Update
April-June 1999, Vol. 22, No. 2
ISSN 0160-9203

National Library Service 
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The Library of Congress

93-year-old Florida volunteer logs 916 hours in 1998

"Dorothy Ziegler is one of the Bureau's most faithful
volunteers," says Mary Ann Noblitt, supervisor of the
Computer Services Section at NLS's Florida regional library.
Mrs. Ziegler, age ninety-three, works in the Computer
Services Section of the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book
Library Services, entering patrons' requests from order
forms into the computer and scanning the book cards from
returned books. Mrs. Ziegler was honored recently at a
county-wide Council on Aging volunteer recognition banquet.
Her contribution to the Bureau in 1998 had amounted to 916
hours of volunteer service--the highest number of hours of
any of Volusia County's 1,200 volunteers, who logged a total
of 160,000 hours in 1998.
     Mrs. Ziegler retired from her job as a medical
secretary about seven years ago, at age eighty-five. Her
husband was then in a nursing home, and she gave him all her
attention. But after his death, she says, she began to look
around for something to do. She found the Council on Aging,
which referred her to the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book
Library Services. "I want to keep busy, and also, because I
think for my age I am doing pretty good, I am paying back by
helping people." When confronted with the loss of her
driver's license, she quickly applied for a special transit
card and continued her volunteer work. "If I stayed home, I
might as well die," she quipped.
     Mrs. Ziegler volunteers at the Bureau five days a week
for about six hours each day, and, according to Ms. Noblitt,
"In all that she does, she brings a touch of quality to her
work."
(photo caption: Dorothy Ziegler spends her volunteer time
entering reader book requests into the computer at Florida's
Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services. She
logged more volunteer hours in 1998 than any of Volusia
County's other volunteers. Photo by Dorothy Minor.)


Arizona volunteer recognition event changes format, makes
history

On Sunday, March 7, 1999, the regional library in Phoenix,
Arizona's Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL), held its
annual recognition event honoring more than 250 volunteers
statewide. Generally, in the past, this celebration has been
a luncheon held at a nearby resort, or--in one instance--at
the Phoenix Zoo. This year, the library staff decided to try
something different. An afternoon reception was held at the
Arizona Historical Society Museum in the city of Tempe. The
new museum has many interesting exhibits. "We hoped to give
our volunteers a taste of Arizona's history and also
highlight a beautiful new facility serving the citizens of
our state," says 
Kami Krenz, special services librarian.
     The museum has a large auditorium with good disability
access and the latest in electronic gadgetry for public
address and audiovisual productions. Linda Montgomery,
Arizona BTBL director, welcomed the volunteers and their
guests. GladysAnn Wells, director of the Arizona Department
of Library, Archives, and Public Records (of which the BTBL
is one of seven divisions) congratulated the group and
handed out awards to special recipients.
     Jeanie Pawlowski, library volunteer coordinator,
recognized those working in various volunteer activities and
gave each attendee a program that included statistics of
achievements in the past year. Ms. Pawlowski told the
audience how she had discovered that one of the more
elaborate stamps used in the program and on name tags at the
event was designed by a young visually impaired girl who
creates works of art for sale. The girl's mother had
mentioned how proud she is to be a part of the celebration.
Ms. Pawlowski also presented a slide show portraying various
areas of library service in which volunteers play a vital
part.
     Special recognition. Ms. Krenz recognized volunteers
with one thousand hours of service: Harlene Anderson, home
review of new books; Lester Comstock, machine repair,
Phoenix Telephone Pioneers; Thomas R. Cook, machine repair,
Mesa Telephone Pioneers; Dick Daniels, machine repair,
Phoenix Telephone Pioneers; Michelle Montclaire, home review
of new books; Richard Pringle, machine repair, Mesa
Telephone Pioneers; Clara Waggoner, book repair; and Erma
Worden, machine delivery.
     Gailerd Tisdall, a Pioneer with the Sun City machine
repair group, was honored for contributing ten thousand
hours of service. (Only two other individuals in Arizona's
BTBL history have given this many hours.) Each volunteer
received a letter of thanks signed by Governor Jane Dee
Hull. Volunteer photographer Brian Hamilton took pictures as
Ms. Wells presented the awards.
     Lifetime achievement. A very special lifetime
achievement letter and plaque were presented to the Aztec RV
Resort in Mesa, whose residents have volunteered for the
library since 1976. Their contributions range from preparing
mailings to labeling the entire recorded collection when the
library was automated.
     Library patron Patrick Morrison also spoke. Mr.
Morrison is Arizona State University West's oldest graduate,
having returned to school after his retirement and the loss
of his sight. He described some of the challenges he has
faced in his work on several degrees in accounting and in
history, and he thanked the volunteers and library staff for
helping him with his education and his adjustment to
blindness.
     Library appreciation. The attendees adjourned to the
lobby of the museum to enjoy a buffet provided by Dad's
Catering Service of Phoenix and to visit the museum
exhibits. A special descriptive tour was provided for
visually impaired volunteers and guests. As the volunteers
left the reception, each one received a recognition
certificate (for those in their first year of service) or a
personal thank-you note written and signed by Ms. Pawlowski,
Ms. Krenz, and Ms. Montgomery (for those with more than one
year of volunteering).
     This year's gift to each volunteer, in addition to the
notes and certificates, was a clear apple-shaped container
with the state library's logo, "Preserving Arizona:
Providing Access,"  etched on the side. It emphasizes the
importance of the state's tradition of volunteer service and
the librarians' confidence that this valuable tradition will
continue.


