Update ISSN 0160-9203 July-September 2002, Vol. 25, No. 2 National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped The Library of Congress Murray Hill New Outlook Pioneers honored in Capitol Hill ceremony Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) hosted an awards ceremony for the Murray Hill, New Jersey, New Outlook Pioneers in his office at the Hart Office Building, Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2002. Pioneers Guy F. Brennert, Norman Erdos, William Peck, and Charles Phelan received certificates of appreciation from Senator Corzine. NLS officials Brad Kormann, chief, Materials Development Division, and Robert Fistick, head, Publications and Media Section, presented a plaque to shop foreman Guy Brennert; chapter president Robert Hofacker of Morristown, N.J.; and first vice-president Mike Cornacchia of New Outlook Pioneers Penn-Jersey Chapter 132. Cornacchia, highlighting the merits of the Murray Hill shop and New Outlook pioneering, thanked Senator Corzine on behalf of the national vice president, Robert Pohly. Senator Robert G. Torricelli, also from New Jersey, joined Senator Corzine in his chambers to greet and thank the Murray Hill New Outlook Pioneers for their diligent service to the talking-book machine repair program. New Jersey regional librarian, Deborah Toomey, and two wives of the honorees, Rene Phelan and Shirley Erdos, also attended the ceremony. The Murray Hill Pioneers were also greeted at NLS, where they received a briefing and a tour of the facility. NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke presented certificates of appreciation to them and a letter of acknowledgment to Brennert for twenty-five years of Pioneers leadership. In his letter, Cylke illuminated some of the group's accomplishments: Thanks to your diligent leadership in coordinating the repair efforts, your group provided truly invaluable assistance to our blind and physically handicapped patrons. Specifically, since 1977, the Murray Hill Pioneer shop has repaired 8,016 cassette book machines and 6,000 record players for the state of New Jersey under your leadership. This amounts to over $518,592 in savings, quite a tremendous accomplishment. Cylke also lauded Brennert for the thousands of amplifier boards and headphones, valued at $30 and $20, respectively, his group repaired and returned to service. He further noted that the four-man Murray Hill shop repaired more than 500 machines and 365 amplifier boards in 2001 alone. "This type of dedication is what caused the Telephone Pioneers to repair approximately 75,000 machines last year for a savings of nearly $2.8 million, when compared with commercial contractor repair rates. Consequently, your and other Pioneers' goodwill has permitted us to produce more books for blind and physically handicapped individuals." The commendation concluded, "The management and staff at the Library of Congress congratulate you on a highly successful Pioneers career. Thank you for 'answering the call' for our patrons over the past twenty-five years!" (photo caption: (Rear, left to right) New Jersey Senator Robert Torricelli, Robert Hofacker, Brad Kormann, Guy Brennert, Senator Jon Corzine, Charles Phelan, William Peck, and Norman Erdos with Mike Cornacchia (seated front) in Senator Corzine's office in the Hart Building on Capitol Hill.) Allegro makes braille music transcription easy Under Library of Congress sponsorship, Bettye Krolick, certified braille music transcriber and former chair of the BANA Music Technical Committee, traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, in February to participate in a five-day workshop that introduced a new computer device that allows production of braille music transcriptions at greater speed and ease than previously possible. According to Krolick, the system, called Allegro, is not a braille music translator like the Goodfeel or Toccata programs. Its designers say the system, developed in Russia, can reduce the time required to learn braille music transcription from many months to only a few days. The system consists of integrated software and a stand-alone keyboard that measures 12 x 7 inches and has 138 keys. The keys show graphics that represent notes, values, dynamics, ornaments, slurs, ties, accidentals, and other music signs. This keyboard attaches to a standard computer and is used with a regular keyboard. Unlike other translators, material must be entered manually. Users input titles and literary text from a regular computer keyboard and enter the music characters from the special keyboard. To enter music characters, the user presses a key with the appropriate graphic. That graphic appears on the top half of the screen. At the same time, the corresponding braille dot pattern appears on the bottom half of the screen. For example, to produce middle C (fourth octave C in braille music terminology) with the value of a quarter note, the user first presses the key with the number "4" to obtain the fourth octave mark, then the key with the symbol for C and the quarter note. In Krolick's view, the strongest feature of the system is that it allows users to proofread their work by the graphics that represent the musical notes and characters. She said that it is much easier to proofread the larger graphics than the smaller braille dot patterns. To use the program, users must know the fundamentals of the braille music code, as they are required to implement many of the most technical concepts of braille music, including the order of signs, direction of intervals, note grouping, doubling, and repeats. Users may increase their knowledge of braille music through the program's extensive help feature that is based on The New International Manual of Braille Music Notation, compiled, coincidentally, by