Once again, we're sharing highlights from our postings on Facebook, featuring updates from the National Library Service, news about our programs, and links to sites we thought interesting and useful. You can follow us on Facebook to get all our updates as we post them.

BARD Update

Good news for those of you reading magazines on BARD. According to NLS:

"The pages will now display the reading time, narrators, and the descriptive title of the magazine provided by the magazine producer. The descriptive title is very useful for things like magazine of the month, as the descriptive title will actually indicate what the magazine is. We also have the ability to attach a note to a magazine issue so we can indicate things such as 'magazine so and so is the last issue.'

"When you download a magazine the file name will be based on the descriptive title. The updating of magazines will also change. BARD will be configured to display new magazines as soon as they are approved by [NLS's] QA [Quality Assurance] section. That means there may be new magazines appearing at any time during the week."

NLS also said they'd be doing something similar with books so they'll appear as they're approved. We'll let you know when that happens.

NLS Announces the End of Cassette Books 

We received word that the National Library Service will stop producing books on cassette as of October. Only books already in production will be sent to the regional libraries. Here's what NLS said:

"NLS will cease production of books on cassette as of October 1, 2010. Diminishing guaranteed availability of supplies has forced this cessation of audiobook production on cassette. Now first-time produced NLS audiobooks will be available only on flash memory cartridges and online through the BARD system. The inventory of over 57,000 NLS titles on cassette will continue to be available. Cassette production of NLS magazines will continue until further notice."

Please contact the library if you haven't received your digital player yet. And if you haven't tried BARD yet, and have both an email address and a high-speed internet connection, you can apply at: http://nlsbard.loc.gov/.

Returning Books

Did you finish reading that digital talking book? Can we have it back? Because digital books cost much more than cassettes, and since they can be reused for new books with no loss in sound quality, NLS will be recycling digital book cartridges. So as soon as you're done with a book, please send it back! And help us share the word with your non-computer using friends. Thanks!

BARD Trivia

It's a tie for the number one BARD download in September! Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, DB 70503, (NYPL catalog) tied with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, DB 67759 (NYPL catalog).

Book Discussion Group

Our Book Discussions Group is back! We started in October with Kathryn Stockett's The Help, DB 68889, RC 68889 (NYPL catalog). You can read the questions we discussed, then join us on Saturday, December 18 at 10:00 a.m., when we'll discuss Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen (DB 62718, RC 62718 (NYPL catalog).

Links

Accessible Packaging Directions, from Horizons for the Blind. 

Dancing Dots: Music scores for the blind. 

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Although October is nearly over, it's never too late to be screened for breast cancer. And if you or a loved one is unfortunate to have to face this disease, you might want to read Johns Hopkins Patients' Guide to Breast Cancer by Lillie D. Shockney, 2010, DB 69983, BR 18558 (NYPL catalog).