National Audio Equipment Advisory Committee meets 

The National Audio Equipment Advisory Committee (NAEAC) met
March 24-26, 1999, at NLS. The attendees were from all parts
of the country and represented three groups of major
importance to the NLS program: consumers, librarians, and
repair volunteers.
     The meeting focused on both old and new--i.e., analog
and digital--technology. The first day was "kicked off" by
NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke. He welcomed everyone and
presented a letter of appreciation to Jerry Adamson for
achieving 10,000 hours of service repairing talking books.
Brad Kormann, chief of the Materials Development Division,
spoke about NLS's ongoing transition from analog to digital
technology. The meeting continued with John Cookson, head of
the Engineering Section, acting as moderator.
     First on the agenda were analog topics--C-1 batteries
and contractor repair contracts--presented by Don Smith,
head of NLS's Quality Assurance Section. Mr. Cookson covered
the status of planned production, including new cassette
book machines, batteries, extension levers, and headphones.
Jim Miller, NLS's equipment control officer, reported on the
equipment inventory status, focusing on what equipment was
obsolete and what would remain in the inventory. Kevin Buck,
the new equipment and materials maintenance coordinator,
introduced himself to the committee and reviewed the status
of the Volunteer Repair Project. During the morning break,
the new NLS repair video was shown to the committee members.
     John Bryant, Production Control Section head, reviewed
the status of cassette magazine production. The phaseout of
flexible-disc magazines, to be changed to cassettes, is on
schedule to be finished in two years. Ten magazine titles
will be converted in the year 2000 and the remainder will be
part of the following year's conversion.
     George Stockton, of the Engineering Section, gave an
in-depth analysis and demonstration of low maintenance
cassette-book machine (CBM) players. Finally, Michael
Moodie, research and development officer, reviewed the
braille mailing container project.
     The committee explored upcoming technological changes
for blind and physically handicapped readers. Mr. Cookson
reviewed the NLS pamphlet, Digital Talking Books: Planning
for the Future. He and Mr. Moodie discussed the cooperative
effort by NLS and the National Information Standards
Organization (NISO) to design a digital talking-book (DTB)
standard. The NISO committee forecasts having a final draft
standard this fall, but the standard will need to be tested
before it can be officially implemented in the production of
talking books.
     Mr. Cookson also described the Digital Audio
Development (DAD) project, which is being coordinated
closely with NISO. The DAD committee has subcommittees
working on (1) designing a life-cycle cost model, which will
be used to compare the current system against a potential
DTB system; (2) building the digital collection access
system; and (3) making the digital play-back software and
hardware.
     Bill West, of NLS's Engineering Section, emphasized the
importance of quality repair of machines for both the future
DTB and the existing analog system. He then reviewed digital
original mastering and duplication experiments, which are
being conducted in the NLS recording studio and at NLS's
Multistate Center East.
     Lloyd Rasmussen, also of Engineering, provided a
summary of research and development supporting the NISO DTB
standard development. He described alternative control
interfaces such as voice input and simplified key pads, and
presented some issues concerning compression of digital
audio. He also summarized work on electronic-text markup
standards that are intended to increase accessibility.
     Over the next two days, the committee discussed the
information that had been presented and developed
recommendations, which were presented to the director on
Friday, March 26. What follows are highlights of the many
ideas presented by the consumers, librarians, and repair
personnel.
     The consumers expressed an interest in having NLS
continue its current policy of issuing headphones through
the network libraries. Several participants asked NLS to
emphasize software development in the DTB and to have new
versions tested by users before they are released.
     The repair personnel recommended that NLS issue another
Machines and Accessories (M&A) report on the importance of
adhering to the cassette-book machine reconditioning
standard. They expressed appreciation to NLS for its new
repair video. In addition, current chairman Walt Alfred and
former chairman Jerry Adamson, of the Telephone Pioneer
Regional Talking Book Coordinators, thanked the organization
for the coordinator recognition at the 1998 San Antonio
Telephone Pioneer Annual General Assembly. The repair
personnel also asked for a number of component changes to be
published in a future M&A report. Jack Simpson, of the
Elfuns, suggested placing some of the repair information on
the NLS web site.
     The librarians had a variety of recommendations, as
well. They expressed the need for a talking-book machine
(TBM) phaseout policy (which is in process). Rebecca
Sherrill lightheartedly offered a suggestion on how NLS
might "wrap" the TBMs into a "retro(fit)" posture and be
ecologically sound in their disposal. The group also
stressed the need for an automated parts room (which NLS has
begun working on). In addition, participants offered
suggestions for design improvements in the existing C-1 and
the new DTB. They also commended NLS for its efforts to
recruit more repair volunteers and for recognizing existing
volunteers. 
     The director closed out the meeting, thanking the
committee members for their participation. He pledged that
NLS would respond to the recommendations in a thorough and
timely manner.
(National Audio Equipment Advisory Committee members

