Update ISSN 0160-9203 October-December 2002, Vol. 25, No. 3 National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped The Library of Congress Cincinnati Elfuns ship 35,000th machine "Today we thank all our volunteers for their many contributions to this repair program," remarked Brad Kormann, NLS Materials Development Division chief, during the May 30, 2002, luncheon celebrating the Elfun's repair of 35,000 machines. The 35,001st machine was presented to Kevin Watson, NLS equipment repair officer, in recognition of his sustained support and assistance to the Cincinnati chapter of Senior Elfuns. When the chapter began the talking-book machine- repair program, Watson was a technician at the State Library of Ohio Talking Book Program and trained the group to repair talking-book equipment. The Cincinnati group began its talking-book repair program in March 1990 with twenty-two members and has grown to nearly 100 active members. Just over one year ago the group repaired its 30,000th machine, which was shipped to Judy Bow, Ohio State Library talking-book coordinator. (photo caption: GE Elfuns (far left) Jack Simpson, Courtney Hill, and co-project leaders (far right) Dick Meyer and Bernie Berdick present NLS Materials Development Division chief Brad Kormann (center right) and equipment repair officer Kevin Watson (center left) with the 35,000th and 35,001st talking-book machine. Both machines were restored to service.) TelecomPioneers embraces new image Organization's new name reflects change in venues, services Telephone Pioneers of America formally changed the name of the organization to TelecomPioneers on October 5, 2002, during the 2002 annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The new name became effective immediately. "The members have spoken and I am pleased with the outcome," said Frank Fagan, TelecomPioneers chairman and president. "I truly believe this opens the door to tremendous opportunities for our organization." During the meeting, advertising mogul Jerry Brown, president and chief strategist of OneSource Marketing of Atlanta, Georgia, told the Pioneers that they needed to upgrade their "brand." The creator of advertising campaigns that have made names like "Charmin" and "McDonald's" household words told the delegates that it was important for the Pioneers to promote a new image that would increase their name recognition and improve public perception of the organization. TelecomPioneers, its leaders said, better aligns Pioneers with the high-technology direction of its sponsor companies and strengthens the organization's appeal to potential new members. Internal and external research revealed that the word "telephone" has become outdated in regard to sponsoring companies that have grown to offer products and services well beyond the realm of basic telephone service, Pioneers leaders said. Additionally, the words "of America" were viewed as no longer accurate because of the global scale of sponsor companies and the worldwide distribution of their employees. Founded as the Telephone Pioneers of America in 1911, TelecomPioneers is the world's largest corporate volunteer organization. Its membership of 750,000 is composed of current and retired employees of the telecommunications industry. With eighty-four chapters across the United States and Canada, TelecomPioneers volunteers contribute their time to address a variety of community needs. Quad Cities TelecomPioneers find assembly line increases number of machines repaired The talking-book machine-repair workshop of the TelecomPioneers Blackhawk Life Member Club, Quad Cities, resembles any other production shop when it's vacant. But it comes to life when the TelecomPioneers volunteers gather in the basement office. Since 1988, they have repaired 20,746 players, representing a savings of approximately $829,840 for the NLS program. The workshop is leased by the Rock Island, Illinois, Ameritech Corporation to the club, which includes members from five cities: Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island, Illinois; and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa. "We moved here in 1988," says Jerry Adamson, a founder and leader of the Quad Cities repair project. "It works out a lot better because we have a production line and fix a lot more units. One guy alone can go through a machine in about four hours. Here we do between six and eight machines in four hours. Each machine gets a full cleaning, whatever new parts are needed, and a 26-point check." Adamson says the group has repaired 1,795 machines in the past year alone. He notes that servicing a unit costs about $40. "We started in 1973, repairing the machines at homes. We work nearly five hours a day, five days a week," the former Pioneers regional coordinator says. The shop is busiest on Thursdays. Adamson says it's rare for a machine to last a year before it needs