Summer has gone fairly quietly, though things are gradually starting to pick up. But that quiet didn’t mean nothing happened. In fact, we have a lot of news to share!

Sightlines Newsletter Goes Digital

First, some major news about the Sightlines newsletter. Beginning with this edition, the newsletter will only be available by email, downloadable HTML, and as a sound file at librarypoint.org/sightlines. This change resulted from our distributor, Talking Books, altering their policy for acceptable formats, which limits our ability to add personal files.

We know this is a big change, and it wasn’t a decision made easily! But there are several bright sides. First, we are still able to reach the 400 Talking Books users for whom we have email addresses, along with an additional 200 interested parties, which is almost everyone in our system. So we should be able to still reach you all! Secondly, this new way of distribution allows us to make sure the Sightlines newsletter gets the same treatment as CRRL’s other newsletters, thereby helping us make sure Talking Book users are welcomed into the broader library community. Finally, this change also follows a trend we've seen with Talking Book libraries nationwide of providing more content and communications digitally.

The Sightlines Book Group will be meeting more frequently starting in 2022, on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 5:30-6:30.

The fall meeting will occur on Thursday, November 11, 11:30-12:30. Connection details appear farther down in this newsletter.

The meetings will continue to be hosted through Google Meets, like CRRL’s other virtual book groups. We’re looking forward to talking about books with you more frequently.

We are now offering curbside appointments. These appointments allow you to come visit us over at 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 155, Fredericksburg and pick up your Talking Books tapes. We know this will be a big help to all of you who are slowly starting to travel again and like to grab a special set of books before you head out on your trip, and we’re glad to be doing it. You can schedule a curbside appointment by emailing talking-books@crrl.org, or calling (540) 372-1144, ext. 7054.

We’ve heard from a lot of you that sometimes it can be difficult to dial the extension number to call Babak. You're welcome to call the 1-800 number instead, bypassing CRRL’s switchboard:

Messages will be returned within a day, during the Talking Books Library hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00-5:00.

Some of you may recall that last March our Talking Books Library joined other Talking Books libraries in Virginia to host a resource showcase for the blind and visually impaired. This year, we’ll be doing it again, and the in-person element is tentatively scheduled for March 11 or 12, at Fredericksburg Branch.

Planning for this event will begin later in the fall. Please let us know if you are interested in setting up a table or speaking at the event by emailing babak.zarin@crrl.org.

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, CRRL is displaying a poster exhibition from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum at all of our open branches throughout the month of September. To see screen-reader friendly versions of the poster exhibition or for more resources, visit librarypoint.org/september-11.

Talking Books staff join CRRL staff in offering a quarterly meeting for those with early stage dementia or Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. This quarter, Memory Café will be focused on remembering school days and will be held virtually on Friday, September 17, 10:30-12:00. Join at meet.google.com/fvx-qszz-bsw or call 1-331-462-0296 and dial PIN 787324987

Join us Fridays, 12:00-1:00, at facebook.com/crrlnews for Lunch & Learn. Explore new ideas and interests during your lunch break. No Facebook account needed. Highlights of the upcoming quarter include classes on micro and macro nutrients and how to be creative during a crisis.

CRRL recognizes not all impairments are visible. Those with cognitive and emotional impairment--also known as “invisible” disabilities--are welcome to utilize CRRL services and spaces. Currently, there are two main CRRL programs that may be of interest to those with these kinds of disabilities: PAWS for Reading, for grades K-6, and Time with a Therapy Dog, for those grade 7 through adult. Both programs offer attendees the chance to relax and read with a therapy dog. In partnership with Blue Gray Therapy Dogs. To learn more and sign up for either program, search CRRL's events for PAWS.

VLA has awarded Babak Zarin the 2021 Up and Comer Award. This award recognizes an energetic librarian, with less than five years of professional experience, who pushes the boundaries of originality and creativity and expands the role of librarian with forward-thinking efforts that help move libraries into the future.

Babak was chosen for this award because of his proactive approach and dedication to access services for the CRRL community and its customers. Babak has expanded the scope of the Access Services Department to encompass accessibility in all its forms. His related accomplishments include developing and conducting an accessibility audit for CRRL’s branches and website, co-chairing CRRL’s new Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, and working with the Library of Virginia to establish the in-progress Virginia Deaf Culture Library.

Babak is both humbled and honored to receive the award and hopes to continue providing such service to all of CRRL’s Access Services and Talking Books users.