Krolick. The February workshop was taught by a Russian speaker, Alexander Pozdnyakov, with English and Spanish interpreters. The system's programmer, Vadim Bakhmetiev, was also available to assist the participants. The sessions were held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day; however, most students stayed well beyond closing. Krolick also noted that the participants--representing Panama, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Canada, and the United States--received her cordially. Almost all were familiar with her work, as many had a music background and most headed a braille library in their country. Krolick noted that the new computer device holds substantial possibility for people who are interested in learning the braille music code, such as students in the NLS braille music transcription course. With the new system, "Their success in the course would depend more on their musical knowledge than on their ability to click six-key characters accurately," she explained. The system, still under development, is not yet on the market. It is currently being used by the FORCE Foundation, an organization committed to ensuring the availability of alternative format materials for visually impaired people, to help developing countries provide braille music to blind persons. For more information contact: Dr. Vadim Oussik, program coordinator, at or Jorge Fernandez Garza, FORCE Foundation project director, at . Seattle library and reading service narrators receive recording tips from veteran reader "Less is more!" NLS narrator Laura Giannarelli told narrators attending two workshops at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBL) in Seattle, Washington, March 14, 2002. About twenty-five people attended each workshop designed for narrators of WTBL's volunteer book-recording program and Radio Reading Service for the Blind. Participants engaged in a lively discussion of narration techniques and recording methods. The first workshop was held in the morning and the second in the early evening to allow those with full-time jobs to take advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas with Giannarelli. Drawing on her twenty-three years of experience as a narrator, monitor, and reviewer for NLS, Giannarelli began each session by presenting a brief overview of the NLS studio's recording policies and procedures. Stressing the need for teamwork and mutual respect, she cited communication as the cornerstone of a narrator's job, emphasizing the need to communicate with one's listener and with the members of the recording team. She highlighted the need for "telling the story in a clear and straightforward manner," taking cues from the text. "Subtlety beats the sledgehammer approach every time. And the narrator's personal opinion of a book's merits is always irrelevant. Each book deserves 100 percent of a narrator's energy and effort. The patron who ultimately listens to a talking book deserves to hear the author's words unadulterated by a narrator's editorializing," she said. "Just tell the story!" Essentially, Giannarelli suggested that each book "tells you how it needs to be read, if you pay attention to the signposts the author presents in the written text. For example, Auntie Mame requires a very different narration style than John Cheever stories; and Wuthering Heights, a darker tone and mood than an Elizabeth Peters mystery. The narrator's job is to discern what is necessary to serve each book and to shape the recording to fit those needs," she emphasized. During a question-and-answer portion, Giannarelli addressed concerns about the material narrators are called upon to record. The discussion covered "everything from how to handle character voices and accents to what to do when you have to read a book you personally dislike," with participants contributing their own experiences to the discussion. Giannarelli also toured the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. She said she was "impressed with both the physical plant and the strength of the Seattle library's commitment to its patrons." Jan Ames, the library's director, introduced many of the program's dedicated workers, both paid staff and volunteers. Ames pointed out that, in addition to the recorded books they produce, Seattle has a very active radio reading service in place and a thriving program for blind and hearing impaired children. "Everyone was very welcoming to me on my first visit to beautiful Seattle," said Giannarelli. "I got lots of great recommendations for what to do in my spare time while in town. My favorite place has to be Pike Place Market! And I was so impressed by the many facets of the Seattle library's services to its patrons." Volunteers master new skills Between December 2001 and February 2002, certificates in braille transcribing were awarded to forty-one persons. Thirty-eight of those were awarded in literary braille transcribing, one in mathematics braille transcribing, one in mathematics braille proofreading, and one in music braille transcribing. LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Alabama Anna Maria W. McCollum, Talladega California Jon R. Crawley, Folsom Connie Lynne Diaz, San Diego June H. Frink, Claremont Deborah C. Rey, San Diego Dorothy H. Smith, Pomona J.V. Thurston, Ramona Brian J. Tomasello, Folsom Colorado Colleen Rae Cunningham, Colorado Springs Florida Marsha E. Sak, Longwood Illinois Rosemary Burns Velez, Winnetka Iowa Christopher R. Mason, Anamosa Kentucky Carl Burton, Lexington Nancy G. Etter, Louisville Rita Kay Hayes, Louisville Blanche Sexton, Louisville Sharhonda L. Thompson, Louisville Maryland Tammie D. Evans, Crisfield Michigan Robert A. Beaton, Jackson Nebraska Nancy J. Kerr, Scott's Bluff Diane M. McCabe, Omaha Nevada Rob Burkman, Lovelock