Lucky Thirteen

Many of us remember the days of radio drama. Now a group in Hendersonville NC is doing its best to revive those days.

The Blue Ridge Radio Players do full-cast productions of classic plays, original works, and dramatized short stories. More than that, they have been kind enough to send us a full set of their productions!

Each performance is on one cassette, recorded at commercial speed. We've boxed them into thirteen assortments. Ghost stories are mixed with comedies, classics and originals to give you an experience close to that of the days when we gathered around the radio for our favorite drama broadcasts - but now you choose the time and the sequence.

BRRP continues to send us copies of new productions. The organization has been "adopted" by actress Betty White, most recently seen as the ditzy and delightful "Rose" on "The Golden Girls". A recent recording set includes Betty White herself starring in the comedy "Triple-A Credit".

Hot on the heels of the delightful gift from the Blue Ridge Radio Players, we received a selection of five distinguished plays from the LA Theatre Works. These contemporary American plays feature such well- known performers as Ed Asner and Tyne Daly.

Please call the Library at 1-800-491-4200 for more information on these theatrical productions.

Free Bibles from Bible Alliance

This library has a good selection of Bibles - several translations, both Old and New Testaments - but we find that most people would prefer to have a Bible to call their very own. The Bible Alliance, P.O. Box 621, Bradenton FL 34206, is not only willing and able, but happy, to provide anyone with a copy of the Bible, on cassette - either or both Testaments, in English, French, Spanish or any of the many other languages.

If this is something you have wanted, why not write Bible Alliance today?<.p>

The Pullet Surprise

What did the farmer get when he went to the henhouse? Since it was first awarded in 1918, the Pulitzer Prize for Literature has been America's major literary award. Many of these books have joined the canon of American classics, been made into major films, and entered the ranks of beloved best sellers. Here is a short list of selected winners, each available on cassette.

• 1996 Richard Ford INDEPENDENCE DAY in process
• 1995 Carol Shields STONE DIARIES RC 39129
• 1992 Jane Smiley A THOUSAND ACRES RC 33926
• 1990 Oscar Hijelos MAMBO KINGS PLAY SONGS OF LOVE RC 30259
• 1989 Anne Tyler BREATHING LESSONS RC 27019
• 1987 Taylor, Peter SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS RC 25807
• 1985 Alison Lurie FOREIGN AFFAIRS RC 34290
• 1972 Wallace Stegner ANGLE OF REPOSE RC 15186
• 1967 Bernard Malamud THE FIXER RC 17078
• 1955 William Faulkner A FABLE RC 42248

New Year Library Service Tips

Have you moved recently, or are you planning to move? Please contact the library with your new address or your service may be interrupted. Always notify the library when you have a name or address change, a desire to discontinue service, or a change in reading interests. This applies to magazine readers as well.

Do not place notes about books or services under return address cards or inside book containers. They are only too easily missed, or separated from the item. Besides, it's a violation of our Free Matter privilege! Use the library's toll-free number, 1-800-491-4200, whenever you have a problem to report or a request to make.

Put your name and address on all correspondence to the library. Request lists without names and addresses simply cannot be honored, and that makes us feel just awful.

To identify defective cassettes, please put a rubber band or a piece of string around the cassette, and put it on top of other cassettes in the container. We will then repair the cassette (if it's possible) or take that copy out of service. Call us if you'd like another copy so that you can finish reading that book.

You are expected to take reasonable care of playback equipment - dust it regularly, keep it away from food and beverages, cover it when not in use. Tobacco ashes, coffee, jam and crumbs do severe damage to the working parts. You are NOT responsible for repairs or service, and commercial firms can't get the necessary parts. Just call the Library when you have equipment problems, or when you need replacement equipment. Remember, all playback equipment, accessories and books remain the property of the Federal government.

Do not lend your books or equipment to others. Return each book or magazine as soon as you have finished with it. Overdue books reduce the copies we have for circulation, and slow service for everyone.

Five ways to request books: mail us the catalog/TBT order forms; mail us a list of titles or preferred authors, or subjects; call us; visit the library Monday-Friday, 8 am to 3:30 pm; send us e-mail.

We all thank you very much, and we look forward to keeping you a satified reader during 1997.

BVA Scholarships Announced

The Blinded Veterans Association is encouraging all spouses and/or dependents of such veterans to apply for one of the twelve scholarships now being offered.