CRRL Director Martha Hutzel has written a special letter of thanks, along with sending a gift on behalf of the library, to Access Services volunteer Kaitlynn Jordan. While COVID-19 regulations prevented most of CRRL’s volunteers from continuing in their service, Kaitlynn--who is blind and uses both BARD and Talking Books--was able to continue volunteering remotely.

Kaitlynn joined the Rating Unrated Books program, a volunteer program through the National Library Service where Talking Books and BARD users read and rate books that have been added to the catalog with missing information, such as foreign language narration and possible content concerns. In the past year, Kaitlynn has read 69 fantasy and science-fiction books, which has garnered her the thanks of Talking Books librarians around the country, as these genres are often very difficult to review. Access Services is immensely proud of Kaitlynn’s work.

Every year, the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled) awards one network Regional and one network Subregional library for their excellence in service. This year, NLS gave the award to the Virginia Beach Talking Books Library.

Pamela Brown, senior and disability services librarian, accepted the award. Brown said, “We danced in the hallway when we learned we won the award. We’ve been striving for a number of years to meet the standards, and we hope to keep up the good work.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Staunton’s Talking Book Center. While planning for its celebration is still ongoing, we wanted to take a moment and congratulate our colleagues in Staunton for their excellent work all these many years.

In the Sightlines Book Group this fall, we will be reading The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson (DB 71929).

A New York Times bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, The Warmth of Other Suns is the story of Ida Mae Gladney, who left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi in 1937 for Chicago; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who fled Florida for Harlem in 1945, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career. Their stories help to guide readers through one of America’s greatest unrecognized migrations: the decades-long journeys of Black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.

A long read of about 19 hours by audio, The Warmth of Other Suns has been hailed as a bold, remarkable, and riveting work.

We will be discussing this book virtually on Thursday, November 11, 11:30-12:30, using Google Meet, which has been recommended by the Commonwealth of Virginia and is considered an accessible platform. Join the discussion at meet.google.com/yrz-syoo-fhw or call 1-316-835-1118‬ and dial PIN ‪594 878 521‬#

Over the course of the past year, we’ve mentioned Talking Books users who also use Braille and Audio Reading Download (or BARD). But we only realized we hadn’t actually talked about what BARD is when we heard from some of you that you’re curious to learn more about it, so here’s your deep dive into this great program!

BARD is the digital version of Talking Books. There are two different versions. One version is available to be used on Windows-based computers. This can be a bit harder for many, as it allows you to download a Talking Book onto your computer and then put it onto a cartridge, but some find it useful. The second version, which is a mobile app, allows users to directly download and listen to books on an Android or Apple/iOS smartphone or tablet. Both versions are available for free, with the second being available at no cost in all app play stores.

People who are enrolled in Talking Books and have working emails can enroll in the program by contacting the Talking Books and saying they’d like to get started. Once enrolled in BARD, you will get an email welcoming you, as well as a temporary password that lasts 10 minutes to use to login and establish a permanent password. For privacy purposes, librarians are not allowed to create or store permanent passwords, though they can reissue a temporary one.

From there, you can use BARD to browse the Talking Book collection, select which titles to download onto your smartphone or tablet, and then have your device play them out for you after downloading. Since the book will be downloaded onto your phone, you don't have to wait for it to arrive in the mail or send it back afterward, which is a big help for avid readers.

We know some folks may find this a little daunting, but the National Library Service has you covered. Their Consumer Relations Officer Judy Dixon, who is blind herself, has recorded instructional videos on how to use the BARD mobile app or BARD for Windows. These videos are audio described, so don’t worry about not being able to see imagery; you can still get help.

BARD is a great program, and it’s proven to have a huge impact. In our area, about 15% more of you began using BARD in the past year, meaning a total of about 33% of Talking Books folks have found this to be a great way to get books easily during times when the regular mail service may be moving a bit slowly. And use of BARD is only expected to grow, as of right now about one in five Talking Books users nationwide also use BARD, with newcomers to Talking Books showing a strong preference to using the mobile app instead of a separate player.

If you’d like to give BARD a try, feel free to reach out and let us know. And, if you’d like to know more about BARD in general, visit loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access.

Holidays and Next Sightlines

Our department will be closed on September 6 for Labor Day. The next Sightlines will come out in November.

For book reservations, to share a review, or for more information, contact Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin at 540-372-1144, extension 7054; toll free at 1-800-628-4807, or email babak.zarin@crrl.org.

Anyone wishing to receive Sightlines can visit this link, enter their email address, and click Sign Up.