Connecticut State Library



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|Volume 3 No. 3 Fall 2019 |

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|The LBPH Newsletter  |

|Quarterly News and Updates   |

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|Gordon Reddick, Director |

|Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped |

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|From the Director: |

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|Custom-made multiple-title book cartridges is now the primary method of circulating audio books. Single-title digital books are no longer |

|being distributed but in very rare circumstances. Of immediate benefit, the number of book cartridges being mailed has been reduced by |

|about 75%, while the number of audio books distributed has increased by 41%. Patrons on turnaround service now have a far greater |

|selection of audio books to read when they receive a book cartridge and many fewer cartridges to keep track of. Feedback has been positive|

|and those with concerns tend to show improvement once the system has been used for a bit. Please call or email your reader advisor with |

|any questions/problems. Contact information is given at the end of this newsletter. |

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|In other news, our parent Federal agency has changed its name, the State Librarian Ken Wiggin is retiring, a new voice-actuated digital |

|book machine in progress, the national 2020 census is coming soon, last year's statistics are available, and more. |

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|We welcome your feedback and suggestions for items to be included in future newsletters. Please email me at gordon.reddick@ . |

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|Gordon Reddick, Director |

|November 2019 |

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|LBPH News |

|Ken Wiggin, the State Librarian, is retiring from the State Library at the end of December after some twenty years of service to |

|Connecticut. Ken has been a strong supporter of the LBPH ensuring that the LBPH had the necessary resources to perform its mission |

|effectively and efficiently. He has also been an avid advocate of the LBPH to other state agencies, the Federal government, and to other |

|State Librarians. Ken has been a true friend of the patrons and will be missed. |

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|LBPH statistics for Fiscal Year 2019: The statistics for this past Federal fiscal year ending on September 30th is given below. FY 2019 |

|showed the highest number of book circulations in the history of the Connecticut LBPH. |

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|Circulation - total: 207,610 (up from 157,740 last FY) |

|Number of active patrons - total: 5,849 |

|Books physically borrowed per patron: 35 |

|Number of books included in multiple-book cartridges: 31,832 (from July-Sept) |

|Number of patrons downloading books from BARD: 369 |

|Number of titles available for downloading from BARD: 105,749 |

|Number of books downloaded from BARD: 29,125 |

|Books downloaded per patron from BARD: 79 |

|Number of Connecticut-recorded titles by CVSBH on BARD: 100 |

|(CVSBH: Connecticut Volunteer Services for the Blind and Handicapped, Inc.) |

|Number of Connecticut-recorded books downloaded nationally: 1,257 |

|Number of titles in the LBPH catalog: 98,574 |

|Number of copies of audio books in physical inventory: 154,200 |

|Inventory of playback machines: 10,469 |

|Number of new patrons: 460 |

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|Emergency Preparedness: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed a pamphlet called "Preparing for Disaster for People |

|with Disabilities and other Special Needs". This pamphlet discusses the FEMA recommended four-step process of being prepared for the |

|unexpected, especially with winter coming. The four steps are: |

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|1. Get informed. |

|2. Make a plan. |

|3. Assemble an emergency preparedness kit. |

|4. Maintain your plan and kit is good working order. |

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|This pamphlet is available in multiple formats from the FEMA website at or you can call them at 800-480-2520 for other options|

|to access it. |

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|NLS News |

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|NLS Name Change: The new name for the NLS, our parent Federal agency, is now: |

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|National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled |

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|The acronym will remain NLS. |

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|In Spanish, the new NLS name is: |

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|Servicio Nacional de Bibliotecas para personas ciegas y con dificultades para acceder al texto impreso |

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|Braille Calendars: Braille calendars for 2020 are available from the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. If you want one,|

|please contact them at 410-659-9315 or send an email to Actionfund@. Each patron can order up to three braille calendars. |

