No More Books on Record? Not True!

Readers have been calling to ask if they should be returning their Talking Book Machines/record players. No, no and again No!
It's true that NLS - the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped - has announced that it will stop ordering new books on flexible records. We will continue to receive new titles in the FD (flexible disc) format for several months, however, because these books were ordered before the decision took effect on October 1. We will also continue to have more than 10,000 books on records. If you enjoy your books on records, just keep on enjoying them.

NLS is also considering whether or not to record some or all magazines on cassette instead of on record. There are many, many factors to be taken into account, and we do not expect any quick decisions.

Once, flexible-disc records were both very cheap and very fast to produce. Now they cost about the same as cassettes, and cassette according hasebecome much faster. Now the question is if books and magazines cost about the same and take about the same time to produce in each format, should the Government continue to support production and repair of two different machines? There's a substantial cost for parts that goes into maintaining the record players. As you know, Cutting Federal Expenses is a prime goal in Congress now, and every Federal agency is being asked to examine its expenses with great care.

New Bibliographies

Would you like to have a copy of the newest NLS subject bibliographies? Just contact us and ask for "Romances" or "Science Fiction." We'll get them right out to you.
Sorry - Large Print only.

DVS News

Some thirty readers have borrowed and really enjoyed the selection of Descriptive Videos purchased for us by the Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation. That's really not enough to justify a request for more, and we've heard complaints about how hard it is for some folks to get to (or send someone to) the local public library to pick up one of these special videos. So we're going to invest some of our gift fund into some special mailing cases for videos.

We'll be comparing two models of mailing containers for durability and ease of handling; then we'll place an order. If all goes well, we hope to be able to begin direct-mail circulation of these videos by January 1996. You will receive a special announcement.
If the direct-mail video circulation alllows many more readers to enjoy these specially-described feature movies, then we will approach the Lions Foundation for additional money so that we can add more titles.

Thanks to Our Readers

In the last issue of Granite Bits, we asked you to help if you could by rewinding your cassettes before sending them back. You have done a wonderful job with that, and have made it possible for us to handle returned books much faster. Thank you all very much!

News for Younger Readers
(and their parents)

Since we began keeping all our records on computer, we have had a harder time locating interesting and appropriate books for our younger readers. Now, we are working on completely recataloging our entire younger-reader collection. It's a big job, of course, but we think it will help us avoid accidentally sending readers any books that are too young. We will still prefer to send the books younger readers actually request, but finding grade-appropriate material on science, for example, or biographies, should be faster and easier. We expect our new system will allow us to produce subject bibliographies by grade level to help younger readers, their parents and their teachers get the most enjoyment and information possible out of this library.

There are still many more books to recatalog, but we are working steadily and hope to be finished before Winter Break.

* We also have available a new Information Paper on Talking Books and Reading Disabilities. Please let us know if you would like us to send you a copy .

* The 1996-97 Student Guide to Federal Student Aid Programs is now available. High school juniors & seniors may get a free copy, in print or on cassette, by calling 1-800-433-3243 between 9 am and 7 pm
Monday thru Friday.

* The annual "Braille Readers are Leaders" contest counts Braille pages read from November 1 1995 to February 1 1996. Keep a record of the books and magazines you read in Braille, and the number of pages in each one. See your vision teacher for contest entry form. Sorry -grownups not welcome.

Surfing the 'Net? Check out NLS

If you own a computer and a modem, you can take a journey by way of the Internet, sometimes called the "information highway." If you've never tried, you will need access software first perhaps through a college, university or school system, perhaps through a commercial service like Prodigy, America OnLine or Compuserve. Each of these access programs will have its own steps that you must follow to connect to the Internet. Once on, however, there are places to go and people to meet, books to read and files to copy.

The Library of Congress provides access to information about its resources and services over the Internet. Our component, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, is represented with its Union Catalog, and with other NLS publications. The Union Catalog, which lists material available from NLS and from several other sources - including RFB&D - as well as books in process, is accessible through a search system called LOCIS. You may connect to the NLS Union Catalog using any one of three methods: gopher, ftp or a World Wide Web browser.

