Update ISSN 0160-9203 April-June 2001, Vol. 24, No. 2 National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped The Library of Congress Volunteers celebrate Florida's fiftieth More than one hundred volunteers were on hand last September 16 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Florida's regional library in Daytona Beach. Michael Gunde, chief of the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Services, and Doug Hall, head of Volunteer and Community Relations, welcomed several hundred patrons, staff, and friends to the library's Donald John Weber Conference Room. Official representatives of the city and Volusia County were among the visitors, along with thirty-seven members of the Southeastern Guide Dog Area Coordinators and twenty-eight of their guide dogs in training, as special guests. Several speakers mentioned the library's importance in their lives. Florida state senator Locke Burt recounted childhood memories of recorded books. Burt's grandmother was blind, he explained, and her talking books were among his earliest experiences of reading. Library chief Gunde and others saluted the volunteers for rendering more than 130,000 hours of service in 1999, with notable contributions in many areas of collection management. After the speeches and socializing, volunteers led tours of the facility while others demonstrated library operations, inspecting, sorting, and shelving returned cassettes. A group of Palm Coast Lions Club machine-repair volunteers were hard at work. Even the local Boy Scouts were involved in the effort--one aspiring Eagle Scout succeeded in recruiting several dozen new volunteers for the library in the weeks before the anniversary. In 1950 Florida's first talking-book library was housed in a 4,000-square-foot former World War II Women's Army Corps dormitory in Daytona Beach. It had 900 patrons. Fifty years later, the Bureau's patron roster has grown to more than 45,000, the largest in the NLS network. Florida's recorded and braille book collections comprise more than two million copies--also the largest in the United States. The library has twenty-seven regular employees in addition to its contingent of faithful volunteers. (photo caption: Special guests and their trainees guided by staff member Dave Jollymore. Photo by Dorothy Minor) (photo caption: Key Club volunteers (left) and Lions Club volunteers (right) help with the festivities. Photos by Dorothy Minor) Narrator workshops for Arizona volunteers Award-winning NLS narrator Laura Giannarelli held two workshops for recording volunteers at the Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library last November 15. The purpose of the sessions was to help the volunteers refine their recording program. The regional library's volunteer coordinator, Jeanie Pawlowski, asked Giannarelli to mention the importance of all three roles in the recording process--narrators, monitors, and reviewers--and the need for teamwork among them. In both two-hour sessions, morning and evening on the same day, Giannarelli discussed recording techniques employed at NLS and professional contract studios around the country, and the volunteers related their own experiences. Back at NLS, Giannarelli described the energy and dedication of the Arizona volunteers: "Participants in both workshops were an eclectic mix of narrators, monitors, and reviewers, so there was some lively discussion when I opened the floor for questions. Feedback was enthusiastic. I think I can safely say that a good-- and edifying--time was had by all!" Most of those attending the morning session were from the Sun City area, including many retirees. "They were a very knowledgeable bunch," Giannarelli said. "While I may have imparted some helpful hints to them about the very specialized field of book recording, they had some fascinating stories of their own--about working in radio back in the 'old days.'" The lively discussion continued at a luncheon provided by the regional library. At the evening workshop, many of the volunteers arrived from a full day's work and were welcomed with a tasty, light supper provided by the library. Giannarelli said, "Again, there was a productive exchange of ideas. I found all the Arizona volunteers to be dedicated to their work on talking books. The volunteers were also eager to hear how 'the professionals' work." In particular, the discussions focused on:  How to change one's voice subtly to differentiate character voices in dialog,  How to silently turn pages,  How to track down an author to get pronunciations for a difficult book,  How to adjust one's breathing technique to make it easier for the monitor to do an edit,  How a monitor can coax a narrator to modify a narration technique, without causing bruised