James D. Edmiston, Las Vegas Jeffrey Tyrone Marshall, Las Vegas New Jersey Norman J. Leibrock, Fairlawn New York Jennifer L. Dugan, Staten Island Anne Marie Waszak, Medina North Carolina Cindy C. Queen, Polkville Oregon Laurie J. Hammill, Grants Pass South Dakota Richard Eugene Fidone, Yankton Texas Evelyn Barrow, Gatesville La Raine Carver, Gatesville Patricia Elliott, Gatesville Ana Mercedes Hernandez, Houston Frances M. Timmins, San Antonio Pamela W. Walker, Weatherford Washington Shannon Cornelius, Vancouver Tara B. DeCoster, Seattle MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER David J. Klenoski Jr., Jackson, Michigan MATHEMATICS BRAILLE PROOFREADER Barbara Taffet, Port Washington, New York MUSIC BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER Dorothy MacRae, Lakeville, Minnesota Meetings National Braille Association (NBA)  Fall Regional Meeting and Marriott Hotel, Overland Park, Kansas; Thursday, October 17-Saturday, October 19, 2002  Twenty-seventh National Conference, Radisson Hotel, Middleburg Heights (Cleveland), Ohio; Thursday, May 1- Saturday, May 3, 2003  Fall Regional Meeting and Workshops, Best Western Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona; Thursday, November 6-Saturday, November 8, 2003 For more information about these meetings, contact National Braille Association, Three Townline Circle, Rochester, NY 14623-2513; (716) 427-8260; web site: . California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH)  CTEVH XLIV Annual Conference, Marriott Burlingame Hotel, Burlingame, California (near San Francisco Airport); Friday, March 7-Sunday, March 9, 2003 For more information about this meeting, contact CTEVH, 741 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029-3594, (323) 666-2211; web site: . Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida (VAVF)  VAVF 2003 Conference of Volunteers, Sheraton World Resort Hotel, Orlando, Florida; Monday, April 7-Wednesday, April 9, 2003 For more information about this meeting, contact Peggy Rogaski, VAVF President, 1780 Leyburn Court, Jacksonville, FL 32223-5006; (904) 262-6705; e-mail: ; web site: . Aircraft museum site of volunteer luncheon This year the Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library held its 22nd Annual Volunteer Recognition luncheon at the Champlin Fighter Aircraft Museum at Falcon Field Airport, located 20 miles east of Phoenix, on Sunday, March 10. Gladys Ann Wells, director of the Arizona Library, Archives and Public Records, thanked the volunteers for contributing more than 25,000 hours of service to the Talking Book Library in the past year. She presented certificates signed by Arizona governor Jane Hull to nine volunteers who individually contributed 1,000 hours of service. The 155 volunteers, guests, and library staff toured the museum, which houses a collection of restored World War I and World War II fighter aircraft, military uniforms, and war memorabilia from countries on both sides of the conflicts. The collection represents the history of many of the library volunteers, who lived through and fought in World War II. Following the tours, guests were seated for lunch under a large white tent decorated in red, white, and blue and set outside between the airplane hangers. Bedazzled, a Sweet Adelines quartet, entertained the group with popular songs from the 1940s. All volunteers received a handwritten "thank you" note and a small gift and had their names listed on plaques that hang in the library. Narrators recognized for notable numbers Every year Recording Service for Visually Handicapped (RSVH) of Falls Church, Virginia, recognizes narrators who have reached important milestones in the number of books read for the organization. "This year, we also congratulate those who have contributed a significant number of hours during fiscal year 2000-2001," said Melinda Fuller, RSVH director. The RSVH narrators invested more than 3,000 hours recording 135 books, including fiction, nonfiction, textbooks, and reference works. They also recorded seventy-seven periodicals, including newspapers, newsletters, and magazines; and fifty-eight essays, articles, papers, and reports. She further explained, "It is extremely important for our volunteer narrators to keep track of their number of hours because we use the statistics for annual grant applications and giving value to our volunteer services." At its annual meeting on October 21, 2001, RSVH recognized volunteers as follows: For recording at least ten books or contributing more than thirty-five hours: Christina Bauhof Judy Bello Susan Blackerby Marilyn Hansel Sai Kumar Philip Levin Erin Scally Michael Serlin For recording at least fifteen books or more than fifty hours: Carolyn Burkhardt Erica Efkeman Katherine Mesches Mary Jo Relic Thomas Whitaker For recording at least twenty-five books or more than seventy-five hours: Ruth Adams Larry Carbone Heidi Clark Beverly Coleman James Masterson John Yongquist For recording at least fifty books or more than one hundred hours: Bob Adams Robert Hanna Helen Reynolds Nancy Teller Shelley Wade One retiring volunteer earned special mention: "Edythe Simpson, who has volunteered since 1994, is retiring after having recorded 310 books on tape and contributed eighty hours alone this year." Each volunteer received a certificate of appreciation, and those who recorded at least fifty books or contributed one hundred or more hours during the year received a gift certificate to Borders bookstore. South Carolina centers teach children about alternative reading A collaborative partnership between the Books Evaluation Selection Training (BEST) Center, State of South Carolina's official book examination and preview center, and the South Carolina State Library's Talking Book Services division