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|Suspending unused BARD and Magazine-on-Cartridge accounts: As a reminder, NLS has instituted a process to identify and suspend any BARD or|

|magazine-on-cartridge account which has not been used in the specified time frame. If BARD has not been used for 180 days (six months) |

|then the account will be temporarily suspended and the patron will not be able to log into BARD. For magazines-on-cartridge, NLS checks |

|for any cartridge that is 547 days or more overdue and marks it as lost. The patrons magazine-on-cartridge account will then be put on |

|temporary hold status and no further magazines will be sent to the patron. |

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|If you try logging into your account but find it has been disabled, please contact your reader advisor for assistance. There are other |

|reasons for an account to become disabled, such as notes from the Post Office saying return to sender, or address unknown, or addressee |

|unknown, or unable to forward, and program violations such as too many magazines overdue regardless of the time frame. It is vitally |

|important to keep the LBPH advised of your current name (recently married?) and address as well as returning the magazines-on-cartridge on |

|time. The reader advisor will check into the problem and help resolve any issues interfering with the program. |

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|Voice-Activated digital device under development: The NLS has contracted with an Australian-based company called RealSam to conduct |

|proof-of-concept testing of a voice-activated digital device for playing digital cartridges. This feature, if successful, is intended to |

|be part of the next-generation talking book player. The first field tests are anticipated to occur in the spring of 2020. |

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|BARD |

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|Be sure to sign up for BARD at your earliest convenience if you have not already done so. BARD holds over 105,000 audio and eBraille books|

|that are available to download 24/7. Please call Paula at 860-721-2033 to sign up.  For BARD, you will need a personal computer, an |

|internet connection, an email address, a USB flash drive, an audio book player, and some basic knowledge of computer file processes and web|

|browsing. For those with smartphones or iPad's, BARD Mobile is available for both Apple iOS and Android devices. |

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|The key advantage of BARD is the round-the-clock accessibility to all materials in the NLS catalog available for download on demand. No |

|cartridges from the LBPH, no waiting on the mail, and no getting books you don't like (turnaround patrons).   |

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|There are, however, some limitations with BARD Mobile. You can only download 100 audio books or magazines in a 30-day period. For mobile |

|devices, you can only have a total of five devices registered at any given time. To register more than five, then an equal number has to |

|be removed. |

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|BARD Mobile App: The BARD mobile applications for Android devices are located at the Amazon Appstore or at the Google Play store. It is |

|highly recommended that patrons update their Android devices with the latest BARD Mobile app to ensure proper operation of the device and |

|maintain security. Version 1.0.2 for the mobile app is significant in that it allows patrons to download talking books and magazines |

|directly to their Android device provided they are using devices running on Android OS 4.1 or later. The Apple iOS version is available |

|from the App Store. |

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|DB-Review List: We'd like to remind patrons that there is an unofficial, ad-hoc list where patrons can post and exchange reviews of books |

|on BARD. This is a patron-to-patron list independent of NLS or the LBPH. Members have reported that it is a valuable resource in helping |

|to choose which books to read. To sign up for the list, please send an email to DB-Review+subscribe@groups.io , and then reply to a |

|confirmation email. |

|BARD password tip: You have the ability to reset your BARD password yourself without having go through the LBPH by using a secret question|

|on the BARD website. To create the secret question, go to the BARD homepage ( |

|nlsbardprod/mainpage), scroll down to the Additional Links section and select Update |

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|Account Settings. Then scroll down on this page to the Password Instructions and enter your secret question and answer and then update |

|your account. Should you then forget your password, the question will be presented and if the correct answer is given, the system will |

|send you a new password by email. If you do not set a secret question, you will have to contact the LBPH to recover your password. |

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|BARD Mobile User Guide |

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|As the old saying goes, when all else fails, read the instructions. Surely it is very common to fiddle with the device, try this, try |

|that, try anything to make it do what you want. It's also very common that these efforts don't succeed. So, the time's come to sit down |

|and read the directions. For the BARD Mobile app, these directions are in the user guide contained within the application. |

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|To find the user guide, open the Bookshelf tab and there'll be a tab called Help. Double-tap Help and the user guide will become |

|available. The user guide is displayed as a web page with the table of contents at the top and each item acts as a link. Just select the |

|heading desired and you'll be taken directly to the text for that item. |

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|Standard VoiceOver reading commands function properly. To have VoiceOver read from the current position, swipe down with two fingers. To |

|pause and resume the speech, do a two-finger tap. |

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|When finished reading Help, select the Help back button in the upper left corner of the screen, then select the Bookshelf-Select Category |

|back button. |

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|When Help is accessed, the latest version of Help will be loaded if the device is connected to the internet. Otherwise the device will |

|display the version already located in the device which may or may not be the current version. |