feelings,  How to judge the difference between a small imperfection and a mistake that needs correcting, and  How to support the narrator and help her/him through difficult passages of a book. "The tips I offered fell on very receptive ears," Giannarelli continued. "I found it satisfying to share the things I've learned in the twenty years I've been a narrator/monitor/reviewer at NLS. All in all, I believe both workshops were a success, largely because my three hosts-- volunteer coordinator Jeanie Pawlowski, division director Linda Montgomery, and outreach librarian Jill Bartlett--did a lot of work to ensure a good turnout and to make me feel welcome in their well-appointed and cheerfully staffed library. I'm looking forward to an opportunity to return some time in the future." Phoenix fourth-graders donate braille books Fourth-graders at the Wilson Elementary School in Phoenix adopted the Arizona regional library as part of their winter holiday project last year. Wilson Elementary is a high-achieving inner- city school that serves many minority children. Earlier in the semester, the state's Braille and Talking Book Library had loaned the class a print/braille book for its study of Louis Braille and his legacy. The library had also provided braille alphabet cards and the NLS factsheet About Braille, inspiring an infectious enthusiasm for learning more about the field. The class responded with a pledge to raise money to help the library acquire more print/braille books, and with some energetic fund-raising efforts, the pupils were soon able to purchase four titles from the Seedlings catalog that specializes in children's braille books. The books were presented to the regional library on December 14 by four members of Wilson's fourth-grade class and their teacher, Melissa Lape. A welcome addition to the collection, the books were especially appreciated by a group of Arizona preschoolers who are learning braille. (photo caption: Wilson Elementary pupils and teacher Melissa Lape (back row, left) present donations to regional librarian Linda Montgomery (center) and librarian Sandra Everett.) New braille music software available OpusDots Lite, a new software system for transcribing printed sheet music into braille, was designed for use by sighted individuals--parents, teachers, aides, and transcribers--who know basic print music notation but may not know music braille. OpusDots Lite uses a scan-and-click procedure: when the reader runs a scanner over printed sheet music and clicks on selected musical elements, the program translates these elements automatically into music braille. The low-cost, entry-level program can translate single-line music--for band instruments, orchestral instruments, and chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass music line, but not lyrics). It may also be used in sight-reading or music theory exercises. A more powerful non-Lite version of OpusDots, to translate multistave music with chords and lyrics, is planned for the future. OpusDots Lite requires a PC with Windows 98 or later, a scanner, and an optional embosser or refreshable braille device for output. The software consists of a music notation editor, a music-to-braille translator, and a braille editor. It can translate clefs; key and time signatures; notes and rests; multimeasure rests; accidentals; irregular groupings (e.g., triplets); ties and slurs; metronome markings; fingerings; text for tempo, expression, and dynamics; note expressions; and barlines. The braille music is displayed in a separate editor window, so the user can view both the entered music and the translated braille at the same time. The braille editor is a full-featured editor with standard or six-key input. It can display and produce simulated braille or ASCII print, send the output to an embosser or refreshable braille device, or export the braille to other braille programs. OpusDots Lite is available from Opus Technologies, 13333 Thunderhead Street, San Diego, CA 92129; phone/fax: (858) 538- 9401 or toll-free (866) 678-7832. The cost is about $300, with free updates. NLS visits Florida studio NLS's Production Control Section head John Bryant, assistant head Jean Moss, and production control specialist Ed Pitts visited Insight for the Blind, the all-volunteer recording studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last December. The studio is implementing new technology and adapting recording techniques to the digital era, and was in the process of evaluating the first book completed in digital format. Volunteers and staff were also celebrating Insight's twenty-five years of recording talking books and magazines. (photo caption: Insight's production chief Harry Sharpe (r) briefs Jean Moss and John Bryant on the