repair. "They wear out," he explains. "People play them seven or eight hours a day sometimes. Pop gets spilled on them. Cleaning is pretty important, and it's amazing what you might find inside." "If a machine is beyond repair, we usually strip it of its working parts," Adamson says. "So the actual money we have saved taxpayers is probably higher yet. It's tough to figure." The repair club receives an annual recognition lunch from the Coal Valley, Illinois, library and a certificate for every 100 hours of service. "Nobody is down here for the pay," Adamson smiles. "We come and talk with the guys we used to work with--spend some time with friends. It's good to stay busy." Members of the club range from seventy to eighty-one years of age. Talking-book machine repair isn't the only project the TelecomPioneers busy themselves with. The 140-member club also does volunteer work with the Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and the Arrowhead Ranch Auction. Members string and work the phone system for the John Deere Classic. They've built picnic tables and benches at Sylvan Island and decorated the Butterworth Parkway in Moline with Christmas lights. Volunteers also provide food and clothing to facilities for abused women, robes to nursing homes, and shoes and socks to the All God's Children Shall Have Shoes program. Volunteer gardener maintains tranquil environment for patrons The Talking Books Plus (TB+) Library of Bellport, New York, is raving about the efforts of volunteer Anne Schomaker, a master gardener with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, to revitalize and maintain the TB+ Sensory Garden this year. The garden, created in 1996, was designed for patrons to enjoy the sensory stimulation of purposefully selected plants and herbs. It now serves as an oasis for Suffolk Cooperative Library System employees and visitors, as well as TB+ patrons and their friends and families. Schomaker has updated the plant selections and spruced up the beds and surrounding areas. The height of the plantings is accessible to people who use wheelchairs. Plants and herbs are tactile, fragrant, and vibrantly colored. Visitors enjoy the garden's alluring tranquility and can often be found sitting on the strategically placed benches, enjoying a good book or a tasty snack. Mississippi library recognizes volunteers in Jackson celebration "To have access to full library services locally is great. It really is special to have the participation of volunteers who help get local books recorded and machines repaired, which otherwise could not be done," stated Mike Duke, a patron of the Mississippi Library Commission's Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services (BPHLS) Division, during the Volunteer Recognition Celebration of February 2002. The annual salute to BellSouth TelecomPioneers and the Friends of Handicapped Readers was held in Jackson, Mississippi. BPHLS director Rahye Puckett recognized Ed May, a member of BellSouth TelecomPioneers, for twenty years of devoted service (1981 through 2001) and presented him a plaque. She also presented Margaret Smith, wife of the late Friends of Handicapped Readers president Claude Smith, with a plaque in memory of his devoted service. Keynote speaker Anne Andrews, Stewpot, Mississippi, director of volunteer services, lauded the volunteers for their efforts. She stressed the importance of a good support team, noting that it was admirable and noble for people to volunteer their time to help others. Speaking at the celebration, NLS equipment repair officer Kevin Watson said that 135,000 machines are repaired every year nationwide and that a large number of volunteers spend approximately fifteen to twenty years providing assistance. "Without these people we probably could not do this program," Watson remarked. (photo caption: Rahye Puckett, director, Mississippi Library Commission's Blind and Physically Handicapped Library Services) Montana machine-repair program celebrates 40th anniversary The Montana Talking Book Library (MTBL) honored its TelecomPioneers volunteer repair persons with a luncheon February 6, 2002. Regional librarian Christie Briggs presented a certificate of award to Tom Basinger on behalf of the Montana TelecomPioneers in Helena. Basinger helped organize the Montana Pioneers, who meet weekly in Helena to clean, rebuild, and repair these machines. He works with Cookie Basinger, Gladys and Howard Bloom, Jack Buckley, John Doig, Frank Flynn, Tommy Tompkins, and Chuck Wirth in the repair shop on North Main Street. At MTBL, Herb Blunn, Elaine LaCroix, Gloria Purcell, and Glen Rasmussen also assist in this work. The luncheon also featured a special video, A Salute to the Telephone Pioneers of America: Celebrating 40 Years of Service. The film was produced by NLS in 2001 to recognize TelecomPioneers for its service, valued at more than $4 million annually. Briggs