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|Special advice for braille readers using Apple devices: Read Section 7 of the iOS user guide as it gives instructions on how to configure |

|the braille display and provides keystrokes to make it easier to read and navigate braille materials. |

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|Short tutorial videos are also available on YouTube which cover a variety of topics regarding using the BARD Mobile app. These videos can |

|be found at: |

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|BARD Mobile How-To Series for iOS (to open this link, hold down CTRL key and click on the link). |

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|BARD Mobile How-To Series for Android   (to pen this link, hold down the CTRL key and click on the link). |

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|Tech Tips |

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|BrailleNote Apex Notetaker: NLS reports that Humanware will no longer be updating the BrailleNote Apex notetaker. What this means is that|

|the browser built into the device will not be updated to handle the latest security upgrades that are being deployed on the BAR download |

|site. A number of patrons across the nation have reported to NLS that they can no longer log into BARD. For further information, call the|

|Humanware toll-free telephone number for Humanware is 1-800-722-3393 or email them at support@ |

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|Kindle Fire devices: Kindle Fire devices can be used for the BARD Mobile app for Android devices provided that it is a second-generation |

|Kindle Fire. The list of suitable Kindle Fire devices is given below, but please note that not all of these devices include accessibility |

|features so check them out carefully. |

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|Fire (2015) Fire HDX 8.9 WAN (2014) |

|Fire HD 10 (2015) Fire Phone |

|Fire HD 6 (2014) Kindle Fire HD (2013) |

|Fire HD 7 (2014) Kindle Fire HDX (2013) |

|Fire HD 8 (2015) Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (2013) |

|Fire HDX 8.9 (2014) Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 WAN (2013) |

|Kindle Fire HDX WAN (2013) |

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|Microsoft Disability Support:  For Windows users, Microsoft has a support desk for persons with disabilities. It is called the Microsoft |

|Disability Answer Desk Team. Their purpose is to provide support with Microsoft Office, Xbox Accessibility, and Windows including product |

|issues, accessibility questions, and the use of assistive technology. Their telephone number is 800-936-5900. The Microsoft website with |

|full details and many links is at: |

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|Friends Group technology support: The LBPH Friends Group also offers personal assistance and support for patrons regarding computer |

|issues. Trouble with BARD? Problems with assistive technology? Best practice tips for computer users? Ask the Friends Group. They'll |

|be pleased to help. Please call Barbara at 860-721-8601 or email her at barbara.blejewski@ |

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|Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC): As a reminder, the online public access catalog (OPAC) is now available which contains all of the |

|braille and audio books in the LBPH collection. It is automatically updated each time a new book is added to our collection. The OPAC |

|allows you to search our collection and submit your requests online directly to the library. The URL for the OPAC is:  |

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|To gain access to the OPAC, you will need to get a user name and password from your reader advisor. Your user name will be your patron ID |

|and the password will be forwarded to you by email. You can keep that password or change it to one of your liking. The reader advisors |

|are listed at the end of this newsletter. |

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|Multiple-Book Cartridges: |

|The New Audio Book Distribution Method |

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|The LBPH has completed the transition to multiple-book cartridges thus it is useful to repeat the article describing them in order to get |

|the word out. The primary difference between the old way of circulation and the new is that there will be multiple titles on one |

|cartridge, as few as one book up to as many as ten complete books. Otherwise the system remains the same. This section of the newsletter |

|will describe in more detail the dynamics of multiple-book cartridges and the effects on you, the patron. |

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|What It Is |

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|In essence, a multiple-book cartridge is simply a digital cartridge of the same type currently used in digital books that is custom-loaded |

|by the LBPH with one or more books specific to each individual patron. These cartridges will be mailed to the patron and then, upon return|

|from the patron, erased and re-loaded for another patron. There will not be any standing stock of digital books on the shelf as there is |

|now. The cartridge itself will not have a book number, but each book contained on the cartridge will be identified with its book number. |

|Eventually, all circulation will be with these custom-loaded cartridges. There are significant advantages to the patron with this new |

|system: |

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|a. All audio books in the NLS collection are available to every patron including BARD-only books. This provides access to the entire NLS |

|collection for patrons who do not have personal computer equipment and cannot use BARD. Unlike BARD however, multiple-book cartridges |

|cannot be downloaded or be available 24/7 as the custom-loaded cartridges must still be physically produced at the LBPH and mailed to the |

|patron through the U.S. Postal Service. |

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|b. New audio books are available as soon as they are issued by NLS, including books that will not be issued in cartridge format. There is|

|no delay due to cartridge production and distribution, which with the current system can take up to a few months. |