Consumer representatives: Alice Jackson, American Council of
the Blind; Elsworth Sharpe, Blinded Veterans Association;
Sam Gleese, National Federation of the Blind; Robert Haag,
Midlands Region; and Doug Hall, Southern Region.

Network library representatives: Elizabeth Eckles, Midlands
Region; Richard Riddell, Northern Region; Rebecca Sherrill,
Southern Region; and David Whittall, Western Region.

Volunteer repair organizations: Jack Simpson, General
Electric Elfuns; and Jerry Adamson, J. Walter Alfred, Carl
Gingrich, and Richard Iversen, all of the Telephone Pioneers
of America.)
(photo caption: Left to right, Carl Gingrich, Telephone
Pioneers of America; Jack Simpson, General Electric Elfun
organization; Kevin Watson and Kevin Buck, both of the
Materials Development Division; and Richard Iversen, Jerry
Adamson, and J. Walter Alfred, Telephone Pioneers. Photo by
Yusef El-Amin.)


California transcribers' fortieth annual conference

The California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually
Handicapped (CTEVH) held the group's fortieth annual
conference on March 25-27, 1999, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel
in Sacramento, California. Nearly one hundred workshops,
sixty-two exhibits, and several special events carried out
the theme, "Looking forward, looking back." Workshops and
special events featured the history of braille, current
braille production, and the future of braille, as well as
other topics of interest to transcribers, teachers,
orientation and mobility specialists, and parents of
visually impaired children.
     Exhibits displayed traditional toys and equipment as
well as cutting-edge adaptive technology. Attendees received
a booklet, Our History, in braille or print, highlighting
the mission of CTEVH. A temporary installation of receivers
by Talking Signs, Inc., made the hotel signs audible to
visually impaired guests. A "hands-on" exhibit of wild
animal mounts presented by the Sacramento Safari Club was a
hit with visually impaired participants, young and old.
"Now, looking back on a stimulating conference, we look
forward to meeting the challenges ahead," said Martha
Pamperin, CTEVH conference chairperson, 1999.


Insight briefs NLS on new recording equipment

Insight for the Blind, an all-volunteer studio in Fort
Lauderdale, was among several talking-book production
facilities in Florida recently visited by NLS
representatives from Washington. Insight for the Blind
(Insight) took the opportunity to demonstrate its impressive
new equipment for recording and duplicating talking books.
     The NLS team was headed by production control
specialist Ed Pitts and included production controller Nancy
Smith and Recording Studio head Margie Goergen-Rood.
Insight's executive director and founder Caroline Mansur and
production manager Harry Sharp met with the group for
several hours, reviewing many aspects of the studio's
talking-book production procedures.
     Harry Sharp briefed the team on Insight's newly
acquired TASCAM BR-20 recording machines. Twelve of the BR-
20s were purchased with a grant from a private Florida
foundation and will replace the vintage 1982 TASCAM Model
22-2 machines used in the past. Seven more BR-20s will be
obtained as soon as additional funds are secured.
     The Florida studio produces talking books for the NLS
program and records magazines for interlibrary loan through
the state's regional library, in addition to duplicating
recordings produced elsewhere for the NLS collection.
Insight for the Blind, founded in 1975, is supported
entirely by private gifts, grants, and bequests. As
volunteers, its narrators receive no monetary compensation.
(photo caption: Harry Sharp (second left), studio production
manager at Insight for the Blind, reviews the technical
manuals of their new TASCAM BR-20 recording machines with
Margie Goergen-Rood (left), Ed Pitts (second right), and
Nancy Smith. The larger machine shown here replaces the
smaller units that have been in daily service since acquired
in 1982.)