said MTBL appreciates the dedication of its members and the extraordinary skill that they willingly contribute so that all may read. Volunteer narrator receives professional recognition Joan Miller, a volunteer narrator at the Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL), received an award at the Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) for her work. DOVIA is the professional organization for people who manage volunteer programs. Every April, DOVIA holds a luncheon to highlight the work of volunteers in programs throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Each DOVIA member may nominate one volunteer or a group of volunteers for the honor. Miller, who began volunteering in 1995, has narrated sixty-one books for the collection. She monitors for two narrators each week and reviews books in the studio. She has trained and mentored many new studio volunteers. Braille student-instructor dialog The Braille Development Section 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: The book that I have selected for my thirty-five- page trial manuscript for Library of Congress certification contains part headings. In print, "Part I" is written on a page by itself before the first page of text. Where should "Part I" be placed in braille? Instructor: When print uses an entire page for a unit heading (such as "Part I"), in braille this page should be omitted. Such a heading should be centered and separated by a blank line from other headings or text that precedes and/or follows it. (See Sections 19.5 and 19.6 of the Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, fourth edition, 2000.) Student: In the print book that I am transcribing, there is a short poem before Chapter One. Should Chapter One begin on the same page as the poem or should it be placed on a new page? Instructor: Very good question. If in print a poem or a prelude appears on a page before the first chapter, then in braille the poem or prelude should be written on a page by itself, and the first chapter should begin a new braille page. Student: I realize that the trial manuscript for Library of Congress certification should consist of thirty-five braille pages. After counting my pages, I have discovered that two of my preliminary pages contain slightly less than twenty- five braille lines. Do I need to transcribe more pages to make sure that I have met the required number of pages? Instructor: The trial manuscript for Library of Congress certification must consist of at least thirty-five full braille pages. If a page contains a half page or more of braille, it may be counted as a full page. If a transcription includes a short dedication page that contains only a few lines of braille but all other pages are full, then thirty-six braille pages must be submitted. Student: I am aware that according to Section 19.2B9 of the Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, fourth edition, 2000, the ISBN number should appear on the braille title page. However, the book that I am transcribing does not contain an ISBN number on the print title page. How is this handled in braille? Instructor: When there is no ISBN number shown on the print title page or on the back of the title page, the line where this information ordinarily appears in braille should be left blank. If a catalog number is shown on the print title page, it should not be substituted for the ISBN number in braille. Student: I have studied Section 19.2B2 of the 2000 edition of the instruction manual concerning the grouping of items on the braille title page. I understand that two lines may be left between groups of items to fill out a full title page when there are fewer lines of information than usual. However, I have found it necessary to leave three blank lines between two of the groupings. Is this permissible? Instructor: Absolutely. Ideally, the items on the braille title page should be grouped into units with one blank line between each unit. However, it is often necessary to add more blank lines between groupings to fill out the braille title page. If more blank lines are required, start at the bottom of the page and add one line per unit. For example, if two lines are left between groupings and one extra blank line is still needed, insert it before the last unit. Student: I have a question about Section 20.12 of the instruction manual on scoring the trial manuscript. After reviewing the evaluator's report on my thirty-five-page trial manuscript, I discovered that ten points were deducted for misusing the letter sign five times. Since the same error occurred consistently throughout the trial manuscript, I believe that it should have been counted only once. Is this correct? Instructor: No. Section 20.12 of the instruction manual says that if the same error in the use or omission of contractions or in word division occurs consistently with respect to the same