studio's digital recording equipment.) Meetings National Braille Association (NBA) Twenty-sixth National Conference and Workshops, Hilton Milwaukee City Center Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Thursday, April 26- Saturday, April 28, 2001 Fall Regional Meeting and Workshops, DoubleTree Hotel, Sacramento, California; Thursday, October 25-Saturday, October 27, 2001 Spring Regional Meeting and Workshops, Holiday Inn Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia; Thursday, April 11-Saturday, April 13, 2002 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 XLII Annual Conference, San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel, Burlingame, California; Thursday, April 26-Saturday April 28, 2001 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 2001 Conference of Volunteers, Embassy Suites Hotel, Jacksonville, Florida; Thursday, May 17-Saturday, May 19, 2001 For more information about this meeting, contact Rella Corris, VAVF president, 4295A Mango Tree Court, Boynton Beach, FL 33436; (561) 738-0737; e-mail: . 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: I have just completed the final lesson in the braille transcribing course. I used the Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing (3rd ed., 1984) to prepare all of the lessons. Recently, I received a copy of the new 2000 edition of the instruction manual, and I am ready to begin working on my 35-page trial manuscript for Library of Congress certification. After reviewing the new edition of the manual, I noticed a number of changes, especially in the formatting of a braille book. Would it be advisable for me to submit my 35-page trial manuscript according to the rules presented in the new instruction manual? Instructor: Excellent question. If a student has used the 1984 edition of the instruction manual for most of the braille transcribing course, it is recommended that he/she submit the 35- page trial manuscript using the 1984 edition of the instruction manual. In this way, the student is less likely to make errors because of the differences between the two editions. As was mentioned in the last issue of Update, the Library of Congress will accept a trial manuscript prepared according to the rules presented in the 1984 edition of the instruction manual at least through December 31, 2001. Student: I have recently started the braille transcribing course, and I am using the 1984 edition of the instruction manual. When should I change to the new 2000 edition of the instruction manual? Instructor: A student should begin using the new instruction manual as soon as possible. The Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing (4th ed., 2000) includes all of the changes to the official code, English Braille, American Edition, 1994, that have occurred since 1980. The material contained in each lesson is explained in greater detail, and many more simulated braille examples are included. It is therefore very beneficial for a student to begin using the new instruction manual at an early stage in the braille transcribing course. Student: I am still a little confused about how to transcribe the print number symbol (crosshatch) in braille. Could you clarify this for me? Instructor: Certainly. The number symbol (crosshatch) is represented in braille by the abbreviation "No." followed by the braille number sign and the corresponding braille number, spaced as in print. Student: The 1984 edition of the instruction manual stated that the 35-page trial manuscript should include a title page and, if needed, a contents page. However, it is my understanding that the new 2000 edition says that the trial manuscript should always include a contents page. Is this true? Instructor: That is correct. Since the majority of print books contain a contents page, it is important that a student be able to transcribe a braille contents page correctly. Student: Even though it was not encouraged, the 1984 instruction manual allowed a student to select a magazine article for the trial manuscript. How is this addressed in the new instruction manual? Instructor: The certification manuscript must consist of at least thirty-five full braille pages, including preliminary pages, taken from a general reading book. The formatting of magazine articles varies greatly, especially in transcribing braille title pages. Because there are no specific instructions on how to format magazine articles in the new instruction manual, the student should choose a general reading book instead. Student: It is my understanding that according to the new instruction manual, all of the pages at the beginning of a print book, such as the dedication, acknowledgments, preface, foreword, table of contents, author's note, introduction, or