Braille student-instructor dialog

The Braille Development Section (BDS) receives numerous
questions concerning a variety of problems in braille
transcribing. This article addresses some of them. The
question-and-answer format is intended to give clarity. 

Student: On my recent trial manuscript for certification, I
received a passing score of 85. However, on ten pages, I
brailled dots 4-5-6 instead of dots 1-2-3 for the letter "l"
in the running head. Ten points were deducted for this
error--one point for each time that I brailled the letter
"l" incorrectly. Should ten points have been deducted from
my score for this error?
Instructor: Yes. If a braille character is transcribed
incorrectly, points are deducted each time the error occurs.
This is true whether you are using a slate and stylus, a
braillewriter, or a direct-input computer program. It is
therefore extremely important that you proofread your
manuscript carefully before you submit it for evaluation.

Student: I have been asked to prepare a list of postal
abbreviations for each state in the U.S. The postal
abbreviation for Tennessee is "TN." Since the letters "tn"
stand for the short-form "tonight," should a letter sign be
used in braille?
Instructor: No. When transcribing a list of states with
their corresponding postal abbreviations, it is clear to the
reader that the letters "tn" stand for Tennessee.

Student: I have selected a book for my thirty-five-page
trial manuscript. The print title page shows a copyright
date and a publishing date. The copyright is clearly held by
the author. Am I correct in assuming that only the copyright
date should be included on my braille title page?
Instructor: That is correct. According to Section 18.10 of
the Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, 1984, only
the copyright date and the embossing date should be written
on the braille title page. 

Student: The book that I am transcribing contains a lengthy
acknowledgment written in paragraph form. How should this be
treated in braille?
Instructor: When acknowledgments are written in paragraph
form in print, they should also be written in paragraph form
in braille. If acknowledgments are brief, they should be
centered on the page, both vertically and horizontally.

Student: I am still a little confused about the use of
contractions in abbreviations. For instance, in a book that
I am transcribing, I have encountered the abbreviation
"Mddsx." I discovered that "Mddsx" is the abbreviation for
Middlesex, a county in southeast England. I have studied
Section 27 of the official code, but I am still not sure if
the "dd" contraction should be used in braille.
Instructor: Good question. Even though Section 27 of the
official code, English Braille, American Edition, does not
actually preclude the use of the "dd" contraction, the
abbreviation "Mddsx" may not be familiar to a large number
of braille readers. Since in braille the "dd" contraction
also stands for a period, the abbreviation "Mddsx" could
easily be misread. Therefore, it is recommended that the
"dd" contraction not be used.


NLS repair workshop held in Mississippi

Brad Kormann, chief of the Materials Development Division,
along with Tom McLaughlin and Kevin Watson, conducted a
volunteer repair workshop at the Mississippi Library for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped (MLBPH) in Jackson,
Mississippi, on February 16-18. 
     The workshop was designed to enhance the skills of
local BellSouth Pioneers in repairing the C-1 cassette book
machine (CBM). The repair program is a cost-effective
measure that has saved NLS more than $4.3 million in one
year. According to Rahye Puckett, director of MLBPH, a total
of 53,000 machines have been repaired by Mississippi's
BellSouth Pioneer Volunteers.
     The NLS presentation focused on three areas: machine
head repair (replacing a playback head; conducting frequency
response testing, including checking head alignment); torque
(removing and replacing torque-producing components); and
speed (setting the machine's playback speed). Mr. Kormann,
Mr. McLaughlin, and Mr. Watson guided the volunteers through
the process of checking a reconditioned CBM against NLS
standards.
(photo caption: Brad Kormann (right), chief of the NLS
Materials Development Division, and Kevin Watson (standing),
assistant equipment and materials maintenance coordinator,
look on as Mississippi BellSouth Pioneer Volunteers discuss
troubleshooting repair techniques.)