word, it will be counted only once. Format errors may sometimes be counted together as a single error. Otherwise, each error will be counted separately. Since the misuse of the letter sign does not fall into either of the categories listed above, the ten points were deducted from your score appropriately. Student: I assume then that if a braille character is misformed in the book title on the first ten pages of my trial manuscript, ten points will be deducted from my score. Instructor: That is true. For example, if an "e" is written for an "I" more than once, points will be deducted each time that the error is made, even when it occurs in the same word. Correction There was an error concerning centering headings in one entry of the "Braille student-instructor dialog" in the January- June issue. The dialog below is repeated from that issue to give the correct instruction. Student: I am preparing Lesson Nineteen in the braille transcribing course. I have studied the material on how to center a heading given in the instruction manual. However, when a centered heading occupies an uneven number of cells, I am still having trouble deciding in which cell to begin my heading. For example, the title used in Exercise Nineteen, In the Shadow of a Rainbow, contains twenty-nine cells. When I follow the instructions for centering a heading on a braille line, I have an uneven number of cells so that the title cannot be perfectly centered. Instructor: You are not alone. When a heading occupies an uneven number of cells so that it cannot be perfectly centered, move the heading off center by one cell to the left, thus making more room for a long title and the page number. Therefore, the title In the Shadow of a Rainbow should begin in cell 6. Follow the same guidelines for centering lines on the braille title page. In memoriam Claudell S. Stocker: Retired head of NLS Braille Development Section Claudell S. Stocker, age seventy-five, died July 10, 2002, at a Topeka, Kansas, hospital. Mrs. Stocker retired as head of the Braille Development Section at NLS in September 1992. In addition to her numerous responsibilities as section head, she represented NLS on the board of directors of the Braille Authority of North America. Prior to her service at NLS, she served as communications director at the Kansas Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Topeka for thirty years. She wrote four textbooks on teaching braille skills. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Our Lady of Victory College in Fort Worth, Texas, and did further graduate work at Washburn University and the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. Stocker was born February 6, 1927, in Fort Worth, Texas. She married Lawrence Edwin Stocker on November 15, 1947. They moved to Topeka in 1958. Mrs. Stocker's husband died in 1998. A son, Christopher Birkman Stocker, died in 1965. Survivors include four daughters, Laura Stocker and Maureen Rummell, both of Lawrence, Kansas; Theresa Ramcharan of Park Forest, Illinois; and Kathy Montonari of Kansas City, Missouri; two sons, Tim Stocker of Wichita, Kansas, and Larry Stocker of Topeka, Kansas; ten grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. (photo caption: Claudell Stocker) Volunteers master new skills During the months of March-July 2002 certificates in braille transcribing were awarded to ninety-three persons. Of these, seventy-five were awarded in literary braille transcribing, one in literary braille proofreading, and seventeen in mathematics braille transcribing. LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Arizona Kathleen Dombrowski, Peoria Clyde P. McClintick, Phoenix Arkansas Kelvin Collier, Wrightsville California Sandra J. Dial, Antelope Edward B. Hernandez, Folsom Cady S. Lee, Sacramento Sherry Lynn Martinez, Fontana Mary R. Meyers, San Jose Coral Ann Nanoski, Whittier Jan S. Patterson, Watsonville Dana A. Sanders, San Diego Colorado Patricia Ann Mangus, Wellington Connecticut Orgeby Hollby, Cheshire Leslie Tyrone Williams, Cheshire Delaware Mark Lee Baynard, Wilmington Nancy R.A. Frankl, Dover Gilbert H. Mende, Wilmington Howard R. Parker II, Wilmington Florida Tamara Habjan, Seminole Nadine F. Smith, Orlando Georgia Bernace Murray, Decatur Idaho Robert Hall, Boise Indiana Denny R. Bowers, Muncie Iowa Marty Allen Brown, Newton Kansas Mary Nell Welter, Shawnee Kentucky Maxine Jones, Louisville Kimberly Jo King, Louisville Britt Nichole Lincoln, Morehead DeAnna Morrison, Louisville Sharon G. Musgrove, Louisville Glenda Powell, Louisville Linda L. Wicks, Louisville Athena M. Williams, Louisville Michigan Heather Trute, Ravenna Minnesota Renee LaVon Holmes, Ellendale Judy Kay Jackson, Appleton Lori K. Martz, Faribault Bayron D. Moreno, Waseca Jacqueline M. Thomas, Minneapolis Sharon Toll, Osseo Missouri John S. Porter, Webster Groves Nebraska Jay D. Amaya, Lincoln Robert