prologue, should now be included in brailling the 35-page trial manuscript. Correct? Instructor: With one exception. None of the items discussed under Section 19.2(g) of the instruction manual, "Cover/Jacket Material," are to be included in the trial manuscript. Volunteers master new skills Between October 2000 and February 2001, certificates in braille transcribing were awarded to fifty-four persons--forty-eight in literary braille transcribing, five in mathematics braille transcribing, and one in mathematics braille proofreading. Note: In a previous issue Shelley D. Gray was incorrectly listed as a resident of Louisiana. She lives in Illinois. LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Arizona Ralph Gamboa III, Douglas James Michael Hitch, Douglas Howard Schaufelberger, Douglas Ward Allan Yont, Douglas California Wilma E. Breivik, Concord Randall W. Colvin, Folsom Evelyn B. Comstock, Sunnyvale Gretchen M. de Golia, Concord Terry Harris, Folsom Jana R. Hertz, Laguna Hills Martin A. Killingsworth, Folsom Ann Loftis, South Pasadena MaryLyn Jean Spomer, Ph.D., Fresno Helen J. Zillmer, Ventura Florida Amy E. Bertholet, Merritt Island Janet Nullet, St. Augustine Janet C. Trettau, Dunedin Elliott H. Whitman, St. Petersburg Indiana Frances K. Scott, Carmel Iowa Susan K. Bonar, Vinton Johnathan M. Lee, Anamosa Jeff Smith, Anamosa Kentucky Marlon Tyrone Lee, Lexington V. Roy Richards, Lexington Nevada Lincoln Allen, Las Vegas Norman Dirk Atherley, Las Vegas Jeff W. Brillhart, Las Vegas Tony W. Farrell, Las Vegas Robert W. Jones, Las Vegas David Thomas Stine, Jr., Las Vegas Brian E. Wade, Las Vegas Ron E. Welsh, Las Vegas New York Ainsworth Hunter, Napanoch Marg Larsen, Chittenango Ohio Betty J. Van Dyke, St. Marys Dianne J. Westfall, Parma Pennsylvania Pearl P. Donaldson, Hellertown Patricia Gwalthney, Cambridge Springs Anna L. Olah, Bethel Park Irene M. Parks, Pittsburgh Diana M. Tatton, Pittsburgh South Dakota Joshua Bachleitner, Yankton Douglas D. Fraser, Yankton Gary Rockwood, Yankton Tennessee Frederick B. Kunz, Tracy City Texas Kathryn C. Biegler, Richardson Virginia Melinda J. Couslin, Richmond Wisconsin Sandra K. Adams, Madison MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Randy S. Eskenazi, Napanoch, New York Linda A. Granger, Payson, Arizona Kenith L. Lewis, Anamosa, Iowa Timothy McGuinness, Las Vegas, Nevada Rita M. Thomas, New Castle, Pennsylvania MATHEMATICS BRAILLE PROOFREADER Nancy Fosdick, Austin, Texas Negligee, not kangaroo by Ray Hagen Relax, narrators, this one is for the reviewers. Let's cut to the chase. The purpose of reviewing a recorded book is to find mistakes, not imperfections. It isn't (or shouldn't be) an endless game of "Gotcha!" What's a correction worth noting? "Negligee, not kangaroo." What's a correction not worth noting? "Didn't hear the 'd' in 'black and blue.'" Whenever a new reviewer gets started on his first book, there's a natural tendency to write down every single itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny, little thing he hears. That's fine; no one begins this job knowing every subtlety of the process. But if after five or six books he's still presenting twelve pages of corrections for a four-sided novel, then a conversation with the studio director is clearly in order. The most commonly heard rationale is "I just write down everything I hear and let the narrator and monitor decide if they want to do them." That's just avoiding responsibility for making intelligent decisions. Yup, the reviewer has to make judgments too. Keep in mind that doing a correction is a leap of faith. Will the match be right? There's no way to know till you make the first attempt. So, is this a correction that really needs to be made at all? Is it worth the chance that the correction might sound worse than the original "problem"? If it's a wrong pronunciation, an obvious misreading of the text, a really crummy edit, a missing paragraph, or audible gunshots, there's no choice. Otherwise, for the reviewer, choices abound. Some examples: The narrator has chosen to pronounce the name Beatty, a fictional character, as Beet-ie. There's no need to constantly carp, "You sure it isn't Bate-ie?" But saying Beet-ie in a biography of Warren Beatty, where it has to be Bate-ie, is plain wrong. Now you can play "Gotcha!" In fiction it doesn't matter. In nonfiction it does. You're listening for page-turn noises. You hear a loud snap, you write it down. Later you hear a soft swishy sound under the dialog that you just know is a page turn. Is this worth writing down? Does the dialog cover it up? Will only a bat be able to hear it? Make a decision, then reach for the pencil (or not). Between sentences, you hear the narrator part his lips to begin speaking. You know, that