Volunteers master new skills

During the months of January, February, and March 1999, NLS
awarded certificates in braille transcribing to thirty
persons: twenty-seven in literary braille transcribing and
one each in literary braille proofreading, mathematics
braille transcribing, and music braille transcribing.

LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS

Alabama
Doris J. Elston, Talladega

Arizona
Randy A. Barker, Winslow
Ronnie Lloyd Conner, Winslow
Jeffrey M. Logan, Winslow
Lucy A. Pellor, Sun City
Patrick Wayne Richie, Winslow

California
Janis K. Hynd, San Diego
Mary Shannon McGowen, Los Angeles

Delaware
Steven I. Lockhart Jr., Wilmington

Florida
Mary Margaret Fryer, Jacksonville

Iowa
Lance Newland, Anamosa

Kentucky
Geneva Ann Maiden, Carrollton

Maryland
Laura L. Grove, Baltimore
Susanne K. Suchan, Potomac

Nebraska
Kevin Sievers, Lincoln

Nevada
Mounir Kublawi, Las Vegas
Leroy R. Mack, Las Vegas
Brad Simpson, Las Vegas

North Carolina
Waffa B. Mikhael, Raleigh

Ohio
David C. Wilson, Grafton
James E. York Jr., London

Pennsylvania
Antoinette M. Rodrigues, Pittsburgh

Virginia
Sherry B. Hatfield, Virginia Beach

Wisconsin
Carolyn Faye Fletcher, Janesville
Alfred F. Hanko, Oshkosh
Todd N. Triebold, Oshkosh
Patricia P. Wendt, Oregon

LITERARY BRAILLE PROOFREADER
Imke Durre, Seattle, Washington

MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER
Mary Denault, Grand Forks, North Dakota

MUSIC BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER
Mildred S. Irwig, Stilwell, Kansas


Meetings

National Braille Association (NBA)
Fall Regional Meeting and Workshops, Radisson Plaza Hotel,
Orlando, Florida; Thursday, October 14-Saturday, October 16,
1999
     Spring Regional Meeting and Workshops, Holiday Inn
University Park, Des Moines, Iowa; Thursday, April 27-
Saturday, April 29, 2000
     For more information about these meetings, contact
National Braille Association, Three Townline Circle,
Rochester, NY 14623-2513; (716) 427-8260

California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually
Handicapped (CTEVH)
CTEVH XLI Annual Conference, (hotel TBA), Palm Springs,
California; Thursday, April 13-Saturday, April 15, 2000
     For more information about this meeting, contact CTEVH,
741 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029-3594, (213)
666-2211; web site:
http://edtech.sdcs.k12.ca.us/epd/ctevhhome.html

Visual Aid Volunteers of Florida (VAVF)
VAVF 2000 Conference of Volunteers, Wednesday, May 10-
Friday, May 12, 2000
     For more information about this meeting, contact Rella
Corris, VAVF president, 4295A Mango Tree Court, Boynton
Beach, FL 33436; (561) 738-0737; e-mail scorris@juno.com


NLS honors Pioneer regional coordinators

NLS honored the talking book regional coordinators of the
Telephone Pioneers of America (TPA) at a Life Member
luncheon during the Pioneers' annual meeting in San Antonio,
Texas, on October 3, 1998. Each coordinator received a
plaque from the Library of Congress. Plaques were also
presented to Jack Sawka, executive director and chief
operating officer, TPA, and Bob Toye, manager of
partnerships and programs, TPA.
(photo caption: (Back row, left to right) Kevin Watson,
assistant equipment and materials maintenance coordinator,
NLS; Bob Toye, TPA; Jerry Adamson, TPA Region 14
(Ameritech); Brad Kormann, chief, Materials Development
Division, NLS; Dick Hamel, TPA Region 18 (Lucent
Technologies); Joe Bernal, TPA Region 6 (Pacific Bell); Joe
Lesyk, TPA (Lucent Technologies); and Bob Fistick, head,
Publications and Media Section, Office of the Director, NLS.
(Front row) Keith Scott, TPA Region 1 (Nortel); Luther
Buckbee, TPA Region 21 (Bell Atlantic); Walt Alfred,
regional coordinators chairman, TPA Region 16 (BellSouth);
Betty Cox, TPA Region 6 (Southwestern Bell); Fred Hicks, TPA
Region 16 (BellSouth); and Bob Orton, TPA Region 3 (US
West). Absent were Woody Umbenauer, TPA Region 21 (Bell
Atlantic), and Logan Kratzer, TPA Region 17 (AT&T).)


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: Rita Byrnes
Braille student-instructor dialog: John Wilkinson