R. Lupien, Lincoln Nevada Hylo B. Campiglia, Las Vegas Ronald Childs, Las Vegas Lathan T. Daniels, Las Vegas Dustin M. Hoyos, Las Vegas Hugo Kersten, Las Vegas Richard A. Nicholls II, Lovelock David Alan Williams, Lovelock Warren A. Winkler, Las Vegas New Mexico Sharon Lynne Hall, Alamogordo Alicia S. McAninch, Alamogordo New York Jonathan C. Acker, Waterville Webb T. Comfort, Vestal Lynda W. Fox, Rochester Carol D. Knerr, Williamsville Barbara D. Powers, Penfield North Carolina John E. Brinton, Hendersonville Mary C. Morgan, Matthews Ohio Patricia M. Zwolinski, Parma Pennsylvania Misti Renea Thomas, Cambridge Springs Texas Lucretia Rae Manuel, Gatesville Debra I. Sowers, Houston Sonya Cu-Naye Woods, Gatesville Washington Robert A. Cilley, Kent Sharon L. Cilley, Kent Clistie M. Ferrell, Vancouver Joella Fletcher, Vancouver Robin I. Johnson, Vancouver Wisconsin Denise E. De Serio, Madison Dennis W. Helwig, Oshkosh Susan C. Nelson, Middleton Kathleen R. Potthast, Brillion Vickie L. Warner, Oregon LITERARY BRAILLE PROOFREADER Warren L. Nichols, Wilmington, Delaware MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Joanne Call, Roseville, California Randall William Colvin, Folsom, California Juliette M. Cormier, Lincoln, California Suzanne Crandall, Hill City, South Dakota Christy E Cutting, Seattle, Washington Robert L. Eutz, Grafton, Ohio Toby W. Ferguson, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Terry Harris, Folsom, California A. Trumbull Ogilby, Sweet Home, California Michael W. Phillips, Phoenix, Arizona Ruth Ellen Reaves, Talladega, Alabama V. Roy Richards, Carrollton, Virginia Gina O. Roden, Munford, Alabama Charles L. Sanford, Las Vegas, Nevada Thomas James Silvers, Lincoln, Nebraska Lindy B. Walton, Madison, Wisconsin George M. Wicker, Phoenix, Arizona Meetings National Braille Association (NBA)  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, 3 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 Susie Coleman, VAVF President-Elect, 1826 Bartram Circle West, Jacksonville, FL 32207-2294; (904) 725-2427 (will return call); e-mail ; web site . Keystone recognizes Blunn's contribution Lea Blunn, who has been a volunteer at the Montana Talking Book Library (MTBL) for more than eighteen years, received the first Keystone Library Automated System (KLAS) Volunteer Award for her outstanding service to MTBL. The plaque was presented at the annual KLAS User Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, held March 12-17, 2002. Blunn and one of her daughters received an all- expenses-paid trip to Raleigh to attend the conference. Keystone, Inc., provides service to MTBL patrons through the KLAS database. Blunn was one of several volunteers nominated from various talking-book libraries who contract with Keystone, which wanted to recognize the support volunteers provide to libraries. (photo caption: Lea Blunn shows her KLAS Volunteer Award.) Schecter honored for braille literacy work The Braille Institute of America (BIA) in Los Angeles, California, recently bestowed its first annual Braille Literacy Award to Norma Schecter, advisor, braille instructor, and resource consultant for the Beach Cities Braille Guild in Huntington Beach, California. BIA created the award in 2000 to recognize and honor people who have made significant contributions to promoting braille reading and writing skills. In his notice of the award to Schecter, Braille Institute president Leslie E. Stocker wrote: "Your contributions to the world of braille literacy are legendary, not only here at Braille Institute, but throughout our country. It is based on your lifetime achievement in promoting braille literacy that we would like to present you Braille Institute's 2001 Braille Literacy Award." Schecter, who was unable to attend the ceremony because of her health, responded, "It doesn't seem quite fair, somehow, to be given an award for doing something that I enjoy so much; it's practically addictive. And it has given so much meaning and excitement to my life for over forty years--that is more than reward enough! My deepest gratitude, not only for this forthcoming honor, but for the many braille-connected enterprises that you and braille have made it possible for me to accomplish." Several members of her braille guild did attend the ceremony on her behalf, and the group's braille assignment chairperson, Linda McGovern, accepted the crystal plaque for her. Schecter also received a tribute from her longtime friend, Bernard Krebs, the first president of the National Braille Association and the first chairman of the Braille Authority, who recognized her as "a leader, a doer, a worker, a brain, a friend, a listener, a lover of humankind!" The tribute was read at the luncheon and afterward, Nancy Niebrugge, BIA director of Braille Publishing, had it made into a handsome hand-decorated plaque. 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