Requirements are:

• The veteran be legally blind
• The applicant be enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in an institution of higher learning.

Formal Policy Statement Under Development

For some months the staff has been working on a formal statement of library policies. Like every library, we have loan periods for books and magazines, and conditions under which we may suspend service or refuse to replace machines. Sadly, the past year has demonstrated to us that we do need clear standards under which we can suspend service to those few who repeatedly abuse books or equipment.

Once these standards are assembled into a policy, we will print them in this newsletter so that you may comment. As the policy moves toward becoming a set of official rules, the NH State Library Commission will hold public hearings on these proposed rules. We will publicise those hearings, and you will be welcome to testify in person, or by letter.

Diabetes Items

The Diabetes Wellness Network is offering a medical alert necklace free to anyone with diabetes. Words on the necklace read,"I have diabetes - please test my blood before treating me." Contact DWN at PO Box 3837, Merrifield VA 22116-3837.

All the edible products sold by the Sugar Free Marketplace are made without refined sugar, corn syrup, honey, or molasses - candy, cookies, ice cream, peanut butter, ketchup, cereal, mayonnaise, sauces, chips, dessert mixes, soups and more. They also sell cookbooks, books about diabetes, and diabetic socks. Their products ship via UPS. For a free catalog or for more information, contact the Sugar Free Markeptlace at 6710 North University Drive, Tamarac FL 33321. Their telephone number is 1-800-726-6191.

Did You Get A Computer for Christmas?

If yours is a new computer system, you probably have a full range of bells and whistles - 133MHz Pentium processor, 32+ MB RAM, 256K cache memory, 850MB hard drive, 28.8kbps fax/modem, 10X CD-ROM drive, 32-bit stereo sound drive with speakers, keyboard, mouse, Super VGA monitor, printer, basic software and - to avoid expensive electrical damage - a surge protector. To avoid the risk of quick obsolescence, you probably made sure that you have several expansion bays so that you can add additional drives (hard drives, tape drives, etc) and expansion slots so that you can add cards and other add-ons. You may have checked to be sure your computer could accept a faster processor so that you can upgrade next year. AND you'd checked with your insurance company to see if your new setup is covered under your present policy, or if you need to add a rider for full protection.

If you have all these things and you've done all these things, congratulations. But it's not necessary to start with the latest & greatest. A much more modest computer setup may be just the right way for you to start out. A used 286 with 600kbps modem and a small b/w monitor can get you started, and on to that "Information Highway."

Whether you've jumped in at the top of the line or you're just kludging along on an old machine, that first set of hardware is only the beginning.

People with disabilities often need special equipment and software to get the most from their computer. Screen readers allow visually impaired people to adjust the apparent print size or hear the material read aloud.People with learning disabilities often find these same screen readers a great help in the process of understanding what they see. Special keyboards and joysticks can help physically impaired people manage the commands and the typing that is a major part of computer use. Everybody seems to appreciate a word-processing program that includes a spelling checker.

Speaking of word-processing programs brings up the issue of software. There are literally thousands of software programs out there - for math, taxes, graph generation, geography, desktop publishing, art, music, games, foreign language, sign language, flying lessons. How do you choose?

There is a New Hampshire organization that will let you "try before you buy" specialized computer devices and software designed for disabled computer users. The New Hampshire Assistive Technology Partnership Project has, for example, six different screen-reader programs on hand for you to try. Whatever your operating system, whatever your need, it can be worth your while to call them at 1-800-427-3338 to discuss your interests and needs, then visit them at 10 Ferry St, Concord.

Two tips for you who are Internet "newbies"; 1) Join Granite State Empower & Light, a combination bulletin board, chat line, message board and e-mail connection. It's absolutely free. Set your modem to dial 950-5048. At the prompt, type .gsel (remember the dot!) then hit Enter twice. 2) Turn off your Call Waiting while you're on-line!

News from the 'Net

The Library has received an announcement that may be of interest to braille music users. Dancing Dots offers a software-based music transcription service that can turn print scores, MIDI files or Lime files into braille music (or braillable computer files) in as little as a week, with prices starting at $3.25 per brailled page and $5.00 for 15 minutes of setup time. DD has a special introductory offer for new users.

For more specific information, contact Dancing Dots at ddots@netaxs.com or visit their Website at www.netaxs.com/~dots The firm is at 130 Hampden Road, 3rd floor, Upper Darby PA 19082-3110. Telephone (610)352-7607.