little saliva pop that we all make hundreds of times every day and never even notice. Must these always be written down? I'd say that if there's an audible pop at the end of every single sentence in the book, there's a problem. If you hear it once every thirty pages, there isn't. Make a judgment. How are foreign words or names pronounced? Incorrectly? Note it. Correctly but labored? Note it. Correctly and easily but with an American accent? Don't touch that pencil. We don't have to sound like native speakers. Cut some slack. An occasional contraction (it is/it's) is no big deal. Six per page, on the other hand, is. Sometimes, especially in dialog, "want to" will come out as "wanna," "don't you see" as "dontcha see," "going to" as "gonna." Sloppy diction? Or is the narrator simply speaking the way most English-speakers (including you) would casually speak in a given context? Please remember, we're supposed to be storytellers, not elocution teachers. There are, however, matters other than accuracy that you should be listening for. Is the narration in keeping with the spirit of the book? Would transitions be clear to the listener without the visual cues provided by the print copy? Is the narrator miscast? How's the overall presentation? Is it holding your interest? It's easy to get hung up on listening for every little imperfection and totally ignore (dare I say it?) the artistic element. Granted, this is subjective and opinions do vary, but as the first person to hear the book in its entirety, you're entitled to have, and express, your own opinion. Listeners will be hearing these books recorded at extra-slow speed on a little plastic cassette player in a room with all sorts of ambient sounds all around them, not unlike the room you're probably in right now. They will not be listening to them through bulletproof headphones connected to a five-ton tape deck or a NASA computer. They'll be listening to the story, not straining every nerve to catch the slightest little mouth noise. Sure, note the obvious blunders. For the rest, consider saving paper. (photo by Yusef El-Amin) In memoriam Ethel Schuman Ethel Schuman, renowned music braille transcriber and one of the first members of California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH) in 1960, passed away last July after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Ms. Schuman served as CTEVH president from 1965 to 1967 and as editor of its newsletter, the California Transcriber (now the CTEVH Journal). Ms. Schuman studied braille transcription with Dr. Isabelle Grant, noted international advocate for the blind, and was certified in literary braille transcription in 1957. A fine musician herself, Schuman went on to receive her music braille certification in 1967. Schuman founded the Braille Services Guild in Westwood, California, to provide braille textbooks and music braille for blind musicians all over the country. Schuman's workshops produced the first jumbo braille teaching materials for the touch-impaired. In the days before computer-assisted brailling, Schuman was commended by the Library of Congress for having produced more music braille than any other transcriber. "She had an unlimited amount of wisdom and competence in so many different areas" says braille transcriber and CTEVH member Norma Schecter. "She was a gifted, intelligent, warm-hearted woman." Joseph N. Lesyk Talking-book machine repair volunteer Joseph N. Lesyk, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, died January 1, 2001, in Allentown. Lesyk was a product engineer for the former Western Electric Company at the company's Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Kearney, New Jersey, locations before retiring from Allentown in 1979. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and a regional coordinator for the Pioneers at Lucent Technologies from 1996 to 1999. He had done repair work on talking books for the Lehigh County and Northampton County associations for the blind. Among his other volunteer efforts was a project to adapt tricycles to accommodate children with spina bifida. A newspaper article mentioning Lesyk's repair shop appeared in the Allentown Morning Call and stirred public interest. That also led to the nomination of the Pioneers' repair program for General Colin Powell's Volunteerism in America Award. "Joe certainly enjoyed working with the talking-book program and also enjoyed attending the annual meetings and seeing people from the different parts of the country, says his wife, Martha. "He felt so close to all. I, too, enjoyed attending with him." Lesyk was also an Explorer scoutmaster and was active in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 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