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|c. A multiple-book cartridge can be loaded with books by the same author, or all books in a series, or any way the patron would like |

|limited only by the number of books involved and the size of the cartridge. The largest capacity cartridge can hold up to ten individual |

|audio books on average. |

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|d. You, the patron, will receive just one cartridge instead of a separate cartridge for each book. This greatly eases the burden of |

|keeping track of cartridges and ensuring their timely return. It also removes the difficulty of piling up individual books somewhere in |

|the house and then finding the next book to read. |

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|e. Multiple-book cartridges eliminate the common errors of single book distribution, such as mismatched titles and containers or empty |

|containers. |

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|How It Works |

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|1. Ordering Books: Stays the same as it is now. You can request books with your reader advisor by telephone, email, fax, online catalog,|

|TBT request forms, handwritten notes, in person, or any way you can get the request to us. |

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|2. Receiving Books: Multiple-book cartridges are mailed through the U.S. Postal Service inside plastic containers, the same as audio books|

|are mailed now. But there will be a new folded address card in the container slot which will have your address on one side and a list of |

|the book titles contained in the cartridge on the other side. You can remove the folded address card to review the book titles as it is no|

|longer needed to return the container to the LBPH. |

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|3. Playing Books: To play the multiple-book cartridge, you will need to use the audio player's bookshelf or sequential play modes, as |

|described in a separate section below. These modes are on both the standard DS1 player and the advanced DA1 player. You'll be able to |

|read each book in any order you wish or you can select to have the next book played in sequence automatically. Each cartridge will have |

|complete audio instructions on how to use bookshelf and sequential play modes, which will be the first thing you'll hear when you insert |

|the cartridge. |

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|4. Returning Books: To return the multiple-book cartridge, place the cartridge in the container it came in, or, and this is a new |

|feature, in any container that has the LBPH address on it. These containers will not have a book number on them, just our address. Be |

|sure to remove the folded address card that came with the book and toss it away -- this will make the LBPH address on the container visible|

|to the mail carrier. Mail the container back to us via the U.S. Postal Service. |

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|5. Getting your next Book: This process remains the same as before and is determined by the type of service you have, be it turnaround or|

|request only. The library software program drives this book selection process including any reserves or requests you may have. |

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|What You Need to Do |

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|The most important feature to learn is the Bookshelf and Sequential Play modes but instructions are given on every multiple-book cartridge |

|and are also presented below. This should become routine after the first couple of multiple-book cartridges. Also, be mindful of the new |

|address cards and to remove them before mailing back a book. Otherwise, the audio book program remains as it was. |

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|Please don't hesitate to call your reader advisor with any questions you may have or for procedure clarifications. Their phone numbers are|

|given at the end of this newsletter. |

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|Bookshelf and Sequential Play Modes |

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|Bookshelf: Bookshelf is a feature of the audio book player which allows you to play multiple-book cartridges. Bookshelf will become a |

|necessity in the not too distant future as the LBPH transitions to all custom-made multiple-book cartridges. All multiple-book cartridges |

|will have audio instructions on how to use bookshelf and sequential play which will automatically play each time a cartridge is inserted |

|into the player. Instructions will also be available in Spanish. Please note that bookshelf allows the patron to play books on the |

|cartridge in any order that they wish. Bookshelf is available on both the DS1 and DA1 players. |

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|Bookshelf procedure: The Bookshelf feature allows you to play any book on the cartridge in any order that you wish. |

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|a. Enter Bookshelf mode by inserting a multiple-book cartridge into the player and then press and hold the Play/Stop button for two |

|seconds. The player will then announce the number of books on the cartridge and the title of the book currently selected. |

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|b. You can also have the player announce the titles of the other books on the cartridge by pressing the Rewind or Fast Forward buttons. |

|When the title of the book you want to read is announced, press the play/stop button once to begin playing it. |

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|c. After selecting the book, exit the Bookshelf mode by pressing the Play/Stop button. The player will remember which book was selected |

|even if the cartridge is removed from the player. |

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|d. On the standard DS1 player, the User Guide will always be the first book listed on the cartridge. |

