1-888-229-6377, email frio@btinternet.com, or go to the company's website at www.friouk.com.

If you and your dog guide travel at night, California Canes offers a Nightlight Harness Handle that glows, and can be seem from 500 ft. when fully charged (3 to 5 minutes under any bright direct light). The handle has a rubber grip and comes in standard sizes, both American and European.

CC also sells a Nightlight Utility Pouch made to fit all working dog harness handles. It holds no more than one pound, so as not to affect the performance of the working dog. For more information, visit the company's web page at www.californiacanes.com, email them at califcanes@earthlink.com, or telephone them at (949) 489-1973.

Remember - mention of a product or service in this newsletter does not constitute endorsement. Our aim is to increase awareness of programs, products and services that may be helpful to some of our readers.

Transportation Problems?
GSIL can help!

With a "first-come, first-served" program based on consumer demand and funding availability, Granite State Independent Living offers a way to reimburse handicapped people for transportation costs they incur in going shopping, getting to medical appointments, and similar activities.

Travelers must be preregistered with the program - contact Amy Phillips at 1-800-826-3700 to start the registration process.

Once authorized to use the reimbursement program, travelers must plan each trip, request PRIOR approval from GSIL before scheduling it or buying tickets, present a cost estimate and wait for approval.

The program cannot cover work-related trips, and is limited to those who are eligible to receive Title VII Part B services through GSIL. Not sure you're eligible? Call Amy Phillips and find out.

Library Users of America Welcomes You!

A new organization has developed, aiming to keep the nationwide community of Talking Book readers in touch. It's called Library Users of America. There is an annual convention, and membership dues of $9. A year.

If you have e-mail, you can receive their newsletter, LUA E-News, at no charge. Send an e-message to LibraryUsers@aol.com with "LUA E-News" as the subject. In the body of the message put your own e-mail address, plus your full name. That's it!

Locally

And in our own interests, visually impaired computer users may want to join the NH-only listserve, NH BLIND-TALK. Lively discussions take place, technical questions get asked and answered, LOTS of news gets exchanged. Joining is easy - send an e-mail message to: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu with no subject, and in the body of the message type only: subscribe Nhblind-talk.

New DVS Videos Added

Since we printed our catalog of Described Videos, we have added Amistad, Antz, Babe, Dante's Peak, Good Will Hunting, Hope Floats, Twins, and the two famed Ken Burns PBS series Baseball and the Civil War. Please call Mary for more information about DVS and these new videos.

NFB Announces Y2K Scholarship Program

At its National Convention each July, the National Federation of the Blind awards a broad array of scholarships - 30 this year , ranging from $3,000. To $21,000. All applicants must be (1) legally blind and (2) pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time post-secondary course of study in the fall semester of 2000. Some scholarships bear additional restrictions. All are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, service to the community, and financial need. The application deadline for Y2K scholarships is March 31, 2000

To obtain an application, contact Mrs. Peggy Elliott, Chair, NFB Scholarship Committee, 805 Fifth Avenue, Grinnell IA 50112 (515) 236-3366.

With Sincere Gratitude

In our final issue for each year, it has been our custom to take a moment to thank the many generous readers and friends who have made unsolicited contributions to this library service. This year we have a particularly large number of people to thank.

Individual Givers

• Anonymous
• Eileen Coxon-Ireland
• W. D. Eppes
• Leahy & Denault LLP
• A Friend
• Velma Lodge
  
• John & Susanna Middleton
  
• Joan S. Murray
  
• Geraldine & Leonard Newell
  
• Residents of Mountain View Home
  
• Dorothy A. Patnode
  
• Florence B. Smith

In memory of John Bardin

Marilyn B. Wixon

In memory of Ruth Moodey Cooper

Beatrice Dingman
Peter Clark
Frances Weston Hoyt
Carole J. Litt
Caroline N. Luhta
Madeline McGoff
Madeline H. Miller
Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Milo Jr.

In memory of Emily G. Cross

Mrs. R. D. Cochran
Beverly and Richard Cochran
Allan F. Cross for the Cross Family
Frederick C. Gale
Katherine M. Kaliveas

In memory of Col. B. A. Finkle (ret)

Edith Finkle

In memory of Harry Hanson

Eleanor L. Bassett
Ada P. Loizelle
Genevieve Pivnickas

In memory of Bernice M. Holz

Kathryn L. Dolan
Sandra C. Russell

In memory of Elizabeth Norton

Zoe K. Covert
Mr. & Mrs. Frank R. Dwyer
Brian & Kathleen Gallagher
Mr. & Mrs. Erik Gelotte
Cynthia D. Gutmann
Lois M. Gutmann
Elizabeth N. Norton
Joanne & Bill Segal

In memory of Stella Roberge

Pat & Paul Clutier
Dick & Mary Goonan
Dan & Judy Goonan
Mary & Walter Jerome
Amelia & Delia Jolicoeur
Margaret Matick
Violet J. Sullivan

In memory of Anne Trosten

Adele B. Smith
Florence B. Smith

In memory of Ida B. Twombly

Fred & Ruby Boyd

In memory of Martha Winslow

Paul & Patricia Clutier

In memory of Evelyn Woodward & son Francis W. Sweeney

Bernice R. Hayward
Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Newell