GOPHER

Gopher to marvel.loc.gov and you will enter the amazing Library of Congress Machine-Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library. And a "marvel" it is! Designed to serve members of Congress, LC staff, and constituents throughout the world, it covers a wide array of information including the full texts of many documents, usually in ASCII text.

At the Main Menu for LCMARVEL, select option 2: Events, Facilities, Publications and Services. From the next menu, select option 6: Services to Blind & Physically Handicapped Individuals. Then browse around among the available options to explore NLS publications & databases.

WWW

NLS also has a Homepage on the World Wide Web (WWW). To use this, you'll need access to a WWW browser. The address is: http://lcweb.loc.gov/nls/nls.html.

If you have sound, this homepage includes an audio sample of a talking book. From here, by choosing Selected Resources, you can access a new selected list of sources of books on computer diskette and books available as text files from different internet and WWW addresses. This information is also available through LCMARVEL.

FTP site

A number of files are available for transfer through LC's anonymous ftp (file transfer protocol) site. The address for the host is:
ftp.loc.gov

Here the directory /pub/nls includes a SCORPIO search guide and subdirectories with the NLS bimonthly listings and the annual catalogs.

LOCIS

You may also access the NLS Union Catalog by connecting to:
locis.loc.gov and, at that menu, selecting item 4: Braille and Audio. You'll then need to choose either BPHP, the list of books now available, or BPHI, the list of books-in-process.

WEBSTER

A WWW browser can also take you to New Hampshire's State Government Online Information Center, WEBSTER. It's still quite new and not complete, but state agencies are joining almost daily. WEBSTER provides a central location for organized access to State Government information and services. The address is
http://www.state.nh.us.

Here, you'll have a wide choice of of agencies - but if you choose State Library, then Library Services to Persons with Disabilities, you will reach our page. From there, choosing Library of Congress will take you the the NLS home page and the full NLS catalog. Our WEBSTER page also offers a message connection.. With this, you can search the national catalog for subjects, titles and authors that interest you, then request those books from us via the message link.

E-MAIL

If you'd like to ask us a question, send a book request list, or comment about our activities, you may use our "electronic mailbox" or e-mail address: talking@lilac.nhsl.lib.nh.us.

You may contact NLS directly, at: nls@loc.gov

If you have a computer and modem but you haven't yet subscribed to any Internet access services, consider usingt Granite State Empower & Light. This perfectly splendid service is accessible via a toll-free number and offers free Internet access as well as interest-group message boards and current news affecting people with disabilities. Guil Vickery of Littleton serves as the sysop (system operator) for GSE&L. The number is 1-800-618-5638. For the many people who live a toll-call away from Internet access, this service can keep your telephone bills from soaring into the stratosphere.

Sources of Books in Electronic Format

NLS has assembled a sampling of sources for full-text items available on floppy diskette, on CD-ROM, and via the Internet. Far too long to repeat here, the list is available at both LCMARVEL and the LC web site - and can also be reached through WEBSTER.

Thanks to our Generous Benefactors
At this time of year, we want to extend our gratitude to our many kind friends who have contributed to our Gift Fund (formerly called the Sheiling Trust). This fund is providing the money to purchase special mailing containers for Descriptive Videos, and may soon reach a level that will allow us to purchase the special recording and duplicating equipment we'll need if we ever are to re-open our local interest recording program.

Anonymous Friend
Presentation of Mary Academy
Florence B. Smith
The Woman's Club of Concord, NH
In memory of Eugene Van Amberg

Annabel C. Aldrich
Mr. & Mrs. George Beesley
Leah H. Billings
Harold E. Duston
Farmwood Villager's Association
Ruth Farwell
Priscilla & Harold Kress
Anna & Larry Laughlin
Mary V. Richards
Dr. & Mrs. George S. Robinson
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Schuck
Jeff & Marcia Stevens
Sylvia Walcott