Winter 2022-2023

What’s New at the Talking Book Library?

Fall has been a bit of a quiet time here at theTalking Book Library. In October, Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin presented at the Virginia Library Association’s annual conference, where he also helped staff a Talking Book information booth to share information with librarians from across the state. The booth had over 160 visitors, so word definitely got out.

Updated Hours and Contact Information

Since we had some questions, we wanted to confirm Access Services’ hours of operation are:

• In-Person: Monday through Thursday, 9:00-1:00, and by appointment on Fridays
• Email and Phone: Monday through Friday, 9:00-5:00

To make an appointment, please call 540-372-1144, ext. 7054, or email talking-books@crrl.org. Our address is 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 155, Fredericksburg, 22408. We are adjacent to the Library Administration Center. If you visit during in-person hours, please ring the doorbell. Sometimes, staff are working in our backroom, and we won’t know if you’re at the door. You can also get directions, hours, and links to information on some of our services here.

Popular Talking Book Titles

Fiction Bestsellers

• Crowbones by Anne Bishop (DB 107353) 
• The Candy House by Jennifer Egan (DB 107786)
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry (DB 107926)
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (DB 107433)
• One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (DB 106637)

Nonfiction Bestsellers

• Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life: A Memoir by Delia Ephron (DB 107810)
• Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior by Ric Prado (DB 107409)
• Find Your Path by Carrie Underwood (DB 102779)
• Growing Up Biden: A Memoir by Valerie Biden Owens (DB 107808)
• The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall (DB 105482)

Annual Reminders

It’s nearly the new year, so here are four tips to keep your Talking Books account in good shape:

• Return old cartridges. This tells us you’re ready for new books and keeps your account active. We promise to send you new books as fast as we can, and we always send out new books once we’ve checked your old ones back in.
• If you have or use BARD, please log in to your account. You need to log in at least once a year to keep that account active.
• We keep records of your preferred authors and topics. You can update those records by contacting Talking Books at talking-books@crrl.org.
• If you’ve changed addresses, want to switch to BARD only, or just want to put a temporary hold on your account, please tell us. We can do all of that and more!

National Library Service (NLS) News

Quarterly Patron Corner

NLS’ Patron Engagement Section offers a quarterly program called Patron Corner. This quarter’s program, entitled "Do You Hear What I Hear: The NLS Music Section Is Not Just for Musicians" will focus on the music section of the NLS and will be held Monday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

These sessions are open to all Talking Books customers and interested parties. It can be joined by going to the Library of Congress’ Zoom link on a computer or calling 1-669-245-5252 followed by 151 798 3140. Upon connecting, participants will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the program begins. When they enter the room, they will be on mute, and they should remain on mute unless the host calls upon them to speak. At that time, they may unmute by using Alt-A on a computer keyboard or star (*) 6 if dialing in by phone.

This program will be recorded. If participants do not want to be on the recording, they should refrain from speaking.

Patrons listserv

Want to get the latest news and updates from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled? NLS’s Patron Engagement Section now hosts an announce-only listserv that will include announcements about NLS programs, services, and products that might be of interest to patrons. New announcements will be posted a few times a week. To sign up, send your name and email address to the Patron Engagement Section at NLSPES@loc.gov. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Resetting BARD Passwords

In response to feedback from Talking Book libraries, NLS has simplified the process to reset BARD passwords.:

1. Visit the BARD login page and click Reset your BARD password here.
2. On the "reset your lost password page," enter the BARD account email address in the Email Address field, then click Submit.
3. BARD will send you an email with a link that will redirect back to the BARD website, where you can create a new password. The link will expire in one hour.

Note that there is a new button called Show/Hide password, which appears as an eye shape, following the confirmation field on the create-a-new-password page. By default, everything written in the password fields is hidden, but you can click on the button to “toggle” it and make what is being typed in the password field visible.

Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) is a mobile app which allows users to download and listen to books for free on an Android or Apple/iOS smartphone or tablet.

All Talking Books users with a working email can also enroll in BARD. Training videos on the use of BARD can be seen at the bottom of the Talking Books website.

Zarin Receives VLA's 2022 George Mason Award

The Awards & Recognition Committee of the Virginia Library Association has awarded Babak Zarin with the 2022 George Mason Award:

This award recognizes individuals, libraries, or other organizations distinguished for advocacy of libraries and/or information access. Babak was selected for his dedication to his work at CRRL and improving accessibility and inclusion for all.

"CRRL's Access Services has been transformed under Babak's leadership," according to the nomination form. Babak expanded the department to include all forms of accessibility, developed and performed an accessibility audit for the library system, and has shared what he's learned both internally and with other library systems.

Babak is both humbled and honored to receive the award, and hopes the award encourages other libraries to be talking about and including accessibility concerns in their planning.

Winter Reading Challenge

The CRRL community is looking forward to this year’s Adult Winter Reading Challenge! Running January 1 through March 31, all Talking Books members with CRRL library cards are welcome to participate. Talking Books read between January 1 and March 31 count as part of the challenge. This year’s prize for reading at least 5 books will be a cozy blanket with the library’s logo. Learn more about the challenge at librarypoint.org/winter.

A CRRL library card is required. If you live in CRRL’s service area or a county with which we have a reciprocal borrowing agreement and do not have a library card or have lost yours, you can apply for one at librarypoint.org/card. Your library card barcode will be emailed to you, and your physical card will be mailed to you. You can also ask the Access Services Librarian to register you if you prefer. 

In addition to the Winter Reading Challenge, CRRL offers reading challenges throughout the year through the accessible Beanstack website software and mobile app. Register for a Beanstack account using the Beanstack Tracker App or Beanstack website, then sign up for specific challenges, including the Winter Reading Challenge and Year-Round Challenge. You can log reading anytime through the app or website, but only reading logged for a challenge period will count towards that challenge.

Lunch & Learn

CRRL offers a free virtual class series where people can explore new ideas and interests during their lunch hour. Classes are held on Fridays, 12:00-1:00. You can watch classes live at facebook.com/crrlnews, and no Facebook account is needed. Highlights of the upcoming quarter include ”Planning for the New Year” (December 30), “What’s up with Winter Reading” (January 13), and “Applied Origami - From Candy Wrappers to Newspapers” (February 24). You can find a full listing of upcoming Lunch & Learn topics by clicking here.

Memory Café

CRRL offers a quarterly Memory Café for those with early-stage dementia or Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. This quarter’s café will focus on winter and will be held at Salem Church Branch on Friday, December 16, 10:30-12:00.

Time with a Therapy Dog

CRRL strives to make its classes and events inclusive for all. One event that may be of particular interest to those with cognitive or emotional disabilities is Time with a Therapy Dog. This regularly offered event is for adults and teens in grades 7-12, along with their caregivers, who may read or relax with a certified therapy dog. Offered in person and online, Time with a Therapy Dog is presented in partnership with Blue Gray Therapy Dogs. To learn more and sign up, search CRRL's events for Time with a Therapy Dog.

Upcoming Holidays and Your Next Issue of Sightlines

All CRRL branches will be closed December 23-26 for Christmas, December 31-January 2 for New Year’s, January 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and February 20 for George Washington Day. Your next Sightlines newsletter will come out in mid-March.