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|Sequential Play: Sequential play allows patrons to play multiple-book cartridges without having to enter Bookshelf mode. Use the |

|Play/Stop button to activate this feature. When the player announces the "end of book", press the play/stop button and the player will |

|automatically go to the next book on the cartridge and begin reading it. While sequential play is much simpler than bookshelf, it does not|

|allow patrons to read the books in any order they wish. However, it does allow patrons to go quickly and easily to the next title. |

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|Friends of the Connecticut State Library for the Blind |

|and Physically Handicapped |

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|The purpose of the Friends group is to draw together and unite those people who are committed to enhancing the level of services and |

|resources of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped serving the State of Connecticut, and to further enrich the lives of its |

|users. |

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|Come and join the Friends Group and take part in interesting activities, enjoy the camaraderie, and lend your voice in support of the |

|LBPH. Your thoughts, opinions and comments are always appreciated. If you cannot make the meetings in person, please email comments to |

|Barbara Blejewski at barbara.blejewski@ and she will present them to the group. |

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|Upcoming activities: |

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|The Friends group (FLBPH) is planning to tour the Mark Twain house in Hartford with its Christmas festivities on Tuesday, December 17, |

|2019. This event is open to all members and guests of the Friends group. Participants pay their own transportation and entry fees. Please|

|call the Friends group Secretary, Pamela Garde, at 860-436-2777 for more information. |

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|Scheduled Friends meetings: All regularly scheduled meetings are held bi-monthly on the even-numbered months on the second Tuesday at the |

|Conn. State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 198 West St., Rocky Hill, CT. Upcoming meeting dates in 2019 and 2020 are: |

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|2019: December 10 |

|2020: April 14 - June 9 - August 11 - October 13 - December 8 |

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|All Friends members are warmly welcomed and new members are cordially invited. |

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|Attached to this newsletter is the application for joining the Friends group. The annual dues are just ten dollars for an individual, |

|fifteen dollars for a family membership. Of particular need are persons interested in organizing activities and engaging in advocacy. |

|Please fill it out and mail it to the address indicated. |

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|The Friends also gratefully accepts donations which will be put to good use in support of the Library for the Blind and Physically |

|Handicapped. |

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|Blinded Veterans Association |

|Seeking New Members! |

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|Are you a veteran? We thank you for your service and the sacrifices you've made in protecting our nation. We're able to enjoy our rights |

|and freedoms only because of your commitment to duty and country. You all have our deepest respect and gratitude. |

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|Please let me introduce you to a special organization dedicated to serving the needs of veterans who are blind or low-vision. This is the |

|Blinded Veterans Association of America (abbreviated BVA). Based in Alexandria, VA, it has field units throughout the U.S. including |

|Connecticut. But the BVA depends on veterans like yourselves to give life to the association and help carry out its many programs and |

|services. The BVA is seeking more members. Please consider joining and become involved with helping out your fellow veterans. I'm sure |

|you'll find it very rewarding. |

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|The person to call in Connecticut is Doug Reid. His number is 203-215-7828. The national website is where there's |

|a wealth of information. You can also join the BVA by contacting the BVA Membership Coordinator at 202-371-8880, ext. 315, or by email to |

|Camaya-M@. |

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|To order books: |

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|Email:  csl.lbph@ |

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|Telephone:   860-721-2020 or 800-842-4516 |

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|Please leave a message. You can order up to 10 books at a time. Identifying the books by their book number is most effective. Or please |

|give the title and, if known, the author. |

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|Mailing Address:  |

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|Connecticut State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped |

|198 West Street |

|Rocky Hill, CT 06067 |

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|Reader Advisers: |

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|For patrons with the last name beginning with the letter A through K, please call Paula at 860-271-2033 or email csl.lbph@. |

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|For patrons with the last name beginning with the letter L through Z, please call Kathy at 860-721-2024 or email csl.lbph@. |

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|Connecticut State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped |

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|The LPBH is a free braille and talking book library service for people with low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that prevents |

|them from reading or holding the printed page. Books are offered in braille and audio formats, mailed to your door, or instantly |

|downloadable |

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|STAY CONNECTED |

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|Connecticut State Library | 231 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106 |

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