provides an opportunity to expose sighted children to special-format materials available to blind and visually impaired readers. Helen Fellers, coordinator of the BEST Center, and Guynell Williams, director of Talking Book Services, have agreed to hold combined tours of the two entities, both located at the South Carolina State Library. BEST supports teaching, learning, and research related to children's and young adult literature and materials. Designated by the Palmetto Book Alliance, it is an affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The February through April 2002 tours introduced approximately 110 sighted children (ages 4-7), their teachers, and caretakers to the talking-book program. Christopher Yates, reader services and collection development librarian for Talking Book Services, explains how blind and visually impaired children use talking and braille books; demonstrates assistive computer equipment; and introduces the children to Spinoza (donated by the Spinoza Company), the cuddly bear who "talks," using a cassette player and hidden speaker. Spinoza has been the big hit of each tour. "It's nice to interact face-to-face with these children," said Yates, "and I hope I leave them with the understanding that books are fun and can be enjoyed by everyone." Fellers concurred, "The children have just been so excited and the teachers have been wonderfully pleased with all the new information they've received. It has been a marvelous opportunity for all involved." The South Carolina State Library and its talking-books division wholeheartedly agree and look forward to a long and productive relationship with the BEST Center. In memoriam Rhonda Sturtz: Started prison braille transcribers unit Rhonda Sturtz, fifty-one and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Braille Association, died Tuesday, June 11, 2002, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, following a sudden illness. Sturtz, a braille transcriber, gained recognition for starting a prison braille program that has been the model for several other such programs around the nation. She began her braille career at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School as a braille transcriber. She earned her Library of Congress certification in literary braille transcribing in 1981. After leaving the school in 1991, she joined the state penitentiary staff in Anamosa as a senior state industries technician, where she got prisoners involved in learning to transcribe braille. Her work earned her the Governor's Star Award in 1996. She was elected to the National Braille Association Board of Directors in 1998. Sturtz is survived by her husband, Roy, a daughter, three sons, four grandchildren, her mother, and three brothers. Loffredo helps keep patrons informed Former IN-SIGHT narrator reads Rhode Island newsletter Rhode Island patrons receive their regional library newsletter, the Talking Books Plus Newsletter, on recorded cassette thanks to the efforts of Laura Loffredo, volunteer reader at the Talking Books Plus Library in Providence. Loffredo's "recording voice is one that receives many compliments from our patrons. In fact, her friends say she has a radio voice," says Andrew Egan, regional librarian. Loffredo came to Talking Books Plus as a narrator of textbook materials ten years ago after a stint with IN- SIGHT, a recording group in Warwick, Rhode Island. She says recording the newsletter is easier than narrating textbooks. When preparing to record the library newsletter, Loffredo does an initial reading of the text, checks for pronunciation and technical terminology, and does a second reading, which usually becomes the final recorded version for the newsletter. This whole process takes about an hour in her home office, just after she says good-night to her children. "Laura says she finds doing our newsletter enjoyable at this quiet time. Thankfully, she is too busy volunteering and working for other Rhode Island nonprofit agencies to become a radio personality, which is good news for Talking Books Plus staff and our patrons," says Egan. "We will continue to enjoy her voice and her professional recording skills for the foreseeable future." (photo caption: Laura Loffredo, Talking Books Plus volunteer, with Rhode Island regional librarian Andrew Egan) Schraf accepts Scourby Award via recorded speech Kimberly Schraf, narrator for Potomac Talking Book Services, Inc., of Bethesda, Maryland, and currently for NLS, received the Alexander Scourby Award for her outstanding narration of Myla Goldberg's New York Times-"notable" Bee Season (RC 50897). The Scourby Awards presentation took place on June 3, 2002, at New York City's Madison Square Garden Theater. Schraf acknowledged the "deeper reward" of connecting those who have difficulty reading print with "the written word and world." She noted the irony that her acceptance speech had to be transmitted electronically. Schraf, a professional actress for sixteen years, was 200 miles away preparing the opening night performance of Our Town at a brand-new theater in Washington, D.C. No stranger to public recognition, Schraf also received the Audiofile Award for the Best Nonfiction work of 1995 for her reading of Laurie Garrett's The Coming Plague. During her career of fourteen years, Schraf has recorded more than 300 books, including the soon-to-be-released Bravo! Miss Brown: A World without Sight and Sound (RC 52603) and Daydreamer (RC 52626). (photo caption: Kimberly Schraf) Update is published quarterly by: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress Washington, DC 20542 Correspondence should be addressed to Publications and Media Section. Coordinating editor: Freddie Peaco Publication editor: Jane Caulton Braille student-instructor dialog: John Wilkinson